Prolapsed (Slipped) Disc

The intervertebral discs in the spine act as shock-absorbing washers, allowing the entire vertebral column to twist and bend. Each disc is made of a tough, outer, bag-like layer enclosing a soft, jelly-like inner core. Sometimes a portion of the internal soft material pushes through a weak point in the outer layer to form a bulge or prolapse. This is commonly called a 'slipped' disc, though the term is misleading since the disc itself has not slipped out of position but has acquired a bulge at some point; a more accurate name is prolapsed disc.

Causes of prolapsed disc

The causes of prolapsed disc are numerous and complex. In most cases the basic problem lies in a combination of poor standing and walking posture, bad lifting technique, general lack of fitness (which leaves back muscles flabby and weak), seating that does not support the lower back adequately, and a soft bed that allows the entire spine to assume an unnaturally bent profile during sleep. All these factors can be remedied. In a small proportion of cases actual disease is present, when the bony vertebrae fuse together (ankylosing spondylitis) or in degeneration of the discs. The condition is most common in the lumbar region. There is stiffness and low back pain. Pressure on adjacent nerves that run down to the legs may produce sciatica, pain spreading down the back of the leg.

Spondylolisthesis is another condition affecting the vertebral column, usually in the lumbo-sacral region, as a result of injury or a congenital malformation in which a vertebra slips out of alignment with the one below. The vertebrae most often involved are the fifth lumbar and the sacrum, and low back pain results.

Treatment

Treatment for these conditions is basically bed rest and physiotherapy. To prevent recurrence, the patient must learn how to take care of his or her back by remedying the causative factors already mentioned. In more serious cases traction or surgery is required. Many Other treatments have been successful in a proportion of sufferers, such as osteopathic and chiropractic manipulation, acupuncture, yoga exercises, and even hypnosis and herbal medicine.