Is a herniated disc painful? This is a common question I receive from many of you who are a bit confused as to the real facts about herniated discs. While most people imagine disc pain to be universally severe, based on stories and personal experiences, the reality of herniated discs is actually usually quite the opposite. In fact the vast majority of bulging discs do not cause any pain whatsoever. Additionally, even symptomatic herniations typically resolve in a short time frame of 2 to 8 weeks, even without any specialized treatment provided.
This article will seek to answer the question regarding the pain enacting possibilities of herniated discs and will even detail the processes through which disc pathologies can create acute or lasting symptoms.
Is a Herniated Disc Painful? Really?
So, if herniated discs are not painful, why do they have such a bad reputation?
Why do they rarely heal when treated by medical professionals?
Most of all, why do they seem to cause such agony?
Surely all those people can not be faking their pain, right?
These are typical follow up questions. I hear them every day. The answers will surprise you.
Herniated discs have such a bad reputation because it is rare that misdiagnosed disc pain is ever cured. It is not that true disc pain is impossible to cure, mind you. Instead, it is simply that most cases are mistakenly diagnosed, leading to the abysmal curative statistics which are at the heart of all herniated disc questions and answers.
Many major medical bodies have recently revised their diagnostic and treatment recommendations for herniations, citing that most disc “concerns” are actually nothing at all to be concerned about.
Are Bulging Discs Painful? Are You Sure?
The majority of herniations are due to normal degenerative processes in the spine. These are not painful and may exist for years without discovery. They are most often found if a person undergoes imaging studies for a related or unrelated condition, such as involvement in an accident. In these instances, the herniations is often blamed on said accident, even though they may have been there for decades.
Traumatic herniations can be painful, just like any injury. However, the pain is likely to resolve within a few weeks and the disc bulge is unlikely to create the type of chronic pain often associated with it.
In cases of perennial disc pain, the patient is commonly incorrectly diagnosed, and although a herniation is surely present, the disc is innocent and coincidental to any symptoms experienced.
Is a Herniated Disc Painful? The Bottom Line
When a herniated disc is truly painful, based on purely structural damage, it is only because a neurological tissue is involved. Discs themselves do not ever feel pain. They have no nerve endings.
When a nerve tissue is compressed or irritated chemically, then the disc might actually be considered to be the instigator of pain, although technically, the disc itself is still not painful.
Disc pain is greatly misunderstood. This is a fact.
Most disc issues, such as herniations and degenerative disc disease, do not present any particular health risks or symptomatic expressions. There has been little clinical evidence that the many spinal abnormalities typically blamed for causing back pain actually do anything to generate symptoms. However, this does not stop the multitudes of doctors from diagnosing these disc pathologies as the culprits every day.
If your disc pain has not responded to treatment, and you continue to suffer, it is wise to consider the obvious. The diagnosis might be incorrect, which explains why you can not find relief, no matter what type of care you try.
For real relief, think outside the box and consider the alternate explanations for why your pain will not resolve. Knowledge therapy might prove itself to be a valuable tool in this process. It certainly was in my own case.
Herniated Disc > Herniated Disc Facts > Is a Herniated Disc Painful?
