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Lower Back Bulging Disc Causes
A lower back bulging disc occurs when the wall of an intervertebral disc weakens and the gel-like nucleus presses on the weak spot, creating an extrusion into the spinal canal. Oftentimes, this bulge is never detected. However, if the bulge presses on a nerve root, symptoms can develop. Those symptoms can include pain, weakness and numbness. The underlying cause is nerve compression from displaced disc material, but what exactly causes that? The answer is that there are a range of issues that can lead to this condition.
Some common lumbar bulging disc causes include:
- Age: with time, our disc walls weaken as do the supporting muscles around the spine.
- Repeated use: jobs or activities that require a lot of standing, bending or lifting can increase the risk for bulging disc.
- Degenerative disease: some conditions diminish the integrity of the disc tissue, leaving it vulnerable to bulges.
- Injury: A hard jolt during a contact sport, car accident, or another scenario could force a bulge.
If any of these factors have caused you to develop a bulging disc, you should seek treatment with your doctor. They can generally treat the condition with non-prescription medication, special stretching, chiropractic care, or a combination of several conservative treatments. But if none of these work for you, the percutaneous endoscopic discectomy that Laser Spine Institute offers may help. It involves gentle removal of the disc material that’s compressing your nerve roots.
If you’d like more information on treating a lower back bulging disc with this procedure, contact us at LSI today. We’ll examine your CT scan or MRI to let you know if we can help.