The discs for the moveable part of the spinal column. They allow support and protection of the spinal cord but also permit bending, twisting, compression and distraction of the spine. They are the major joints of the spine and link the vertebrae together.
The discs have a jelly like core surrounded by a more fibrous outer layer and attach directly to the flat surface of each vertebrae bone above and below.
The discs can generate pain in the lower parts of the neck and the lower back where they deal with the greatest amount of pressure and movement combined. Usually disc pain is felt more when we look down or bend forward, as this stresses the back of the disc where it is most frequently injured. This is why we are advised to avoid sitting slumped or with an exaggerated forward head position in cases of disc pain of the neck and low back. Injuries may be small like a fissure or tear, a bulge, or more significant such as a herniation or spillage of the jelly core out through the outer wall of the disc. In other cases one vertebra moves forward or backward on top of the other, this is called spondylolisthesis and would also be accompanied by a disc injury.
Discs recover from injury like all tissues in the body. They go through the phases of healing. However some disc injuries never heal properly and do not regain full range of movement afterward.
The goal of physical therapy is to determine what kind of disc injury you have and what treatment is best indicated. This varies from case to case and person to person but will usually include a course of manual therapy and a prescription of exercises designed to alleviate symptoms and speed up the healing process.
