Many people that we know have lived with the pain and suffering of a herniated disc for large portions of their lives. This is one of the most common back problems and can cause anything from mild discomfort to debilitating jolts of pain that leave sufferers unable to even get up from their beds. Not being able to get up out of bed in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom is just one of the complaints that have been registered with doctors interviewed. One victim of a herniated disc said that he would have to get on the floor and crawl to the toilet in order to go to the bathroom, the pain was that severe.
Many patients describe the pain as radiating down their legs. Some say they lose feeling in their extremities and especially in their lower leg. This is the type of pain that is associated with sciatica and comes from the herniated disc pushing against the long ropy nerve that runs next to the spinal column. This is perhaps the most crippling of pains and millions of people have suffered from this condition for years with no relief in sight. If you look back just thirty years ago, which is not that long ago, patients were frightened to have back surgery because of the inherent risks that were involved. It seemed that doctors knew very little about the back and how to operate successfully on it and it was not until the advent of laser and microsurgery that surgeons got a real handle on how to alleviate these situations for their patients.
Even today with all of the hardware, software, education, experience and training available, doctors will wait until it is absolutely necessary before recommending back surgery, it is that unpredictable. There are countless testimonials and certainly the average person hears them during the course of their daily lives about botched surgeries that have left patients crippled for life, in need of further surgeries, or even dead on the table. The spine is still a source of great mystery to many doctors though they would probably not admit as much.
When the inside of the disc ruptures, or herniates, the inside portion of the disc, called the nucleus pulpusus, sticks out of the disc and pushes against the spinal cord nerve. The nerve there is very sensitive and any light touch can feel like you are being prodded with electric wires or getting hit by a fireplace poker.
People still go to chiropractic practitioners for treatment though there is much debate in the medical community and many doctors think that they do more harm than good. These doctors put you up on a gurney and twist and crack your neck and back, trying to realign the spine, according to them. Many patients do swear by them and go on to live normal lives without surgery.