Herniated Discs

Herniated discs are a common but painful condition that can greatly impact a person’s quality of life. The aftermath can be severe and leave you with anything from chronic pain to major mobility issues. Regardless of severity, herniated discs often affect long-term health and the ability to do normal daily activities.


What Is a Herniated Disc?

What Is a Herniated Disc?

The human spine has 33 vertebrae, all separated by discs that act like cushions to absorb shock to our bodies and allow flexibility. Also called a slipped or ruptured disc, a herniated disc happens when the soft, jelly-like center of a spinal disc pushes through a crack in the tougher exterior casing.

A number of situations can cause a herniated disc to develop, some of which include:

  • Trauma and Accidents: Sudden trauma, like car accidents, construction accidents, high-impact activities, or the improper lifting of heavy objects, can cause slipped discs
  • Age-Related Degeneration: As you age, your spinal discs start to lose hydration and elasticity, becoming more susceptible to ruptures and tears
  • Repetitive Stress: Jobs and activities that involve repeated bending, twisting, or heavy lifting can eventually lead to a slipped disc
  • Obesity and Poor Posture: These can put extra stress on the spine and increase the chances of a ruptured disc
  • Prolonged Smoking: Smoking speeds up the rate of degeneration in the spinal discs by depriving them of the nutrients they need and causing cell damage
  • Genetic Predisposition: Some people are simply more likely to get a herniated disc because of genetic factors that affect the natural integrity of their spinal discs

Every year, up to 2% of the population gets a herniated disc. They can appear anywhere on the spine but are more often seen in the lower back or neck. Men are affected twice as much as women, and people between the ages of 30 and 50 are more likely to get them.

What Are the Symptoms of Herniated Discs? Can These Injuries Be Prevented?

The symptoms of a herniated disc will depend on where it is and whether it’s pressing on any nerves. Some of these include:

  • Lower back pain (which can lead to sciatica)
  • Neck pain
  • Pain around the shoulder blades
  • Pain that travels along the arms or to the fingers
  • Pain that gets worse when bending or turning your neck
  • Numbness
  • Tingling
  • Muscle weakness
  • Loss of reflexes

Not all herniated discs can be avoided, but there are steps you can take to reduce your risk. Practicing good posture is one of the best ways to help. The proper alignment when sitting, standing, and lifting will lessen the strain on your spine.

Exercising is another method. Strengthening the core muscles that support your spine can prevent other types of injuries in addition to slipped discs, and it will keep you healthier overall. Exercise could also assist you in shedding some of the extra body weight that might be putting additional stress on your back.

Both at work and in your daily life, it’s important to lift properly. Bend at the knees and lift with your legs, not with your back. If you use cigarettes or any type of tobacco, do your best to quit smoking. It’s easier said than done for many people, but there are resources to help you reach that goal.

How Are Herniated Discs Diagnosed and Treated? 

If your doctor suspects a herniated disc, they’ll do a thorough physical exam and probably some imaging tests. They’ll take into account all of your symptoms and check for pain, muscle weakness, and a change in your reflexes.

MRIs and CT scans are often used to confirm a herniated disc and to figure out where and how bad it is. X-rays might be used as well in order to rule out other conditions that could potentially be more serious.

This kind of injury can be treated in several ways. Again, it depends on where it’s located and how badly the disc is damaged. Initially, your doctor will recommend that you rest and minimize any activities that make the pain worse. Over-the-counter painkillers, NSAIDs, and muscle relaxants can help relieve some of your symptoms.

If needed, you might be given a structured physical therapy program to help strengthen the muscles that support the spine. This will assist with your flexibility and reduce your overall pain levels. Steroid injections can further improve inflammation and provide relief in cases of severe nerve pain.

Should more conservative treatments not work, surgical intervention might be needed. A discectomy is the most common procedure for herniated discs. It involves removing part of the disc that’s pressing on the nerve.

A laminectomy may be done to take out part of the vertebral bone if it’s also putting pressure on the nerve. In severe cases, a spinal fusion might be necessary to stabilize the spine after disc or bone removal.

If you’ve suffered from a herniated disc and someone else was responsible for your injury, you might be able to collect compensation. In Pennsylvania, personal injury law lets victims seek recovery for any and all losses associated directly with their injuries.

However, to win your case, you need to establish the other party’s liability, which typically means proving the elements of negligence. 

This means you have to prove:

  • Duty of Care: The defendant had a legal responsibility to act in a safe and reasonable way
  • Breach of Duty: They did not adhere to their duty of care
  • Causation: The breach of duty directly caused your injury
  • Damages: You suffered actual damages as a result of the injury

Your exact types and amounts of compensation will depend on the details of your particular case. Generally, though, most claims cover hospital bills, future medical costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, and loss of earning capacity if you’re unable to go back to work.

Pennsylvania has a statute of limitations on personal injury cases. You generally have two years from the day the injury happened to file a claim. There are exceptions, however, so it’s a good idea to hire an attorney as soon as possible so you don’t miss any deadlines.

If you or a loved one has sustained a herniated disc because of another person’s negligent behavior, you don’t have to fight this battle alone. Contact our team at Zavodnick & Lasky Personal Injury Lawyers to set up a free consultation today.

Let us help you through the complicated process of your Philadelphia personal injury case. We’ll fight for the compensation you’re entitled to and take the legal burden off your shoulders so you can keep your focus on your recovery.