How Do I Know If I Herniated a Disc?

A herniated disc is a common source of chronic pain in the neck and back. If you’ve suffered a spine injury from a fall or car accident, or have a degenerative condition like arthritis, your risks for a herniated disc increase.

New Tampa Interventional Pain & Sports Medicine understands the challenges found with having a herniated disc. We offer nonsurgical solutions to manage pain and support healing in your spine.

Jose De La Torre, MD, and our pain management team offer the latest interventional treatments to protect your quality of life and independence. They create a personalized care plan to optimize treatment outcomes.

Understanding herniated discs

Between the vertebrae in your spine are protective discs that prevent the bones from rubbing together. The durable discs have a tough outer shell that surrounds a softer, gel-like substance.

When a disc herniates, it means there’s a break in its outer shell. Pressure on the disc also forces its soft gel center outward. The gel can then press on nearby nerves, causing persistent pain and other symptoms that affect your mobility and quality of life.

Common causes of a herniated disc include:

• Falls
• Heavy lifting
• Auto accidents
• Sports injuries
• Repetitive movements

You may also be susceptible to a herniated disc as you get older and your spinal discs lose water. They become less flexible and more likely to tear, even with minor movements.

Additionally, a non-active lifestyle, obesity, smoking, and poor posture can increase risk factors for herniated disc complications.

Warning signs of a herniated disc

Damaged discs can no longer protect your spine as they should. Without protection, vertebrae in your upper and lower spine can rub together, creating friction, inflammation, and pain.

Signs that you may have one or more herniated discs in your upper (cervical spine) include persistent neck pain that radiates into your shoulders, arms, and hands.

A herniated lumbar disc causes lower back pain that extends down into your hips, buttocks, legs, and feet.

Along with pain, you might also experience radiating numbness and weakness in your limbs that get worse with activity.  Unexpected movements like a sneeze or cough can also cause electric shocks of pain along the spinal nerves.

Interventional pain strategies for herniated disc symptoms

New Tampa Interventional Pain & Sports Medicine offers minimally invasive solutions to manage chronic pain from a herniated disc. Depending on the location of the damaged disc and the severity of your symptoms, Dr. De La Torre may recommend:

Oral medications

Anti-inflammatories, pain relievers, and muscle relaxers can ease the severity of your symptoms, so you can exercise or participate in physical therapy.

Injectable therapies

Cortisone shots and epidural steroid injections are available when oral medicines aren’t effective. Dr. De La Torre injects anesthetic and anti-inflammatory medications into the area of the damaged disc to provide lasting symptom relief.

We also offer epidural steroid injections that deliver pain-relieving medicines into the epidural space, the outermost layer of the spinal cord.

Surgery

When symptoms of a herniated disc are severe, you may be a candidate for surgery to repair or replace damaged discs. Dr. De La Torre offers after-care services to manage postsurgical pain, so you can recover more efficiently and with less complications.

Call New Tampa Interventional Pain & Sports Medicine in Wesley Chapel, Florida, today to schedule a diagnostic evaluation of herniated disc symptoms or book a consultation online.