Herniated Disk

Also called: Bulging disk, Compressed disk, Herniated intervertebral disk, Herniated nucleus pulposus, Prolapsed disk, Ruptured disk, Slipped disk

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Summary

Your backbone, or spine, is made up of 26 bones called vertebrae. In between them are soft disks filled with a jelly-like substance. These disks cushion the vertebrae and keep them in place. As you age, the disks break down or degenerate. As they do, they lose their cushioning ability. This can lead to pain if the back is stressed.

A herniated disk is a disk that ruptures. This allows the jelly-like center of the disk to leak, irritating the nearby nerves. This can cause sciatica or back pain.

Your doctor will diagnose a herniated disk with a physical exam and, sometimes, imaging tests. With treatment, most people recover. Treatments include rest, pain and anti-inflammatory medicines, physical therapy, and sometimes surgery.

NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Start Here

Herniated Disk (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

Discography (Discogram) (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Myelography (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Radiographic Assessment for Back Pain (North American Spine Society)
Spine CT (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Spine MRI (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

Artificial Disc Replacement (ADR) (North American Spine Society)
Epidural Injections (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
Laparoscopic Spine Surgery (Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons)
Lumbar (Open) Microscopic Discectomy (North American Spine Society)
Spinal Fusion (North American Spine Society)

Related Issues

Cauda Equina Syndrome (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
Cervical Radiculopathy (Pinched Nerve) (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) Also in Spanish

Specifics

Herniated Cervical Disc (North American Spine Society)
Herniated Disk in the Lower Back (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - PDF
Herniated Lumbar Disc (North American Spine Society)

Genetics

Intervertebral disc disease: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Images

Lumbar spinal surgery - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Spinal fusion - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Spinal surgery - cervical - series (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Videos and Tutorials

Herniated nucleus pulposus (slipped disk) (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Intervertebral Disc Displacement (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Reference Desk

Definitions A-Z (North American Spine Society)

Find an Expert

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

Herniated disk (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Spinal fusion (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Spine surgery - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish