

However, most people with back pain feel better within 2 weeks and won’t need any scans. Age-related changes can be seen on an x-ray. This is to rule out any potential rare or serious causes, including spinal cancer, infections, fractures or narrowing of your spinal canal.

talking to you about your symptoms, including pain.Your doctor will diagnose your disc problems by: If you have back or neck pain and have lost feeling or movement in your limbs or are having problems controlling your bowels or bladder, call triple zero (000) and ask for an ambulance. numbness in your arm, leg or genital area.trouble controlling your urine or bowel motions.Go to the emergency department immediately if you have back or neck pain with: This could be a sign of a more serious problem in your spine. See your doctor if your pain is worse at night. See your doctor if you have back or neck pain that interferes with your usual activities or doesn’t get better after a few weeks. have had an injury or infection in your spineĭiscitis is caused by infection spreading to a disc through your bloodstream.do plenty of heavy lifting, especially if you don’t use the correct posture.You have a higher chance of developing disc problems if you: It can also tear because of age-related changes. It can tear because of an injury - for example, if you lift something heavy, making your spinal bones squeeze the disc in between. What causes spinal disc problems?Īs you get older, the outer layer of the disc becomes weaker, the gel inside becomes harder and the disc becomes thinner.Ī prolapsed disc occurs when the outer layer of the disc tears, allowing the gel to leak out. Sometimes the pressure on the nerve can make your leg feel numb or weak.ĬHECK YOUR SYMPTOMS - Use the back injury Symptom Checker and find out if you need to seek medical help. This is where the affected disc presses on the sciatic nerve, which travels from your lower back down the back of your leg. The pain may be shooting, stabbing, or like an electric shock.Ī common type of nerve pain caused by disc problems is sciatica. You may feel pain along the path of that nerve. Nerve pain can occur if the affected disc is pressing on a nerve. However, some people with a prolapsed disc have no pain. If you have a prolapsed disc, the pain usually starts suddenly and improves when you rest. If a disc in your neck is affected, you may experience pain in your neck. The location and type of back pain will depend on which disc is affected and what the problem is. Spinal disc problems often cause back pain. What are the symptoms of spinal disc problems? Back pain degenerative disc disease this is the natural change that happens to your discs as you age.prolapsed disc (also known as a slipped or herniated disc) - this is when the inner gel-like material bulges out of a disc and presses on a nerve.The spinal cord is the bundle of nerves that connects your brain to the nerves in your body, and together, the vertebrae and the discs surround and protect your spinal cord. The rubbery discs, also known as intervertebral discs, are filled with gel-like fluid, making the spine flexible. There is a spinal disc between each of the bones (called vertebrae) in your spine.

Related information on Australian websites.What are the complications of spinal disc problems?.How are spinal disc problems diagnosed?.What are the symptoms of spinal disc problems?.What are different spinal disc problems?.You can look after your spinal discs by maintaining good posture and a healthy weight, practising safe lifting and doing muscle strengthening exercises.Most of the time, the pain gets better by itself without needing scans or surgery.If some of the gel bulges out of a disc, it can press on a nerve, causing pain, numbness or weakness.Your discs can break down as you get older.Between each of the bones in your spine, you have a gel-filled disc that acts like a shock absorber.
