NCTV Episode 85

Continuing with the series of bitesize health tip videos which can be found here on my YouTube Channel, this episode, includes:-

  • What is a disc?
  • Why disc problems occur
  • Common symptoms
  • The two main disc problems and how to manage them
  • How to prevent disc problems

Transcript

If you’d prefer to read the content within, rather than watch the video, then feel free to read the transcript, as follows:-

Hello and welcome to NCTV Episode 85 which is all about spinal disc problems.

First of all, it’s important to know what a disc actually is. Without getting too technical they are basically your elasticy, rubbery shock absorbers which are located between each vertebrae and they help allow for a wide range of movement to occur in the neck and lower back.

So why do problems occur with the discs? Most of the time, because of the amount of pressure that gets put through them, it’s either down to excess stress on the discs, infection or the ageing process leading to degeneration.

Specific causes of disc problems are heavy lifting, incorrect bending and lifting posture, over-stretching and slips, falls or trauma.

Other risk factors that can lead to issues with the discs are ageing, smoking, lack of exercise or exercising too hard, lots of driving, overdoing the gardening, a sedentary lifestyle, being over-weight and having poor posture.

Symptoms of disc problems are back pain, muscle spasms, numbness, pins and needles and muscle weakness as well as difficulty bending or straightening up. You may also experience pain with coughing, sneezing, laughing or straining. Not all damaged discs cause symptoms though and it’s possible you may have a herniation for example, but never know about it.

Onto the actual disc problems themselves and there are only really two main ones to mention. The first is a herniation, also known as a disc bulge or prolapse. These are things many people also refer to as ‘a slipped disc’ although most of the medical world aren’t keen on that expression as it’s not technically what’s happening to the disc. A herniation is where there is a breakdown of the outer fibres of the disc, this results in the toothpaste like substance (which is usually positioned in the middle of the disc) being squeezed out through the broken fibres and into the spinal nerve roots or spinal cord. And because the substance of the disc is so inflammatory to any nerves it touches, this then causes pain down the nerves to the areas the nerve supplies, be it the legs and feet with a lower back disc herniation or the arms and hands with a neck disc herniation. When the pain goes down the buttock, the back of the leg and into the foot particularly, that is what’s known as sciatica because the pain follows the path of the sciatic nerve, but remember, sciatica is just a symptom of something else such as a disc herniation, rather than a diagnosis itself.

The second main disc problem is known as Degenerative Disc Disease which causes pain either directly in the back or referred pain elsewhere such as down the leg. It can occur as part of the ageing process and it’s where the spinal discs start to dry out, meaning they begin to lose some of their flexibility and shock absorption and in turn the outer fibres can then tear, causing pain.

A potential red flag to look out for is something called cauda equina syndrome where you may experience numbness around your genitals and anus, known as saddle anaesthesia, whilst also experiencing incontinence. If this happens you should attend A&E without delay.

A disc problem usually gets slowly better with a combination of rest at first, then gentle exercise and alternating ibuprofen and paracetamol if need be. To potentially speed up the recovery and manage disc problems more effectively though, a few options are manual therapy such as osteopathy, of course, chiropractic treatment, physiotherapy, Intervertebral Disc Decompression or IDD therapy, massage and acupuncture to name a few. If you’re really suffering, stronger painkillers such as codeine can also be prescribed by the doctor or a steroid injection may also be given. Aside from that, as a last resort, spinal surgery may help, if the problem is really serious or will not resolve following more conservative methods.

The recovery time following a disc problem can vary depending on its severity but generally speaking it could take 8-12 weeks to heal on average without treatment and usually around 6 weeks with treatment but potentially in some unfortunate few people, pain can last up to around 6 months or even a year and beyond.

The breakdown and weakness of the disc fibres can’t be undone so there may always be a weakness there going forwards but in terms of preventing reoccurrence, adopting safe lifting techniques of heavy items will help as well as rehabilitation exercises and strengthening work on the core and back muscles to minimise any future problems. Many also find the likes of Pilates, Tai Chi and yoga helpful as well as ongoing periodic maintenance type osteopathic treatments, for example. Essentially, addressing the underlying cause and minimising the risk factors mentioned earlier will stand you in good stead.

That’s it for this week’s bitesize bit to help your health flourish and I’ll see you again next time. Bye bye for now.