An extruded disc is a degenerative spine condition that causes pain, numbness, weakness and a pins-and-needles sensation in the spine. As you get older, your discs can weaken and become brittle from all the strain placed on the spine. This can make you more susceptible to the occurrence of disc extrusion, which is when the gel-like center of the disc herniates into the spinal column, causing spinal nerve compression. Depending on the severity of your condition, your doctor will evaluate whether conservative therapy or the disc extrusion surgery described below is the best option to relieve your symptoms.

Diagnosing an extruded disc

Prior to deciding if conservative treatment or disc extrusion surgery is the best option to treat your symptoms, your doctor will first review your medical history to get a better understanding of your condition, symptoms and a review of your lifestyle and family medical history to determine what can be triggering your condition. Then, he or she may conduct a physical examination to test the strength of your spine and your range of motion. The final step is to get an MRI or CT scan at a medical imaging center to get a closer view of the location and severity of your condition.

Conservative disc extrusion treatments

After receiving a disc extrusion diagnosis, your doctor may first recommend the following conservative treatments to relieve your symptoms:

• Anti-inflammatories
• Muscle relaxants
• Pain medication
• Physical therapy
• Chiropractic care
• Acupuncture

However, if you do not experience adequate relief after several weeks or months of treatment and your condition has progressed beyond the point of conservative therapy, then your doctor may recommend disc extrusion surgery to treat your condition.

USA Spine Care’s disc extrusion surgery

If surgery is the best option to treat your extruded disc, then it is important to explore the types of surgery available to you so you can determine the best method of treatment for your spine care needs. As you research your surgical options, we encourage you to contact the dedicated team at USA Spine Care with any questions or concerns regarding your condition or one of the procedures. Since 2005, we have helped more than 75,000 patients find relief from their chronic neck or back conditions, earning us a patient satisfaction score of 98 out of 100.^

To treat an extruded disc, our board-certified surgeons+ are able to use a small incision that is muscle sparing in order to remove the portion of the disc that has herniated out of place, causing debilitating pain and discomfort. To find out if you are a potential candidate for our minimally invasive disc extrusion surgery, reach out to us today and ask for a free MRI review.* We are here to help guide you through your journey to wellness.

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