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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff
When you experience back pain that shoots down your leg, everyday activities become difficult or even intolerable. One cause of back pain is a herniated disk, sometimes called a slipped disk or a ruptured disk.
Your spine is made up of bones (vertebrae) cushioned by small oval pads of cartilage or disks consisting of a tough outer layer (annulus) and a soft inner layer (nucleus).
When a herniated disk occurs, a small portion of the nucleus pushes out through a tear in the annulus into the spinal canal. This can irritate a nerve and result in pain, numbness or weakness in your back as well as your leg or arm.
A herniated disk generally gets better with conservative treatment. Surgery for a herniated disk usually isn't necessary.
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- Wheeler SG, et al. Approach to the diagnosis and evaluation of low back pain in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 2, 2008.
- What is back pain? National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Back_Pain/back_pain_ff.pdf. Accessed Oct. 5, 2008
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- Herniated disk. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00334&return_link=0. Accessed Oct. 5, 2008.
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- Shelerud RA (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Oct. 12, 2008.
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