Back pain (also known "dorsalgia") is pain felt in the back that may originate from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or other structures in the spine.
The pain may have a sudden onset or it can be a chronic pain, it can be felt constantly or intermittently, stay in one place or refer or radiate to other areas. It may be a dull ache, or a sharp or piercing or burning sensation. The pain may be felt in the neck (and might radiate into the arm and hand), in the upper back, or in the low back, (and might radiate into the leg or foot), and may include symptoms other than pain, such as weakness, numbness or tingling.
Back pain is one of humanity's most frequent complaints. In the U.S., acute low back pain (also called lumbago) is the fifth most common reason for all physician visits. About nine out of ten adults experience back pain at some point in their life, and five out of ten working adults have back pain every year.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Herniated Disc Diagnosis

herniated disc discs are one of the most common of all spinal deformities blamed for causing potentially severe and chronic low back pain in multitudes of suffering patients each year. While herniations can be problematic in the short term for a minority of patients, they are rarely responsible for the long-term or excruciating pain, with their fearsome reputation.

herniated disc discs are the most common of all spinal irregularities. You are diagnosed in untold numbers of people, both with and without back pain. Herniations have been the bread and butter of the industry back pain and even enjoy a variety of colorful nomenclature to their diagnosis. The most frequently used terms associated with disc disease include: disc herniation, bulging disc, broken disc, prolapsed disc, disc protrusion, herniated disc, collapsed disc and degenerated disc have terminologies While this might be some circumstantial differences to a certain service providers, they are often used, leading to confusion of the affected patients.

herniated disc discs are the theory to back pain by several different processes. The most common of these is called causation foraminal stenosis. This condition is often used as a pinched nerve. Foraminal stenosis occurs when a herniation in the bulges neuroforaminal opening, impinging on the nerve root exiting the spine at that vertebral level. While this process may in fact exist, it is diagnosed far more often than it really is. To qualify for the herniated disc to a significant deterioration of neurological functions of the nerve root, the neuroforamen have almost completely sealed, which is a very rare event. This diagnosis is often made, even if there is no evidence that the herniation even touched a nerve root in question, forget it actually compress ...

stenosis is the second most common disease blamed herniated disc discs. Stenoses describes a condition in which the herniation pushes against the actual spinal cord or cauda equina, limiting the full neurological functions from the entire spinal structure. Spinal stenosis can be a very serious problem and could lead to such devastating symptoms such as cauda equina syndrome. Once more, however, the diagnosis of spinal stenosis by a bulging disc is very often, while the actual condition rarely ever existed, except in cases of extreme spinal trauma. Typically, the herniated disc might come in contact with the membrane around the spinal cord and spinal fluid. A disc bulge, this membrane does not mean that any effect will be along on the neurological function of the spinal cord. In fact, many herniations impact on the thecal sac completely unknown to the person concerned, because the disc condition creates what no symptoms.

Chemical radiculitis is a less typical diagnosis often associated with severe annular tears in the outer disc wall or complete disc ruptures. The interior of the intervertebral disc (the so-called core pulposus) contains proteins that may cause nerve irritation in some individuals. If the nuclear withdrawal from the disc structure, this protein may be the local nerve tissue, the operative radicular pain in the immediate vicinity and the regions of the body by the irritated nerve structure. This is a somewhat controversial diagnosis, because many people experience full fractures, but have no pain at all. It seems that only some people could be sensitive enough to suffer from significant lasting pain after a chemical occur radiculitis event.

Finally, spine-related pain is the last of all and smallest common diagnoses. Disc-related means that the pain arising from the disc structure itself. While the disc has no nerve endings and blood supply of its own, it's spine by neighbors cartilaginous endplates, which contain tiny nerves. It is these small nerves, which, in the spine-related pain conditions, although most doctors, the diagnosis is not always sure why the nerve injured to begin with. This diagnosis is certainly on very shaky ground in most cases ...

Ironically, although herniated disc discs are to blame for a lot of pain, they are rarely the actual source symptomatic. Most disc herniations are only chanced upon all experienced pain and actually there are a large number of people who have no pain at all. Generally, herniations through trauma will likely cause pain for a short time, although this could be severe discomfort. Fortunately, this condition usually disappears in from 6 to 8 weeks, even without any medical treatment. Herniations that due to the normal degenerative processes in the spine, such as the laughably named degenerative disc disease, are rarely painful, even in the short term. Most of these degenerative induced bulges are not even discovered until many years later, as they pose no warning signs, do not cause pain and are innocent in the spine. The possibility that any herniated disc could cause pain for months, years or even decades is highly unlikely. Unfortunately, the mythology surrounding disc conditions, as well as in relation to the nocebo effect of the diagnostic process that led to the current epidemic of the disc back pain.

As a final thought, remember that herniated disc discs are a huge industry in the medical field. Doctors, chiropractors, complementary therapists, drug manufacturers, pharmaceutical suppliers, orthotic makers and a variety of other businesses benefit enormously from the disc pain. If the reality of the average herniated disc was always widely known, the viability of this highly profitable niche business would be decimated. Therefore, do not count on the diagnosis of disc herniations as a major source of pain decline anytime soon.

 

Sensei Adam Rostocki suffered with crippling misdiagnosed back pain for 18 years.

Sensei Rostocki is the author of popular self help book, "Cure Back Pain Forever" (ISBN 1-59971-997-5).

His Cure Back Pain Network Herniated Disc website provides honest and understandable information about a wide range of problematic disc concerns.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adam_Rostocki

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