Can a herniated disc cause permanent nerve damage?

Removing a herniated disc requires working around the nerves of the spine. During the operation, these nerves may be injured. If this occurs, you may have permanent damage to the nerve involved. This may cause permanent numbness, weakness or pain in the area where the nerve travels in the leg.
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How long does it take for a herniated disc to cause permanent nerve damage?

Damage to these nerves can be permanent if not treated quickly – within a day or so. This would mean that the person loses control of their bowel or bladder permanently! This problem should be seen within 24 hours by a spine surgeon.
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Can an untreated herniated disc cause permanent nerve damage?

Permanent Nerve Damage

This normally leads to what is referred to as saddle anesthesia. It can also lead to loss of control over bowel movements and bladder. In cases where a herniated disc has been untreated for too long, this type of damage can be permanent.
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What happens if you have a herniated disc for years?

Nerve Damage

When a herniated disc puts significant pressure on a nerve, it can lead to significant damage by cutting off nerve impulses. Compressed nerves can lead to significant conditions, including loss of sensation in lower extremities or even loss of bowel control.
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Can a herniated disc cause long term effects?

An untreated, severe slipped disc can lead to permanent nerve damage. In very rare cases, a slipped disc can cut off nerve impulses to the cauda equina nerves in your lower back and legs. If this occurs, you may lose bowel or bladder control. Another long-term complication is known as saddle anesthesia.
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Can A Herniated Disc Heal? | WITHOUT surgery?!?



How do you know if you have nerve damage from a herniated disc?

Because a herniated disc impacts nerves, the most common symptoms are pain that radiates into the extremities, down to the fingers or toes. Depending on where the herniated disc sits, either the upper or lower body can be impacted.
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What happens if a herniated disc doesn't heal?

Removing a herniated disc requires working around the nerves of the spine. During the operation, these nerves may be injured. If this occurs, you may have permanent damage to the nerve involved. This may cause permanent numbness, weakness or pain in the area where the nerve travels in the leg.
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What are the symptoms of L4 nerve damage?

3 Telltale Signs of a L4-L5 Slipped Disc
  • Chronic Lower Back Pain. Pain in the lumbar region can mean many things. ...
  • Leg Pain and or Weakness. The leg pain that is often felt with an L4-L5 disc problem in conjunction with or separate from lower back pain is often categorized as sciatica. ...
  • Tingling and Numbness.
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Can an MRI show a healed herniated disc?

Yes, an MRI scan is typically used to confirm a herniated disc diagnosis. It is used to locate exactly the point on the spine that shows herniation. This way, treatment, which in some cases may involve surgery, may be better managed to optimize patient recovery.
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What are the symptoms of L5 nerve damage?

L5 NERVE ROOT DAMAGE

This pain can come in the form of numbness, tingling, weakness and shooting and is commonly felt in the big toe, inside of the foot, top of the foot and ankle. Radiculopathy of the L5 nerve may also cause loss of coordination in the foot and toes.
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Can you have a trapped nerve for years?

Depending on its location and severity, a pinched nerve may last for a few days, several weeks, or even longer than that. In the most severe cases, recurring compression against the nerve may result in permanent damage.
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What is worse bulging or herniated disc?

Herniated discs are considered more severe than bulging discs because they put significant pressure on nearby nerves, which can cause intense pain, inflammation and difficulties with movement.
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What happens with permanent nerve damage?

But sometimes, nerve damage can be permanent, even if the cause is treated. Long-term (chronic) pain can be a major problem for some people. Numbness in the feet can lead to skin sores that do not heal. In rare cases, numbness in the feet may lead to amputation.
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Will herniated disc pain ever go away?

The good news is that in most cases — 90% of the time — pain caused by a herniated disc will go away on its own within six months. Initially, your doctor will likely recommend that you take an over-the-counter pain reliever and limit activities that cause pain or discomfort.
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Can a chiropractor fix a herniated disc?

Nine out of ten individuals with a herniated disc can heal their condition through non-invasive procedures. If you want to explore conservative options for recovery, chiropractic care is an excellent place to start. A chiropractor can help you heal naturally and relieve your pain.
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When do you need surgery for a herniated disc?

In lumbar disc herniation (LDH), the indications for surgery include imaging confirmation of LDH, consistent with clinical findings, and failure to improve after six weeks of conservative care.
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What type of doctor treats herniated disc in back?

Herniated discs are quite common and do not always need treatment. Most of the time they can be healed by rest; however, if symptoms persist, you may need to see an orthopedic surgeon near you specializing in spine surgery.
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Is nerve root damage permanent?

Nerve root compression that is severe enough to cause weakness in the arms or legs requires prompt diagnosis and surgical treatment because compression leads to death of the nerve cells and can permanently affect the function of the sensory and motor nerves downstream from the point of compression.
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What are the symptoms of L4 L5 nerve damage?

Common symptoms and signs include: Sharp pain, typically felt as a shooting and/or burning feeling that originates in the lower back and travels down the leg in the distribution of a specific nerve, sometimes affecting the foot. Numbness in different parts of the thigh, leg, foot, and/or toes.
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Is L4 L5 disc bulge serious?

Most importantly, an L4-L5 disc bulge can lead to prolonged pain and other, more serious conditions like spondylolisthesis if you delay treatment. Spondylolisthesis is a condition in which a vertebra shifts or slips, and can cause significant pain that may require surgery to fix.
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Can a herniated disc make you disabled?

A herniated disc injury may result in a designation of permanent disability and make you eligible for disability benefits from workers' compensation if: The herniation compromises a nerve root or the bundle of nerves that lead out from the spinal cord.
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Can a herniated disc cause neurological problems?

When the herniated disc compresses a nearby nerve, as in the image below, the result can be a pinched nerve. A pinched nerve may cause pain, numbness, tingling or weakness in the arms or legs.
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What nerves are affected by herniated disc?

Discs that become herniated usually are in an early stage of degeneration. The spinal canal has limited space, which is inadequate for the spinal nerve and the displaced herniated disc fragment. Due to this displacement, the disc presses on spinal nerves, often producing pain, which may be severe.
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Which nerve is affected in disc herniation?

Commonly known as “sciatica”, this type of pain can be aggravating, even debilitating. This pain is due to the herniated disc compressing the roots that make up the sciatic nerve, which then sends pain signals through the entire nerve, which extends from the lower back through the leg.
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How do you know if you have permanent nerve damage?

The signs of nerve damage include the following:
  1. Numbness or tingling in the hands and feet.
  2. Feeling like you're wearing a tight glove or sock.
  3. Muscle weakness, especially in your arms or legs.
  4. Regularly dropping objects that you're holding.
  5. Sharp pains in your hands, arms, legs, or feet.
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