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Understanding herniated discss

by | Oct 30, 2014 | Workplace Injuries |

Employees in Pennsylvania may benefit from learning more about herniated discs and the risks associated with this injury. This injury may technically be described as spinal disc pathology, while other common terms used to refer to this type of pain include bulging disc or pinched nerve. Among practitioners, there has been some disagreement about how to exactly define this injury. Some of the other related terminology that patients and doctors often use includes disc protrusion, collapsed disc, slipped disc, torn disc and ruptured disc.

Regardless of the language used to identify the pain, doctors diagnosing the injury are expected to run the appropriate diagnostic tests, conduct a comprehensive physical exam and review the patient’s medical history. In order to evaluate neck and back pain potentially associated with a herniated disc, a physician may run a discogram, an MRI and a CT scan.

Regarding physical examinations, in accordance with the symptoms exhibited by the patient, health practitioners may test muscle strength and nerve function in the extremities. Physicians review medical history for previous conditions, recurring problems or history of family illnesses in order to rule out potential causes of the herniated disc injury. Doctors may also take note of the degree of pain associated with several types of activities that patient participates in.

When a person suffers a work injury, he or she may benefit from contacting legal counsel. A lawyer who is familiar with workers’ compensation claims may be able to help a person who has suffered a herniated disc during the course of their employment. The lawyer may be able to help workers obtain medical and wage benefits.

Source: Spine-health, “What’s a Herniated Disc, Pinched Nerve, Bulging Disc…?“, October 29, 2014