Bulging Disk What is a Bulging Disk? Bulging disc is a degenerative disc disease that occurs when the vertebral disk moves out of its normal position and extends outside the space it should normally occupy. The interior of the disk remains intact except a small bubble appears on the outside of the disk. Interestingly, many people might have a bulging disc and not even know it, as long as the bulging area does not press upon surrounding tissues. When the bulging disc press on the nerves of the spinal column is when the symptoms begin. If there is pressure on a nerve, the area will get inflamed, which means that the body will send a lot of blood to the injured nerve to try and fix it. The increased blood will produce a lot of swelling and heat around the injured nerve, which just aggravates the nerve even more. When the disc is damaged, the blood supply that transports oxygen and nutrients throughout the body for healing is affected. This constant compression prevents much-needed oxygen and nutrients from entering the disc. So, how does the disc get the oxygen and nutrition it needs to be healthy? Through the jelly in the center of the disc (the nucleus). The disc's gel-like nucleus contains a chemical that irritates the nerves causing them to swell. After the chemical agent has done its job, the remnants of the chemical remain and continue to press on the irritated and swollen nerves.. Bulging discs most often developed as the body ages, causing degeneration of the intervertebral disk. Loss of water content in the vertebral disk due to age is the main cause responsible for its occurrence. Due to the loss of water content, the disk starts loosing its spongy nature and degeneration occurs. This leads to further development of cracks due to increased impact and more loss of water. So the cushion effect diminishes and the spine can’t absorb the stress any more. Bulging discs associated with age may also be accompanied by degenerative conditions like osteoporosis, which weaken the spine, making it more susceptible to developing the condition. Bulges can also develop when discs are damaged by trauma or injury suffered in a car accident or in a bad fall. A bulging disk is different from a herniated disk in that a bulging disk typically occurs gradually over time rather than suddenly. A Disc Bulge is generally considered the first step toward a more serious problem called a Herniated Disc. A bulging disk may be a precursor to a herniation and is a condition that occurs usually in the spinal or lumbar region, lower back and in few cases witnessing within the neck region. Sign and symptoms of bulging disk The nature of the bulging disc symptoms usually depends upon the precise location of the affected intervertebral disc in the spine where the nerve pressure occurs.
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