How do I know if my herniated disc is serious?

If you experience any of the severe herniated disc symptoms below, contact your doctor immediately: Loss of bowel and/or bladder control, loss of feeling in your lower extremities (legs and feet)**:** These symptoms, which may be caused by a lumbar (low back) herniated disc, may be related to cauda equina syndrome.

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How do you know if your herniated disc is getting worse?

Seek emergency medical attention if you have: Worsening symptoms. Pain, numbness or weakness can increase to the point that they hamper your daily activities. Bladder or bowel dysfunction.

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When is herniated disc an emergency?

The severe case of a herniated disk is a medical emergency because of intolerable pain and discomfort. Some of its symptoms include lower back pain, sharp leg or arm pain, loss of bladder or bowel control and numbness, weakness or tingling sensation in the foot and/or leg.

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Can a herniated disc be life threatening?

Cervical disc herniation is a common cause of neck pain in adults. The severity of the disease can range from mild to severe, and even life-threatening.

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When should you seek medical attention for a herniated disc?

Immediate action required: Call 999 or go to A&E if you have back pain and: numbness around your bottom or genitals. cannot pee. lose feeling in 1 or both legs.

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Wonder if you have a Herniated Disc?? Try this One Simple Test.

43 related questions found

What percentage of herniated discs require surgery?

According to research cited by Harvard Health, about 10 percent of patients with herniated disc issues require surgery after six weeks. Similar research suggests that 90 percent of the time, surgery is not necessary for a herniated disc.

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Can you be hospitalized for herniated disc?

If you have traditional herniated disc surgery, your procedure will take place in a hospital, and you will have to stay there for several days afterwards. While the exact length of the stay will depend on how well you are healing, patients can expect to remain in the hospital for 4-5 days.

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Whats the longest a herniated disc can last?

The average amount of time it takes for a herniated disk to heal is four to six weeks, but it can get better within a few days depending on how severe the herniation was and where it occurred. The biggest factor in healing a herniated disk is time, because most often it will resolve on its own.

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What is the most serious complication of a herniated disk?

The most serious complication from a herniated disc is the development of the cauda equina syndrome. This results when a very large fragment of disc material is ruptured into the spinal canal in the area where the nerves that control the bowels and bladder travel before they leave the spine.

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Can you become paralyzed from a herniated disc?

With a herniated disc, the capsule cracks or breaks, and the nucleus squeezes out. This can irritate the spinal cord or nearby nerves, causing weakness and numbness in the arms or legs. A severely herniated disc can cause paralysis.

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How long can you go with a herniated disc before surgery?

Your doctor might recommend surgery as an option for your herniated disc if: Your symptoms have lasted at least 6 weeks and make it hard to do your normal activities, and other treatments haven't helped. You need to get better quickly because of your job or to get back to your other activities as soon as possible.

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What happens if you have a herniated disc for too long?

If you leave a herniated disc untreated, you may experience intense, sharp pains, partial paralysis, or the inability to control bowel movements in relatively dire situations.

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How long is bed rest for herniated disc?

Rest. Most often 1-2 days of strict bed rest will calm severe back pain. Bed rest should not exceed 48 hours. Once you are back into your daily routine, you should take frequent rest breaks throughout the day- but avoid sitting for long periods of time.

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What should you not do with a herniated disc?

Skip movements that involve significant axial loading on the lower back, such as squats and leg presses. Avoid toe-touches, sit-ups, and yoga poses that worsen the pain and lead to significant bending of the back.

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How fast does disc herniation progress?

We conclude that, on average, most lumbar disc herniations do not change significantly over a period of four to eight years.

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Can stretching make herniated disc worse?

Stretching is actually one of the best ways to minimize and prevent ongoing leg pain from a herniated disc. Hamstring stretching can help decrease the tension across your lower back, and this provides the herniated disc with a better environment to heal.

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Why is there excruciating pain with herniated discs?

The spinal canal has limited space, which is inadequate for the spinal nerve and the displaced herniated disc fragment. Due to this displacement, the disc presses on spinal nerves, often producing pain, which may be severe.

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What usually ruptures in a herniated disc?

A bulging disc (protrusion) occurs when the disc annulus remains intact, but forms an outpouching that can press against the nerves. A true herniated disc (also called a ruptured or slipped disc) occurs when the disc annulus cracks or ruptures, allowing the gel-filled center to squeeze out.

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Which is worse herniated disc or sciatica?

What difference does it make if it's sciatica or a herniated disc? First off, sciatica, for the most part, is very curable and with proper treatment, patients return to normal in fairly short order. However, herniated discs are often a permanent condition which can affect every area of your life.

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Is a herniated disc a big deal?

A disc that herniates can compress or pinch a nerve in your spine. When a herniated disc presses on your spinal nerves or spinal cord, it can cause numbness, weakness, tingling, shooting pain, bowel and/or bladder problems—symptoms that can take a huge toll on your quality of life.

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Do herniated discs ever not heal?

Sokunbi notes, “and sometimes don't have the ability to heal completely.” Most often, herniated discs in healthy patients heal quickly. However, nerve compression bad enough to cause radiculopathy—pain radiating down the nerve to an arm or leg—may take longer to get better, says Dr. Butler.

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How do you sit with a herniated disc?

Sit with the Right Posture

It is proper to sit up straight without slouching. When you slump, you put extra pressure on the discs in the spine and can aggravate your herniated disc. Additionally, you want to ensure your knees are level with your hips. Your hips should be slightly above your knees if you sit at a desk.

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How long are you down after herniated disc surgery?

You may have relief from your symptoms right away, or you may get better over days or weeks. In the weeks after your surgery, it may be hard to sit or stand in one position for very long. You may need pain medicine. It may take up to 8 weeks to get back to doing your usual activities.

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Is a herniated disc a permanent condition?

Once a healthy disc herniates, it will never return to its normal anatomical state—the disease or injury is permanent in nature.

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Is lying down good for herniated disc?

The optimal sleeping position for a herniated disc is on your back. Lying on your back keeps your spine in a neutral position so you have less chance of pinching the nerve. For added comfort, nestle a small pillow or rolled-up towel under your knees and lower back.

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