Is There a Difference between a Bulging Disc and a Herniated Disc? What Are the Symptoms of a Disc Injury?
A bulging or herniated disc can be one of the most debilitating injuries you’ll ever suffer. Virtually any movement can cause serious pain, and your range of motion can be greatly affected. Is a bulging disc the same thing as a herniated disc? How do you know if you’ve suffered trauma to a disc?
Herniated and Bulging Discs
Disc injury is one of the most common medical conditions, with someone somewhere across the United States seeking treatment for a slipped, bulging or herniated disc about once every minute. Bulging discs are far more common than herniated discs.
What Are Your Discs and What Happens When They Are Herniated or Bulging?
Your spinal cord is made up of more than 30 small bones, known as vertebrae, which house your central nervous system, controlling virtually all of your sensation and movement. Left unprotected, those bones would rub against each other and deteriorate. In addition, you would experience pressure on the nerves and nerve endings throughout your spinal cord. Your body provides cushioning between all of your vertebrae in the form of jelly-filled plates or sacs (your discs) with solid, but flexible exteriors. When you are involved in an accident and there’s trauma to your back or spinal cord, your discs may be torn or perforated (a herniated disc) or may be stretched so that the outer “skin” becomes loose, allowing the jelly-like substance to bulge out, much like a balloon.
How Can You Tell If You’ve Suffered a Herniated or Bulging Disc?
As a general rule, you won’t be able to see a herniated or bulging disc. Instead, you should look for any of the following symptoms:
- Weakness in one of your extremities, such as an arm or leg
- Pain in your lower torso (symptomatic of a disc injury in your lower back, or lumbar region)
- Pain in your upper torso (an indication of a herniated or bulging disc in your upper back, or thoracic region)
- Numbness or tingling in fingers, toes, arms, legs or other extremities
We Can Help Protect Your Rights after Any Type of Disc Injury
We can help you pursue full and fair compensation for any losses suffered as the result of someone else’s carelessness or negligence. We offer a free initial consultation to anyone with a potential personal injury claim. We fight for the rights of injured people in Forney and across Kaufman, Rockwall, Hunt, Hopkins, Van Zandt Counties in Texas, including Talty, Terrell, Elmo, Crandall, Scurry, Oak Ridge, Kemp, Rosser, Post Oak Bend, Oak Grove, Rockwall, Fate, Royse City, Canton and Wills Point. Contact Stucky Injury Law or call us at 214-453-1190 to learn how we can help protect your rights when you have suffered a herniated or bulging disc in an accident.