An intervertebral hernia is the displacement of the pulpous nucleus of the intervertebral disc with rupture of the fibrous ring. The most common are herniated discs of the lumbosacral spine (150 cases per 100,000 population per year), hernias at the cervical level are much less common, the most rare are thoracic disc protrusions. In 50% of cases, hernias are localised at the level of L5-S1 of the lumbosacral, in 44-46% they are at the level of L4-L5, the rest are at other levels.
The following stages of hernia development are distinguished:
The main factors of development
Protrusion of intervertebral discs occurs due to pathological processes in the spinal column of a degenerative nature. As a rule, stenosis occurs (reduction of space), which can be central (narrowing of the spinal canal) or foraminal (narrowing of the intervertebral foramen). Factors that can provoke protrusion:
Signs of the disease
Common symptoms of the disease:
Treatment of protrusion of the disc is a long process, requiring the implementation of a set of therapeutic measures, often ending with a surgical operation.
Therapeutic methods
The treatment of protrusion is complex. Medications are selected individually, depending on the stage of development of the pathological process and the degree of intensity of the clinical picture. To normalise the condition of the spine and its departments, the patient is prescribed a course of physiotherapy and massages, an obligatory measure is to perform physiotherapy exercises.
Drug treatment of protrusion of the discs and neck is aimed at alleviating the patient’s condition. To stop the pain, painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed in tablets, injections, topical remedies are used – creams, ointments. Physiotherapy is carried out to improve blood circulation and normalise metabolism. It is possible to carry out a set of physiotherapy only after stopping an exacerbation.
Drug therapy, massages and physiotherapy do not always give a positive result.
However, in such cases, it is not always necessary to resort to surgical intervention.
To date, a breakthrough has been made in the treatment of pain syndromes, in particular associated with herniated discs, which can significantly improve the quality of human life and often avoid surgery.
The medical centre “MedClinic” practices advanced, minimally invasive, unparalleled in Ukraine, methods of treatment of pain syndromes.
These include:
The advantages of these techniques:
In some cases, taking into account the clinical picture and the data of instrumental examination methods, a surgical operation is immediately prescribed.
To date, the following modern minimally invasive techniques are used:
– Thermodiscoplasty – the essence of this method is using the laser on the disk to evaporate its pulpous nucleus so that it decreases in size, and the disk stands at its desired location. The operation is performed on an outpatient basis, the patient leaves the hospital on the same day.
– Microdiscectomy – removal of a hernia from a mini-incision using a modern microscope. The operation time was significantly reduced in comparison with the traditional operation (up to 30 minutes), there is minimal surgical trauma, and a short recovery period (the patient is discharged from the hospital the day after the operation).
All the above treatment methods and surgical interventions are performed at the MedClinic Medical Center by doctors – algologists, neurosurgeons and traumatologists, who have hundreds of successful procedures and operations behind them.
MRI of the lumbar region of a patient who asked for help at our medical centre – disc herniation L5-S1, haemangioma L3, L4.