Spinal problems are a very common phenomenon. They most often affect the cervical and lumbar regions. In this article we focus on the latter. Many of you have probably heard the term “lumbar disc herniation”. Perhaps you heard this diagnosis in a doctor’s office or read it on an MRI report. At first it causes fear, then more and more questions arise — let’s break it down.
How Is the Spine Built?
The spine is a column of vertically stacked bones called vertebrae. Since vertebrae are bony elements, they need something to connect them — allowing relative movement that is neutral for the body. The spine also needs considerable shock-absorbing capacity as it bears loads. This is where the intervertebral disc (also called the disk) comes in — it lies between two vertebrae, connecting them, and absorbs forces acting along the spine.
The disc resembles a gel enclosed in an elastic casing internally. It consists of the nucleus pulposus (the gel part) and the surrounding fibrous rings (the elastic part). This is where the whole story of disc herniation begins.
What Is a Disc Herniation?
The mechanism is as follows: the gel part of the disc, pressing on the elastic part, causes it to bulge. Prolonged pressure with great force can lead to the rupture of individual elastic layers until finally the entire outer layer is torn and the gel leaks out.
To better understand this, try squeezing a tube of toothpaste firmly on one side — what you observe illustrates what happens in the disc. The paste shifts in one direction causing the tube to bulge. Imagine squeezing it so hard that the tube bursts at the point of greatest pressure — this is the final stage of disc disease: sequestration, or the colloquial “slipped disc”.
The stages in order are: bulging → protrusion → prolapse → extrusion/sequestration.
How Does Disc Herniation Develop?
The disc, like every other part of our body, needs nutrients. Unlike most tissues, it doesn’t receive them from blood but from the vertebrae between which it lies — through a process called osmosis. For this to occur correctly, alternating compression and decompression is needed. When does this happen? During movement! Movement is health.
When we spend the whole day in static positions (e.g. sitting), we deprive our discs of what they need. Add muscular contractures, compensation patterns from injuries, and inadequate hydration — and you have a recipe for disc herniation.
Sciatica
When the space is reduced through a damaged disc and the nerve root becomes inflamed, we have sciatica — most commonly caused by inflammation of the roots forming the sciatic nerve. If this happens, consult a specialist. In extreme cases, disc herniation ends in surgery; in many cases, especially at earlier stages, you can help yourself.
What to Do?
Remembering that a damaged disc does not regain its original shape, you need to start caring for it to stop the degenerative process. The prescription is simple: appropriate movement, adequate sleep, and adequate hydration. It is important to use specialists who will guide you towards the right physical activity, help eliminate contractures, address compensation patterns, and manually improve the joint play of individual spinal segments.
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Author: MSc Adrian Blok — Physiotherapist, FitMixer Kraków
Originator, founder and mentor of Personal Training Center FitMixer
Sandra Szychowska is a certified personal trainer and physiotherapist at FitMixer, speaking Polish, English and German (PL/EN/DE).
Licensed Strenght Conditioning Trainer, a graduate of the Academy of Physical Education in Krakow at
