Causes of Sciatica – Herniated Disc

A herniated disc can be one of the common causes of sciatica and therefore sciatica pain is a common symptom of a herniated disc.

Here we discuss herniated disc causes, symptoms and treatment.

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Herniated Disc Information

Sciatica is a symptom not a cause, and to understand why you have sciatic nerve pain, you must understand what has caused you to develop this condition in the first place.

Four of the main causes of sciatica are Herniated Disc, Piriformis Syndrome, Spinal Stenosis and Isthmic Spondylolisthesis. We're going to be looking at Herniated Disc in this article but you may find the following information useful also:

Causes of Sciatica - Piriformis Syndrome

Causes of Sciatica - Spinal Stenosis

Causes of Sciatica - Isthmic Sponulolisthesis

and this is a very common source of a variety of back and leg pain. Once you've ascertained that the cause of your sciatica is a herniated disc, it s very important to find out why your disc became herniated. You need to understand the root cause of your problem to be able to treat it correctly and quite often, traditional treatments fail to address this fundamental question.

The 3 Step System of Assessment, Pain Relief and Exercise based around Muscle Balance Therapy has proved very beneficial as a long-term plan of action.

What is a Herniated Disc?

A Herniated Disc can also be called a Slipped Disc, a Prolapsed Disc, a Bulging Disc, a Ruptured Disc or even Degenerative Disc Disease.

The vertebrae that form the spine are cushioned by small, spongy discs. When these discs are healthy, they act as shock absorbers for the spine and keep the spine flexible but when a disc becomes damaged for whatever reason, it may bulge or break open. A disc is made up of two main sections. The outer part, or annulus, is made up of a series of rings of tough cartilage. The inner part of the disc is a jelly-like substance called the nucleus pulposus.

A disc herniates or ruptures when part of the jelly centre pushes through the outer wall of the disc into the spinal canal, and puts pressure on the nerves. A disc bulge is when the jelly substance pushes the outer wall but doesn't completely go through the wall.

Herniated discs can occur in any part of the spine but are more common in the lower back (the lumbar regions), and it is this particular condition which is one of the causes of sciatica.

Herniated Disc Causes

The two most common causes are trauma (a single excessive strain or injury) and muscle imbalances.

Discs are primarily composed of water and as we get older the water content decreases, so the discs begin to shrink and as they become smaller, the space between the vertebrae decreases and becomes narrower. With age, the discs also lose their shape and become less flexible and the ligaments that hold the discs in place also begin to weaken, all of which is bad news! MRI scans have shown that, even in people as young as 30, evidence of disc degeneration is found in about 30%.

The most important thing to understand about herniated discs is that, barring trauma, they do not happen overnight. You may experience symptoms very quickly but it takes time for the conditions to develop for the sciatic nerve to be put under enough pressure to cause pain. While aging, excess weight, improper lifting and the decrease in water in the discs all contribute to the breaking down of a spinal disc, the primary cause of a herniation or bulge is uneven compression and torsion that's placed on the discs. This uneven pressure is caused by imbalances in muscles that pull the spine out of its normal position. Many people will develop these postural dysfunctions over time and these dysfunctions put abnormal pressure on the disc that will cause increased wear and tear. Eventually, the weak spot may give way and make contact with the sciatic nerve, causing you pain.

Herniated Disc Symptoms

Sciatica is the most common symptom of a lumbar disc herniation and we have discussed sciatica symptoms here in more detail.

It is possible to have a herniated disc and not have any pain and you may not know it's happened until the herniation is touching the sciatic nerve. But there will be pain when a herniated disc presses on nerve roots, sometimes local and sometimes radiating and where you feel this very much depends upon where the disc herniation is. It can cause pain, numbness and weakness in the area of the body where the nerve travels.

Herniated Disc Treatment

Treatment for herniated discs include:

- Rest

- Cortisone Injections

- Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS)

- Hot Packs

- Ice

- Ultrasound

- Electrical Stimulation

- Therapeutic Exercises

- Surgical Treatment

- Inversion Therapy

- Muscle Balance Therapy

Our Recommendation

Most traditional treatments fail to treat the important underlying problem of a herniated disc because they only address the symptoms. The only effective long-term treatment is one which addresses the actual cause of the problem, that is, the postural imbalance which caused the condition in the first place.

Muscle Balance Therapy aims to restore balance and proper function of the muscles and joints and therefore addresses the problem of a herniated disc at its root cause. For example, if you take pain relief medication or even if you were to have surgery to get some immediate pain relief, the fact is that the postural imbalances that caused the disc to herniate in the first place are still there and if not addressed, they will continue to place uneven pressure and strain on the discs with the result that sooner or later you will likely have another problem with that disc, or others.

We therefore recommend that you take a further look at Muscle Balance Therapy as a long-term solution to your sciatic nerve pain - it worked for me and continues to do so and I truly hope that you will at last find a permanent solution to your sciatica pain.

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