According to statistics, today about one hundred thousand people account for about 100 cases of diseases of various kinds of intervertebral hernias. However, not everyone knows about the main symptoms and methods of treating this disease. In this article, we will consider the question of what the intervertebral hernias are, as well as what kind of therapy medicine offers in these cases.
general information
To understand what this kind of disease is, you need to go a little deeper into the anatomy of the human body. The so-called intervertebral disc is surrounded by a fibrous ring. The disease appears when this fibrous ring breaks for some reason, and the core located inside the disk is slightly displaced. Then it moves into the intervertebral canal, where it acts on various nerve endings and cells of the spinal cord, resulting in cramping, pain and discomfort.
Intervertebral hernia. Causes
Lack of physical activity, sedentary work and passive rest are the prerequisites for the fact that a person may have herniated discs. According to experts, people at the age of 25 to 50 are at risk. As the primary reasons, experts call the following: mechanical injuries, blows to the back, lifting weights, sharp turns and so on. The risk group also includes those people who already have a curved posture or osteochondrosis. Intervertebral hernias have peculiar symptoms and differ from each other in the location of the lesion (lumbar, cervical, and thoracic). In more detail we will consider a lumbar hernia.
Intervertebral lumbar hernia. Symptomatology
In the early stages of the disease, there is a high probability of the appearance of so-called dull pain in the lumbar region, which will intensify during sports. Somewhat later, other symptoms are possible, namely:
- after sudden movements (for example, turns), shooting pain is observed in the lumbar region;
- problems with the genitourinary system (pain, diarrhea, incontinence, constipation, etc.);
- numbness of the fingers or numbness and tingling in the groin area.
Treatment
In medicine, the main methods of treatment of this disease are conditionally divided into operational and conservative. The latter are also divided into drug and non-drug. Conservative methods involve the use of acupuncture, acupressure, the use of various kinds of folk remedies.
Intervertebral hernia. Operation
This method is used only after a detailed examination by a specialist. In this case, the problem is solved radically, that is, through surgical intervention, the hernia is instantly removed. Relief after surgery is observed immediately, but the surgical method for solving the problem has its drawbacks. For example, it is very likely that during the operation the doctor may touch the spine, therefore, the patient may even remain disabled. In addition, in medical practice there is evidence of recurrence of the disease. Doctors recommend resorting to surgery only if conservative methods of treatment do not give the expected result.