The human spine contains 23 discs acting as cushions between the vertebrae. These discs have a gelatinous center surrounded by a strong cartilage shell. This composition allows discs to facilitate bending, reaching, throwing, running, and other daily movements. Patients experience a bulging disc when one of the cushioning discs weakens then extends beyond its normal circumference. The likelihood of developing a bulging disc increases over time. Natural wear and tear causes the discs to weaken, lose elasticity, and dehydrate. A bulging disc can also be the result of trauma or spine disease such as spondylolisthesis or spondylosis. As a bulging disc is a common cause of back pain, many people in the Rutherford, NJ area may be experiencing this painful spine condition.
The severity of a bulging disc is correlated to a range of symptoms from minor discomfort to loss of mobility. Frequently, bulging discs occur in the lower region in the spine known as the lumbar region. The symptoms may include pain in the hips, buttocks and legs. Bulging discs in the neck and upper back have symptoms of neck pain that extend down the arms into the fingertips. The board-certified neurosurgeons and physiatrists at Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine, and Orthopedics, are spine experts. They can easily determine the source of the discomfort including whether or not it is spine related. For example, shoulder pain is often misdiagnosed as a shoulder problem when it really stems from a spine problem such as a bulging disc, facet arthropathy, or spinal stenosis.
Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine, and Orthopedics Provides Effective Treatment Options for Bulging Discs
Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine, and Orthopedics specializes in treating pain that stems from any spine related cause including bulging discs. Also known as herniated discs, bulging discs often do not require surgery and resolve on their own. A consultation at Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine, and Orthopedics, in the Rutherford, NJ area, may conclude that the patient will improve with conservative treatments such as rest, physical therapy, epidural steroid injections, or pain medications. Many CNSO patients’ symptoms fade away within two weeks after just one epidural steroid injection or with just six weeks of physical therapy. But in severe cases, where the disc is compressing a nerve or the spinal cord too aggressively, no amount of physical therapy or epidural injections will resolve the pain and lack of function. In this situation, surgical options such as a microdiscectomy, discectomy, or laminotomy needs to be considered. The neurosurgeons at CNSO possess the expertise and knowledge to determine when this is the only means to a cure and are the most qualified to provide a successful surgery. The surgery for a herniated or bulging disc can be completed without an overnight stay in a hospital.
With multiple locations throughout northern New Jersey, the team at Centers for Neurosurgery, Spine, and Orthopedics provides the appropriate degree of treatment for patients living in Rutherford, NJ and the nearby areas. Our board-certified neurosurgeons are specially trained in treating bulging discs, (otherwise known as herniated discs), and every other spine condition, with care and precision. Most importantly, they believe in conservative treatment only when it will work and suggest surgery only when it will cure or alleviate the debilitating symptoms. If you have questions about bulging discs or any other back-related problems, call (973) 633-1122 today!
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