Do You Have a Herniated Disc? or is that a Common Misdiagnosis?

The term "back pain" encompasses a whole range of diseases, injuries, and disorders that may affect any of the different parts of the anatomy of the back. From the vertebrae to the discs to all of the muscles and ligaments that connect and make up the joints of the spine and shoulders, there are many problems that may arise. Fractures, bulging discs, herniated discs, sciatica, and osteoporosis are just a few of these disorders.

Making the issue even more complicated is that modern technology is often very deficient in diagnosing these disorders. Problems with the discs and vertebral column may not show up in a CT scan or X-ray, but may be present nonetheless. Moreover, sufferers of back pain may not even be able to point to a specific area of their back that is causing the pain, due to the generalized soreness they may experience.

One commonly misdiagnosed injury to the back is that of a herniated disc. Typically, a herniated disc is "flattened" between two of the vertebra and collapses. The space between the bones of the spine decrease as a result of the collapse of the disc, and nerve damage can result due to the reduced amount of space the spinal cord has between the two bones.

However, a more common disorder occurs when a local area of one of the bones collapses and creates a compression of the spine. A Schmorl's node may then appear in scans of the spinal column showing the injury. Unfortunately, this type of disorder may be misdiagnosed as a herniated disc due to the collapsed space resembling the decrease of space of a herniation.

In reality, though, the nucleus of the disc may have been compressed between the two vertebrae and -- instead of flattening horizontally -- has herniated vertically. In fact, the fluid of the disc can shoot into the body of the vertebra directly above or below the site of the injury.

Because the space between the vertebrae has decreased, an X-ray or CT scan may be misread as indicating a horizontal flattening of the disc, when this is not the case at all. Compression forces may have caused the disc to lose its natural height and space for the nerve will also be lost. This can cause pain and discomfort in the back without being a true herniation of the disc as it is commonly understood.

Both doctors and patients should be more aware of this vertical shooting of the fluid of the nucleus into the vertebral body in order to avoid misdiagnosing and mistreating for a herniated disc. Treatments should be appropriate for the disorder that has occurred, and mistaking a vertical disorder as a herniation can lead to poor or incorrect treatment options to reduce pain and restore the proper functioning of the back.