Herniated disc

Herniated disc: define it before you compare

Most of the confusion around a herniated disc comes from the names. OrthoInfo (AAOS) describes a herniated disk as the soft, jelly-like center of the disk pushing through the tough outer ring. The question titles below use slipped, bulging and pinched, so they start with definitions. Readers in Little Falls and nearby towns can then weigh options once they know what is being compared.

Herniated disc questions, grouped by trade-off

What the problem is

• What are spinal discs?
• What is a slipped disc and how does it happen?
• What's a Herniated Disc, Pinched Nerve, Bulging Disc...?
• What is lumbar disk disease?
• Who is at risk for lumbar disk disease?

The degenerative path

• What can cause degenerative disc disease?
• How Does Degenerative Disc Disease Become Painful?
• How fast does degenerative disc disease progress?
• Is walking good for degenerative disc disease?

What to do next

• What can I do at home to relieve herniated disk pain?
• Will my herniated disc heal on its own?

Reading the commitment before you sign

The two "what to do next" questions cover time and home care, which carry no signed term. For any option beyond those, get the fee schedule, the length of the agreement and the way to leave it on paper before you agree.

If leg pain is part of your picture, the AAOS sciatica overview on OrthoInfo explains how the two conditions connect. WebMD's pain management center offers general reading on chronic pain, and the American Academy of Pain Medicine is the pain physicians' society. A clinician who has examined your spine can say which option fits. Our comparisons stop short of medical advice.