What happens to untreated herniated disc?

What happens to untreated herniated disc?

If you leave a herniated disc untreated, you may experience intense, sharp pains, partial paralysis, or the inability to control bowel movements in relatively dire situations.

Can a herniated disc get worse if not treated?

When left untreated, complications can arise and you may begin to notice a more significant impact on the rest of the body along with the constant pain. The acute pain that occurs with a herniated disc can transition into chronic pain if the injury is not addressed.

Can a herniated disc cause neurological problems?

A severe case of a bulging disc can cut off nerve impulses, even causing permanent nerve damage. Additionally, you may experience sharp paints, incontinence, bowel movement irregularity, or even partial paralysis as the issue worsens.

Can a herniated disk cause permanent nerve damage?

Removing a herniated disc requires working around the nerves of the spine. During the operation, these nerves may be injured. If this occurs, you may have permanent damage to the nerve involved. This may cause permanent numbness, weakness or pain in the area where the nerve travels in the leg.

What body systems are affected by herniated discs?

A herniated cervical disc can cause pain, weakness, numbness, and tingling in the neck, shoulder, arm, and/or hand, which is referred to as “radiculopathy”. Similar to Sciatica, this is caused by the herniated portion of the disc compressing a nerve that transmits impulses to the shoulders, arms or hands.

Can a herniated disc be permanent?

Most of the time, pain associated with a herniated disc goes away on its own over a period of weeks or months and does not cause permanent damage to the spine or nerves. A herniated disc can occur in any part of the spine, but it is most common in the lower back (the lumbar spine) and the neck (the cervical spine).

Can herniated disk affect both legs?

The most typical symptom of a disc herniation is pain that radiates from the low back down into the leg (sciatica). In addition to leg pain, the leg may also be weak or numb. One or both legs may be affected. Rarely, bowel or bladder function may be affected.

What are the signs and symptoms of a herniated disc?

Herniated discs may produce no symptoms at all, or they may produce the following: 1 Pain that radiates down the buttocks, legs, and feet (also known as sciatica). 2 Pain that radiates down the shoulders, arms, and hands. 3 Tingling or numbness in the legs or feet. 4 Muscle weakness or spasms.

What happens if you leave a herniated disc untreated?

Therefore, you may want to consider minimally invasive spine surgery to completely repair the spinal disc for long lasting pain relief. Again, the choice is yours. If you leave a herniated disc untreated, you may experience intense, sharp pains, partial paralysis, or the inability to control bowel movements in relatively dire situations.

Are you walking around with a disc bulge / herniation?

Only that the majority of our nation’s adult population is walking around with Disc Bulges / Disc Herniations —– but have no idea since they do not have back pain or leg pain. Herniated Discs are not necessarily painful — in fact much of the time they are “asymptomatic”.

Can you have multiple herniated discs in the lumbar spine?

First, it is quite common to have multiple herniated discs in the lumbar spine. In studies of people who were not experiencing back pain, many had disc herniations that caused no pain symptoms. Second, the term “disc herniation” is very broad, and can describe mild bulges to extreme protrusions that cause pain.