Slipped Disk

Slipped Disk Overview

The disks are protective shock-absorbing pads between the bones of the spine (vertebrae). The disks of the spine are also referred to as intervertebral disks. Although they do not actually "slip," a disk may move, split, or rupture. This can cause the disk cartilage and nearby tissue to fail (herniate), allowing the inner gel portion of the disk to escape into the surrounding tissue. This leaking jelly-like substance can place pressure on the spinal cord or on an adjacent nerve to cause symptoms of pain, numbness, or weakness either around the damaged disk or anywhere along the area supplied by that nerve.

Many people experience no symptoms from a herniated disk, and the majority of people who have herniated disks do not need surgery.

The layman's term "slipped disk" is, therefore, a misnomer and actually refers to a condition whereby portions of an abnormal, injured, or degenerated disk have protruded against adjacent nerve tissues. This condition is also known as a herniated disk, ruptured disk, or prolapsed disk. The most frequently affected area is in the low back, but any disk can rupture, including those in the neck.

Cross-section (side view picture) of herniated disk between L4 and L5 (the forth and fifth lumbar vertebrae)

Cross-section (vertical) of lumbar disc herniation into spinal canal

Slipped Disk Symptoms

The nerves of the body exit the spine at each spinal level in the low back, mid back, and neck. A herniated disk can produce symptoms anywhere along the course of that nerve, though the injury and irritation of the nerve are at the spine itself. (This is known as referred pain, as the pain is "referred" from the source of the problem in the spine to the area supplied by the affected nerve.) A slipped disk can produce varying degrees of pain in the back or neck along with numbness or weakness in the corresponding organs, arms, or legs as follows:

• For slipped disks in the neck: Neck symptoms and other associated symptoms include numbness, tingling, weakness, or pain in the shoulder, neck, arm, or hand. Symptoms of a herniated disk in the neck often increase or decrease with neck motion.
• For slipped disks in the lower back, back symptoms include
• Pain down the back of each leg from the buttocks to the knee or beyond (this is called sciatica, as it affects the sciatic nerve)
• Numbness, tingling, weakness, or pain in the buttocks, back, legs, or feet or all of these as in sciatica
• Numbness and tingling around the anus or genitals
• Pain with movement, straining, coughing, or doing leg raises
• Difficulty controlling bowel movements or bladder function