Re: Disc desiccation
On my MRI it says that I have a broad based disc bulge posteriorly at L4-5 and disc desiccation at L4-5 and L5-S1. Can some one please tell me what this means and if it can be fixed or something I must learn to live with? The military doctors tell you only what they want you to know. Help me please.
1 Comment found
DC student
Dale, the next time you have a question about your diagnosis o anything related to your medical care ask the questions. By law they are required to tell your medical conditions and explain everything until they have fulfilled the requirements of informed consent.Disc bulges are like a tire that has a bad spot in the sidewall and the air inside pushes a bludge out the side. Usually when this happens in a disc it is posterior-latterally, back and to the side, because there is a natural weakpoint in the disc here. Disc dessication is the dehydration of the disc. Your discs are like sponges and they get nutrients and engergy from water carrying the needed items back into the disc after it squishes the water out. This process is called imbibition. When a disc is dessicated it is dried out and can’t absorb nutrients back into itself. Extension and disctraction procedures can help to rehydrate the discs as well as getting 5+ hours of sleep at a time but the disc will continue to degrade over time. Eventually your bones may grow together causing a natural fusion or surgery may be required if as the bones grow together they impact the nerves of blood vessels in the area.Basically if this problem would have been found and treated a long time ago it could hae been prevented or made less severe.