Understanding Lumbar Disc Disease

The lumbar vertebrae are the bones of the lower back. These bones are stacked one upon the other like spools of thread. There are five lumbar vertebrae that sit upon the sacrum, or the tail bone. Between each of the vertebrae are the discs.

The lumbar discs are soft gelatinous cushions that lie between the vertebrae. Early in our lives, the discs are composed of moist, soft material, much like tapioca pudding. With age and wear and tear, the water content is lost and the discs become hard. As a result disc fragmentation can easily occur. The degenerated disc fragment can migrate out of the disc space and lodge itself under the nerve roots that are forming into the sciatic nerve. This migrated disc is referred to as a HERNIATED DISC.

Nerve compression by this piece of disc material can cause great pain down the distribution of the sciatic nerve, well into the leg and foot. Numbness and tingling may also be felt, as well as weakness of the muscles supplied by the nerve. This pain, numbness and weakness is referred to as "sciatica." When treated early, the numbness and weakness can be reversible, but not always.

Arthritis is another common cause of nerve compression in the lumbar spine. As the discs degenerate the joint surfaces begin to rub together. As a result of this rubbing process, the joint surfaces become inflamed. The bones’ response to inflammation is to lay down new bone. It is this overgrowth of bone that can cause compression of the nearby nerves This arthritic bone overgrowth is usually referred to as SPONDYL0SIS, and the narrowing of the spine that it creates is called STENOSIS.

Diagnostic Tests

The types of tests that we require will help to accurately diagnose your problem, as well as guide us through your form of treatment.

The most common forms of tests for diagnosing lumbar disc disease include the following: X-rays of the lumbar spine, CAT scan, myelogram, or MRI scan. The myelogram is the only one of these tests that requires the patient to be briefly hospitalized. The others are performed on an out-patient basis.

There may be times when more than one form of testing is required.

Glossary of Tests

In General

Disc deterioration and herniation can reoccur, regardless of whether or not you have lumbar disc surgery. Approximately 15% of patients with herniated discs have recurrent problems. With these kinds of statistics, we encourage all of our patients to take great caution in their future activities. Keep in mind, however, that you are at greatest risk for recurrence within the first four post-operative months. Repeated disc problems can occur at the same disc level as your original one or at a different level.

If arthritis was a main problem prior to surgery, the arthritic pains can certainly remain after surgery. In other words, the surgery, unfortunately, cannot cure the arthritis. However, it can relieve the pain and discomfort of the present nerve compression.

If specific lifestyle circumstances have led to your disc problems, we strongly suggest a change in that habit. In addition, for many people, this change is often necessary within the WORK environment. As difficult as these changes may be, the importance in avoiding recurrence of herniated discs cannot be stressed enough.

We hope this information has been helpful in answering some of your questions about your surgery. If there is anything that you are not sure of, please feel free to ask your surgeon or the nurse in our office. We are always available to address any concerns you may have.

More of my web pages dealing with disc problems:

Lumbar Microdiscectomy

Lumbar Laminectomy

Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

Lumbar Fusion

Another Link Outside My Site -

Lumbar Stenosis