Introduction
The herniated disc is one of the most common neurological diseases in Germany. It is a disease of the peripheral nervous system. In a herniated disc, the intervertebral disc presses on a nerve exit from the spinal cord. The resulting symptoms always depend on which part of the nerve is pressed or touched by the nucleus of the intervertebral disc. The symptoms range from non-existent symptoms to severe pain, muscle or paraplegia.
Is there a slipped disc even without pain?
A herniated disc without pain is possible and even slightly more frequent than a herniated disc with pain – at least that is what current studies assume. The bottom line is that a herniated disc that does not cause any symptoms is not examined, so that it is not recognized as a herniated disc. These are random findings that are noticed during MRI or, more rarely, CT examinations.
Today it is assumed that about 60% of all herniated disks – as long as one concentrates on the acute event – are without symptoms. This means that although the nucleus of the disc bulges or leaves the sheath, it hardly or not at all touches the nerve root. Furthermore, pain is only a part of the otherwise typical symptoms of a herniated disc.
In addition, there are, for example, paralysis in the upper or lower extremities and so-called tingling paresthesias. These are sensory disturbances that give a tingling to slightly numb feeling. In addition, herniated discs can also become noticeable due to muscle weakness.
This is especially noticeable when comparing the sides, for example when the left leg can be pulled upwards against a much higher resistance than the right leg. However, it is typical for a herniated disc – no matter which symptom occurs – that the symptoms move along a so-called dermatome. These dermatomes are delimited areas of skin that are supplied by a special nerve from the spinal cord.
This means that the localization of the symptoms also gives the doctor an indication of where the nerve damage will be located. In addition, these symptoms usually only occur on one side. Simultaneous symptoms of the same dermatome on both sides of the body initially do not make one think of a herniated disc until all other possibilities have been excluded.
