If the disk is very worn or injured, the nucleus may squeeze all the way through. A disk herniates when its jelly-like center (nucleus) pushes against its outer ring (annulus). It is not known why some patients develop symptoms and others do not. In fact, nearly half of all people middle-aged and older have worn disks and pinched nerves that do not cause painful symptoms.
These changes are normal and they occur in everyone. They may also narrow the foramen-the small openings on each side of the spinal column where the nerve roots exit-and pinch the nerve root.ĭegenerative changes in the disks are often called arthritis or spondylosis. These bone spurs contribute to the stiffening of the spine.
The body responds to the collapsed disk by forming more bone -called bone spurs-around the disk to strengthen it. This problem causes settling, or collapse, of the disk spaces and loss of disk space height.Īs the disks lose height, the vertebrae move closer together. They also lose water content, begin to dry out, and become stiffer. As the disks in the spine age, they lose height and begin to bulge.
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