The Diagnosis and Treatment of Slipped Disk, What You Need to Know

The human vertebral column consists of many vertebrae (bones connected to form the spine), which are joint and supported by cartilage disks, consisting of a circle of connective tissue with a gel like core. The function of the disk is to provide support and flexibility to the spine. With advancing age, due to the aging of the tissue, the disk bulges out of its proper position and this condition is known as the "slipped disk."

Diagnosis

Slipped disk may or may not have any symptoms; however, it may cause some pain due to pressure on the nerve roots. Under extreme cases, it has the following symptoms:

Single muscle paralysis with intense pain in the limbs.
Paralysis along with muscle spasms in the lower part of the body due to pressure on the spinal cord.
Disturbance of normal metabolism with increased pressure on the bladders and rectum, along with paralysis of legs, caused due to pressure on cauda equina.

The above listed symptoms must be treated as an emergency, since neglecting the disorder after these levels may result in permanent disability of the patient.

The doctor diagnoses the problem by the following methods:
By studying the patient's medical history and physical examination.
Determining the exact position of the slipped disc by using CT scan, MRI scan or myleography.
X-Ray images are taken as well for some cases.
In detection of a "red flag" symptom, treatment is started immediately without delay.

Treatment

The treatment of slipped disk is done conservatively and operation is essential only in extreme cases like Paralysis, change in bladder habits and its control being lost or any case relating to pressure on cauda equina.

The conservative form of treatment includes:
Bed rest in induced for a certain period, and providing with certain pain killers.
Physiotherapy is also a good option.

Slipped disk is a medical disorder generally occurring at old age, generally of the age group 40-60, but it can even occur in the age group 30-50 due to bad posture and increased stress to the spine. The causes of the disorder are due to hard physical labor; however, any job giving increased stress to the spine can result in slipped disks. The disorder must be treated as soon as it is detected or it may result in paralysis.

References
1. 1. The Big Book of Health Tips. The editors of FC&A Publishing .FC&A Publishing