Steemit Learning Challenge-S21W6; Disc Herniation"

Health is wealth! This is repeatedly sounded out to people urging them to take care of their health. 'Life has no duplicate' is also a popular saying that means that if anything happens to life now, nothing can replace that life that is lost. One thing is to be alive but it is another thing to enjoy that life in good health.

While going through this topic, I was reminded of my mother in-law's situation and the challenges she faced as she grew older. Thus I have come to understand that the problem with her inability to stand erect, bend and walk freely is because of Disc Herniation..

Explaining Disc Herniation

A disc herniation can be said to be a slipped disc. This problem occurs inside the skeletal framework of the body, when the jellylike soft material of the invertebrate disc leaves its original position and protrudes via a tia in the stronger outer part of the disc layer. Once this condition occurs, the disc which is seen or located at the spine and vertebrae, which acts as a source of cushion, buffer and flexibility to the spine is dangerously affected.

Primary Causes

This skeletal bone problem is caused by several things which include

° Tear and wear that occur in the body as a result of the natural process of aging.

° injury sustained on the disc or spinal cord due to accidents.

° when heavy loads are carried causing so much strain on pressure on the spinal cord.

° when a person does not assume a correct posture while lifting a heavy object.

° If a family blood line have this debilitating health issue, then it is hereditary and can be suffered by future generations of the bloodline.

How would you diagnose a disc herniation? Any clinical investigation or assessment tests?

We can begin by knowing the symptoms associated with all types of disc hernia. The type of symptom is majorly determined by the area which the problem occurs.

These symptoms include

° Acute pain at the affected area. This may be at the back, neck, arms, leg or even the nerves if it is the area affected.

° Constant Numbness: This happens when an individual experiences numbness at the tip of the fingers, the toes or other extremities of the body due to nerve compression.

° Weakness of the upper and lower body

To go further in the diagnosis, we can go dor a physical test or examination such as MRI scan, CT scan that would assist to ascertain the level of herniation and the possible treatment that goes with it. Treatments are recommended based on how severe the herniation is.

Additional test can be done to further confirm the diagnosis.

Teats like spurling test, cervical rotation, extension test, cervical flexion and others can be used to confirm diagnosis of cervical disc hernia.

Schober's test, thoracic spine extension test, rotation test can be done to confirm disc hernia in the thoracic region.

Extension test, lumbar flexion, straight leg raise are other test to confirm lumbar disc hernia.

So depending on the result of rhw diagnosis, treatment options can be recommended.

This could be the conservative method that usually include having enough rest, pain management via taking medications and physical therapy like exercise.

More severe cases are handled by surgical operations like discectomy and spinal fusion can be used to resuce the nerve pains.

Bridge Exercise

Below is the video of the practice of the bridge exercise that I have done, raising my buttocks up while lying down and facing upwards. This was very easy for me as I have always been practicing it before now.