Lumbar Disc Disease

Lumbar disc disease is a general term that refers to any condition that affects a disc in the low back. Most commonly, doctors use this term to refer to degenerative disc disease (arthritis) of the disc. It can also refer to a bulging / herniated disc.

The discs of the spine act as cushions between each of the vertebra (bones of the spine). I often refer to them as jelly doughnuts, because they have a firm outer covering, and a jelly center.

The jelly center is very important, because this is how the disc gets the oxygen and nutrition it needs to be healthy. The discs don’t receive much blood supply like other parts of the body, so this jelly is the only way the disc has what it needs.

Degenerative disc disease is when the jelly in the disc starts to disappear. As the jelly does this, there isn’t enough oxygen and nutrition for the disc to stay healthy, so it deteriorates. This is usually a silent condition that develops for many years before a person ever feels pain, because the disc doesn’t feel pain – what eventually hurts is pressure on the nerves of the spine as the disc becomes flat.

A bulging / herniated disc occurs when the firm outer covering of the disc tears (usually from some sort of injury), and the jelly starts to shift from the center to where the disc is torn. This creates a bulge in the disc, which applies pressure on the nerves in that area of the spine.

In both of these cases, traditional medical treatments are designed to hide the pain, but do not address the cause. Other treatments are available that are usually more effective because they are designed to address the cause of the problem – the disc itself.

If you would like more information about lumbar disc disease, or would like to learn about all of your options available for healing a bulging / herniated disc, click here.

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