Herniated Disc
There are many things in life that can cause pain, and having a herniated disc is one of them. The spinal discs are very unique structures in the body that are unlike any other structure. The reason for having them is basically for movement. Some think that the discs play a role in shock absorption and this may be the case. They separate the vertebrae in the spine all the way from the cervical spine to the lumbar spine. Spinal discs are made up of the nucleus pulposus, which is in the center, and the annular fibers, which are on the outer portion of the disc and hold the nucleus pulposus in position. The annular fibers are positioned next to each other and make up many layers from the outer part of the nucleus pulposus to the the outer portion of the disc.
A herniated disc can happen at any time and it is mostly caused by some type of injury, but not always. A spinal disc herniation all of the sudden happen, but there is a lot more too it than just that. The inner annular fibers and become torn without having any pain or evidence of a disc herniation. Over time more layers can get torn and the nucleus pulposus can begin to start pushing out. What can happen is someone could simply be bending over to tie their shoes and they experience severe back pain, and then as time goes on it is diagnosed as a herniated disc. The annular fibers more than likely have been tearing bit by bit over the period of months or years. Pain is not something that adds value to life, it is something that makes life no fun. It is difficult to concentrate, get work completed, be a caring and loving spouse, parent, or friend, it basically makes life very hard. Herniated disc pain is not something that any of us want to deal with. It can be there all the time and cause chronic back pain, or it could be worse at certain times of the day, such as the morning time.
