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Causes of a Herniated Disc
Smoking and Herniated Discs Causes of a Herniated Disc / InjuryTraumatic injury to a specific vertebral level, or the spine in general, might create a spontaneous disc herniation. Sometimes, there is simply so much pressure applied to a disc that the outer annulus fibrous simply can not tolerate the force. When this occurs, the outer disc wall might bulge or tear, creating a prolapsed disc or a ruptured disc condition. Discs are designed to resist tremendous loads, but are certainly not immune to damage due to overexerting a particular vertebral level.The most common forms of back injury to cause a herniated disc include: car accidents, falls, sports injuries and all varieties of lifting, bending and twisting. Causes of a Herniated Disc / DegenerationDiscs have a life cycle, just like any other living thing on this planet. While discs begin their lives fully flexible and moisture rich, they have a normal tendency to stiffen and dry out as they age. This process occurs quite rapidly in many patients. The majority of healthy, pain-free adults still experience mild to moderate degenerative changes in their spines by the age of 30. Many also experience severe degenerative changes in one or more specific vertebral levels by the same age. It is not uncommon for some adults to see these degenerative changes even earlier, such as myself. I was diagnosed with moderate degenerative changes in my lumbar spine at the age of 16!When discs begin to dry out and lose their ability to maintain high moisture content, they shrink in both height and diameter. This process is not inherently harmful, but does bring the vertebral bones closer together. When discs dry out, they can also become brittle and increasingly prone to the development of a compromised outer annulus fibrosus. Dry discs have a greater tendency to develop annular tears, but ironically, rarely cause painful herniations or ruptures once the majority of nucleus tissue has shrunk significantly. Causes of a Herniated Disc / IdiopathicSome herniated discs occur for idiopathic or unknown reasons. Many patients are diagnosed, yet do not demonstrate significant disc degeneration or remember an injurious event. This gives credibility to the theory that genetics also play a crucial role in who will experience a herniated disc. For some patients, there is simply no explanation why they have disc herniations, which is even less comforting for any diagnosed individual.Causes of a Herniated Disc / AdviceWhen it comes to herniated discs, like all things, there is a rule of cause and effect. In this case, the cause is truly only important if it can be circumvented to prevent the effect. Unfortunately for diagnosed patients, the herniated disc effect already exists and the cause is really quite irrelevant…It is not crucial to discover exactly what process caused a herniated disc. What is important is to understand the typical symptomology associated with your specific type of disc herniation and the types of treatment which may or may not be necessary. Herniated discs are a natural facet of life for people of all ages and lifestyles. Learning to deal with them is key to moving on with life and not becoming yet another victim of long term chronic back pain. Please take the time to share your own disc pain story on our HERNIATED DISC FORUM Please subscribe to our FREE E-Zine, The Herniated Disc Newsletter. 6/10/08 Revised 5/25/10
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