When one suffers from back pain that goes down to your leg, daily activities become problematic and at times even intolerable.
Herniated disk is one of the causes of back pain.
It is also known as ruptured disk or slipped disk.
The spine consists of bones that are cushioned by small pads that are oval in shape and they contain disks or cartilage.
These disks include hard outer layer or annulus and soft inner layers or nucleus.
A small part of the nucleus comes out from a tear in the annulus in the spinal canal when herniated disk takes place.
The result of a ruptured disk is pain, irritation in the nerve, weakness in the back, arm and leg and numbness as well.
Conservative treatment works well with a disk herniation.
Surgery is not a good option for herniated disk as it is not even necessary.
At times, you might have the problem of disk herniation and you might not even be aware about it.
People who have no disk problem or any symptoms even can see spinal images of bulging disks.
But there are cases when herniated disks can cause pain.
Some of the symptoms of herniated disk are numbness and weakness in the lower back, neck, chest, shoulder, leg or arm, pain, leg pain or low back pain that gets worse when you sneeze, sit or cough and sciatica which is pain and tingling that originates from your buttock and goes down to your back till your leg.
You should consult your chiropractor in case you suffer from severe back pain continuously for a week.
Back pain usually gives you problem with your daily activities for a week or two.
The pain and discomfort gets better in a time span of four to six weeks.
If you try to take rest and still see no difference in the level of the pain in over three weeks, you should consult your chiropractor.
In case the pain is heightened when you cough, sneeze or sit, then the problem might be disk herniation.
You should get help if your pain enhances and not decreases, if you feel numbness and weakness in your legs and if you lose control over your bowels.
Many nerve roots get compressed in your spine due to herniated disks or spinal tumor.
This compression is called cauda equine syndrome and is really bad.
But if you go for chiropractic treatment at the right time, you can heal fast and get relief from the pain.