Spinal surgery
A herniated disc (Latin: prolapsus nuclei pulposi, disc hernia, disc prolapse) is a disease of the spine. Parts of the intervertebral disc protrude into the spinal canal - the space where the spinal cord is located - because the fibrous cartilage ring (annulus fibrosus) of the intervertebral disc tears completely or partially. This causes pressure on the nerve root, which leads to severe pain that often radiates to the extremities (arms and legs). There is often also numbness in the area supplied by the pinched nerve root, and occasionally even paralysis. In the case of spinal canal stenosis (spinal stenosis or spinal stenosis), the vertebral joints are often so thickened due to swelling of the joint capsules that the spinal canal narrows, which leads to increased pressure on the nerves in the spinal canal and the associated severe pain. This type of narrowing is not distributed evenly throughout the spinal canal, but occurs in certain areas of the spinal column that are subject to heavy strain.
