Conditions
and
Treatments of the
SPINE
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HERNIATED
DISC
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There are many different terms to
describe spinal disc pathology, and all are used differently by
different healthcare practitioners. Some examples of terms used to
describe spinal disc abnormalities include:
- Herniated disc (or herniated disk)
- Bulging disc
- Ruptured disc
- Slipped disc
- Disc protrusion
- Disc degeneration (or degenerative
disc disease)
- Disc disease
There is no agreement in the medical
field as to the precise definition of any of these terms. Often the
patient hears his or her diagnosis referred to in different terms by
different practitioners and is left wondering if there is any
consensus on what is wrong.
Rather than focus on the terminology
referring to spinal anatomy, it’s most helpful for patients to
focus on understanding the clinical diagnosis. It should be
kept in mind that all the terms – herniated disc, bulging disk,
slipped disk, ruptured disc, etc. – refer to radiographic findings
seen on a CT scan or MRI scan (x-rays can indicate disc degeneration
but cannot actually image the disc itself). While radiographic
findings are important, they are not as meaningful in determining
the source of the pain (the clinical diagnosis) as the patient’s
specific symptoms and the spine specialist’s findings on physical
exam.
View
Interactive Anatomy of Herniated Disc.
*Source: Spine-Health.com
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