The herniated disc is a suddenly onset "disease" that occurs when the core of an intervertebral disc, which is located between the individual vertebrae of the spine, loosens from its anchorage and begins to press on the spinal cord.
This causes a sudden onset of pain and, depending on where the nucleus presses on the spinal cord, can also lead to motor and sensory disorders in the arms or legs - depending on where the nucleus hits the spinal cord.
Read more about the symptoms of a herniated disc at:
Lumbago, technically also called lumbago, is also a sudden onset of "illness".
It usually affects the lumbar region and is caused by a vertebral blockage or muscle strain.
The pain can also radiate upwards into the chest area.
As a rule, the affected person is unable to move at first and falls into a relieving posture to relieve the back.
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Read more detailed information about lumbago at:
Typical signs of a herniated disc are, in addition to the sudden onset of pain, the connection with motor and sensory deficits.
In concrete terms, this means that an arm or a leg can no longer be moved as easily as one was used to.
In extreme cases, it can even happen that one arm or leg is completely paralyzed.
The decisive criterion for a herniated disc, however, is that this failure occurs only on one side.
If both sides were equally affected, then 99% of the time it is not a stroke.
Furthermore, there are sensory disorders in certain areas of the body - but again only on one side.
These disorders run along the so-called dermatome lines. Using this line, the doctor can also draw conclusions about the height of the spinal cord at which the herniated disc must have occurred, since each dermatome line corresponds to a nerve outlet from the spinal cord.
Furthermore, certain muscles can be assigned to each of these exiting nerves, which they mainly control.
For example, the nerves from the L4 spinal cord segment mainly innervate the large thigh muscle, which is responsible for stretching the leg - the quadriceps femoris muscle.
In the case of a herniated disc in the corresponding area, the reflexes that the key muscles check are weakened or sometimes no longer exist.
In the specific example, this would mean that a blow under the kneecap would no longer cause reflex leg extension. In this sense, reflexes on the arms or others on the legs can also be tested.
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$config[ads_text3] not foundStill not sure how to identify a herniated disc without a doubt? Find out more at:
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A herniated disc is difficult to treat. On the one hand it is exposed to high mechanical loads, on the other hand it has great mobility.
Therefore, treating a herniated disc requires a lot of experience.
The aim of any treatment is treatment without surgery.
Which therapy achieves the best results in the long term can only be determined after looking at all of the information (Examination, X-ray, ultrasound, MRI, etc.) be assessed.
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The signs of lumbago or lumbago are usually a little less specific.
Typically, lumbago results from movement or exertion that involves the back.
Often the back muscles are not warmed up and therefore not “able” to cope with the strain.
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The lumbago occurs suddenly more clearly than with a herniated disc.
Those affected can name a very specific posture within the movement just performed, when the pain in the back began.
Those affected then fall into a so-called relieving posture, in which the back pain is most bearable.
As a rule, there is no loss of sensitivity in the lumbago along certain dermatome lines or a reduction in strength in the arms or legs. The primary focus here is really the pain in the back.
When the muscles running next to the spine are touched, they are usually as hard as a board, as a result of tension in order to protect the person's back. If the doctor feels the vertebral processes of the spine, this provokes a pain that usually extends over several spinal cord segments.
In lumbago, patients also respond very well to painkillers that are applied to the back near the tense muscles. In addition, so-called muscle relaxants can ensure that the hardened back muscles loosen up again.
Read more detailed information on the symptoms of lumbago on the main page:
There is no one hundred percent test to separate the two phenomena.
However, a series of small tests or pieces of evidence make one or the other event more likely or less likely.
If back pain and the sudden onset of a movement are in the foreground for the person affected, this strongly suggests lumbago.
However, if the patient complains of impaired sensitivity and can no longer move arms or legs properly, this is a very strong indication of a herniated disc. In the same way, weakened or no longer triggerable reflexes are the most likely to indicate a herniated disc.
An imaging test (a CT or MRI) also helps differentiate. If in doubt, the intervertebral disc can be identified here.
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While the pain in lumbago can be relieved by a local anesthetic, in the case of a herniated disc this usually does not bring any real improvement in pain.
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