Serious Orange County back pain associated with spinal disk damage can be excruciating. Only a person who has experienced a damaged spinal disk can understand the agony of this type of pain, and is often debilitated, as every movement seems to make the pain worse. This pain is a warning signal. It is the body’s way of telling you there is a problem. Therefore, it is best to do something about it early. If you ignore the warnings, the damage can be much worse.

Spinal disks are flexible pads tightly fixed between the vertebrae, doctors call them intervertebral disks. Each disk has a tough, fibrous, outer membrane and an elastic core inside. These disks are kept in place by facet joints on the vertebrae and act somewhat as “shock absorbers” for the spine. Spinal disks are much more elastic in children, but harden as we age, while the outer membranes weaken, which makes them more prone to injury.

Back pain in Los Angeles and Orange County comes in many different severities and varieties. Orange County spinal decompression is just one form of back pain treatment associated with spinal disk damage. A herniated disk occurs when the disk’s inner material swells under stress and pushes through the outer membrane. This kind of disk damage, if not taken care of, can cause the membrane to rupture or tear, which can push against the surrounding nerves and cause extreme pain. Further disk damage may be irreversible.

Although a serious injury can cause an Orange County herniated disc, problems with disks are often brought on by everyday activities – heavy lifting, stretching too hard, or a nasty slip and fall. Any of these events can cause the outer disk membrane to break or distort to the point that it presses on a spinal nerve.

Disk problems in Orange County are sometimes lumped together under the term Orange County degenerative disc disease. Disk degeneration is far more serious in some people than in others. Severe cases may be the result of a deficiency in collagen, the material that makes up cartilage. Poor muscle tone, poor posture, and obesity also put excessive strain on the spine and the ligaments that hold the disks in place.