Sequestered Disc Fragment

There are times when non-surgical spinal treatments are not the answer to relieving patient’s pain levels, tingling, numbness, or muscle spasms. When a cervical, thoracic, or lumbar disc herniation goes past the ligament and lost connection with annulus it becomes a sequestered disc. If you want to think of it as a piece of disc material that has lost contact with the main part and is out beyond the posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL). It often times comes into contact with a nerve root and there might be some radiculopathy which causes pain down a dermatome of a leg to the toes, or an arm to the fingers. This occurrence is diagnosed by physical exam findings, symptoms, patient history, and an MRI scan.

Many patients have been to many Doctors in Los Angeles and have gone through multiple treatment regimens only to end up with this condition. Sometimes it can be re-absorbed back into the annulus, but this is a very rare thing that happens. If the subligamentous herniation is severe enough it can cause symptoms that no one wants to go through. When this is the case, spinal surgery might really treat the condition and prove to be beneficial. Since the material is broken off it makes sense to go in and remove the fragment. There are some non-invasive options that can get the pressure off of the nerve roots in a fairly short period of time and return the patient’s motor and neurological functions. It would be nice if all back pain could be treated without the use of surgery, but when this happens it can be a necessity.