Slipped disc

In the course of life many people suffer from serious back pain. However, only about 5% of these complaints are due to a herniated disc (disc prolapse or just prolapse). Nevertheless, the herniated disc is the most common cause of radical pain.

The most frequent occurrence of a herniated disc occurs between the ages of 30 and 50. Like spinal canal stenosis, disc prolapse also belongs to the degenerative spinal diseases. Each of the 23 intervertebral discs consists of two parts: a gelatinous core and an outer fibrous ring surrounding it.

Age-related changes in the structure of the intervertebral discs can cause fine cracks to form in the latter, through which the gelatinous core begins to bulge when the cracks become more pronounced. If the nucleus of the intervertebral disc now presses on nervous structures such as the nerve roots, failure symptoms are the result. Depending on the height at which the disc prolapse occurs, other symptoms or other localizations are to be expected.

Since damage to the intervertebral discs is ultimately load-dependent, herniated discs are mostly found in the heavily loaded lumbar spine area. The diagnosis of a herniated disc is first made by means of a neurological examination. A series of different tests provide the treating physician with a very accurate picture of the extent and localization of the herniated disc.

The suspicion of a herniated disc is then confirmed by imaging diagnostics such as computer tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. The treatment is then conservative in nine out of ten cases. An operation is therefore rarely necessary.

The conservative therapy consists mainly of back training and exercise therapy. Bed rest, which was once recommended for herniated discs, is now considered disadvantageous.Instead, an attempt is made to reintegrate the patient into everyday life as early as possible, which is achieved with the help of adequate pain therapy. In some cases, the injection of a local anesthetic in combination with a glucocorticoid near the affected nerve root can also be beneficial.