A herniated disc is one of the main causes of pain radiating to the waist and legs. Mechanistically, it is the clinical picture that occurs due to the direct pressure of the discs between our vertebrae on the nerves or the jelly-like cells coming out of the disc causing swelling in the nerves. Pain that starts from the waist and spreads to the feet is unbearable and disrupts our quality of life and even causes workforce losses. Nowadays, the increase in the level of education, the fact that many unnecessary surgeries have been performed, the pain in some of those who have surgery does not go away and even gets worse, the same complaints continue after a while even after surgery, and the development of communication opportunities affect the decisions of patients, and they do not immediately lie on the operating table with their eyes closed as before. It is possible to overcome this problem with more minimal interventions.
Symptoms of a herniated disc
A herniated disc manifests itself with pain and numbness radiating from the waist to the legs. It may cause limitation of movement. Sometimes it may occur as cramps in the hips. Pain, electricity, cramps, numbness and tingling indicate that the nerve is compressed.
Factors that cause a herniated disc
Lifting heavy, behaving inappropriately when picking up something from the ground, sedentary life, genetic predisposition, congenital spinal alignment disorders, sitting too much, Daily positions such as standing, improper posture, stress, smoking (impairs the nutrition of bones, joints and discs), and excess weight are all risk factors.
Lower Calcification Disease
The biggest cause of lower back pain is arthritis pain. When we talk about arthritis in the waist, facet arthrosis comes to mind medically. The structures that doctors call facet joints are the clamps that connect each vertebra from the back. Their function is to prevent our spines from slipping and to ensure that side rotations, bending and straightening are done in a healthy way. In a sense, they provide waist support. They are located at the back of all our spines, left and right. In fact, they wear out a lot during the aging process, and in later summers, calcification occurs in these small joints in our waist, just like the calcification in the knees. We can call it a disease of old age.
The basis of the problems in facet joints, like every joint, is that the bones, which are overloaded as a result of wear and tear of the cartilage structures, begin to reactively become larger, sometimes swell, and as a result, tiny bone protrusions begin to form. All of this begins to disturb the nerves in that area. When the situation reaches this stage, complaints that we call facet syndrome also appear.
Pain when turning over in bed, difficulty in straightening the waist when getting up in the morning, pain when bending and standing up and stretching the waist back are all caused by these calcifications. The patient can be relieved with physical therapy and some painkillers, but when chronic, persistent pain occurs, it is possible to prevent the pain with the radiofrequency method.
Stenosis - Showcase Disease
The most important reason for having to stop and rest frequently while walking on the road is the narrowing in the spinal canal. Numbness and pain in the feet and contractions in the leg muscles inevitably force them to stop and rest. After resting for a few minutes, their pain subsides and they can walk again. This disease is called "window window disease" due to the pain and numbness in the hips and feet while walking and muscle weakness, and the behavior they take to reduce their pain by frequently stopping and looking at shop windows and taking short breaks. The main reason is that the narrowing due to calcification in the spinal canal squeezes the spinal cord (spinal stenosis). This problem rarely occurs earlier in people with congenitally narrow spinal canals. The severity of the narrowing is a guide for treatment. There is no need for surgery as long as there is a certain opening in the spinal canal. Compressed nerves are relieved with special injection techniques. Walking distance increases and pain decreases.
Degenerative Disc Disease
Degenerative Disc Disease (DDH) is one of the most common causes of low back pain, especially in young people. Degenerative Disc Patients think they have a herniated disc due to their lower back pain. The loss of water in the discs between our vertebrae is called Degenerative Disc Disease. It usually presents as pain and impairment of daily quality of life. Most common between the ages of 30-50 It actually causes complaints. Although the diagnosis may seem simple, many patients diagnosed with degenerative disc disease wonder what exactly their diagnosis means.
We must say that degenerative disc disease is not a real disease but a degenerative condition that produces pain from a damaged disc. As a result of degeneration-related cracking of discs that normally have no vessels or nerves, tiny nerves enter the discs and their compression is the cause of pain.
Symptoms of Degenerative Disc Disease
Degenerate disc disease, It causes back pain, which varies from person to person. There is no condition that everyone with a degenerated disc will experience pain. People with early disc degeneration may also experience severe pain. DDH can cause back stiffness and pain that restricts waist movements. The most important symptom is that the pain begins and persists with prolonged sitting, prolonged standing, and heavy lifting. Another important issue is difficulties in getting out of bed in the morning. When these patients undergo MRI, it is seen that the discs between the vertebrae lose water, their height decreases and they turn black. It is called the dark disc.
Many methods are applied in the treatment of DDH. It is not a condition that requires surgery. Imaging-guided intradisc interventions can improve patients' quality of life and prevent pain.
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