Hoboken Integrated Healthcare Chiropractic Chiropractor
Chiropractic Care
Physical Therapy
On-site Medical Office
91 Washington Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030
201.798.2922

Herniated Disc and Back Pain

When people say they have a "slipped" or "ruptured" disc in their neck or lower back, what they are actually describing is a herniated disc-a common source of pain in the neck, lower back, arms, or legs.

Discs are soft, rubbery pads found between the hard bones (vertebrae) that make up the spinal column. The spinal canal is a hollow space in the middle of the spinal column that contains the spinal cord and other nerve roots. The discs between the vertebrae allow the back to flex or bend. Discs also act as shock absorbers.

Discs in the lumbar spine (low back) are composed of a thick outer ring of cartilage (annulus) and an inner gel-like substance (nucleus). In the cervical spine (neck), the discs are similar but smaller in size.

A disc herniates, or ruptures when part of the center nucleus pushes through the outer edge of the disc and back toward the spinal canal. This puts pressure on the nerves. Spinal nerves are very sensitive to even slight amounts of pressure, which can result in pain, numbness, or weakness in one or both legs.

Lower Back

Low back pain affects four out of five people. The most common symptom of a herniated disc is sciatica - a sharp, often shooting pain that extends from the buttocks down the back of one leg. It is caused by pressure on the spinal nerve. Other symptoms include:

  • Weakness in one leg
  • Tingling (a "pins-and-needles" sensation) or numbness in one leg or buttock
  • Loss of bladder or bowel control (If you also have significant weakness in both legs, you could have a serious problem and should seek immediate attention.)
  • A burning pain centered in the neck

Neck

As with pain in the lower back, neck pain is also common. When pressure is placed on a nerve in the neck, it causes pain in the muscles between your neck and shoulder (trapezius muscles). The pain may shoot down the arm. The pain may also cause headaches in the back of the head. Other symptoms include:

  • Weakness in one arm
  • Tingling (a "pins-and-needles" sensation) or numbness in one arm
  • Loss of bladder or bowel control (If you also have significant weakness in both arms or legs, you could have a serious problem and should seek immediate attention.)
  • Burning pain in the shoulders, neck, or arm

Treatment Goals

Chiropractic care realigns the vertebrae and removes stress from nerves. Ice, heat, electrical stimulation, traction or spinal decompression therapy may be utilized to restore proper movement to your spinal column, permitting greater energy, information and nutrients to flow over nerves and tissues and throughout your body.

Additionally, Physical Therapy provides benefits utilizing a range of treatment options including massage, exercises for flexibility, strength, stability and restoration of range of motion. Our goal is to return you to normal activity as quickly as possible and to get more health back into your life. We know that being healthy is more than just the absence of pain – true health includes having the ability to do what you need and want to do!

In This Section