Slipped Disc (Prolapsed intra vertebral disc)
Prolapsed intra vertebral disc is the name given to the condition where the gelatinous central portion of one of the discs between the vertebrae bulges through the fibrous outer part of the disc and presses on the nerve root where it passes out under the vertebra. This most commonly happens to one of the lower two lumbar vertebrae, because this is where the loads and the pressures are the greatest. There is the acute onset of pain often precipitated by coughing and or sneezing or lifting or twisting. Depending on the nerve roots affected there may be low back pain (lumbago), pain into the buttock and down the back of the leg, possibly associated with numbness or tingling (sciatica), or both. While most attacks will resolve with a short period of bed rest and adequate pain relief, other techniques such as physiotherapy, osteopathy (using manipulation to reduce the bulging of the disc) or acupuncture may be necessary. In chronic cases surgery to remove the disc may be required. Rarely a disc may prolapse centrally and press on the spinal cord itself, causing difficulties with bowel and bladder function, and leg weakness. This is a medical emergency which must be corrected in order to prevent permanent paralysis and incontinence.
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