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What is a herniated disk?

On Behalf of | Apr 12, 2019 | Injuries, Long-Term Disability

A herniated disk is a type of back injury that can leave a person in serious and chronic pain. In severe cases, a herniated disk can lead to numbness, a loss of sensation in one’s core and problems going to the bathroom.

While many residents of the Atlanta area are blessed not enough not to experience symptoms of a herniated disk, for others, the condition is debilitating.

To understand a herniated disk, one must first understand that the spine is composed of several little bones that are interconnected. Between these bones are padding called disks. Normally, disks help prevent the bones from grinding against one another.

Sometimes, the soft interior padding of the disk will seep out from the disk’s harder shell, causing a herniated disk. A herniated disk will press on and irritate nearby sensitive nerves, leading to pain and, possibly, other symptoms.

Many factors can cause a Georgia resident to suffer from a herniated disk. While sometimes herniated disks happen because of one’s genetics for or some other completely natural reason, they also occur frequently among workers who have to do a lot of lifting or other physically taxing work, as such taxing movements gradually will wear a person’s body down.

In the most serious cases, a person suffering a herniated disk might not be able to continue to work either due to the pain or because of some other symptom. Serious symptoms can continue even after doctors have tried medication and surgery. The end result is that a once capable worker may be left unable to earn an income in the long term because of a herniated disk.

In such cases, the worker may wish to explore pursuing Social Security disability benefits for injuries. These benefits can help a worker with a back injury supplement his or her income so as to maintain a reasonable standard of living.

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