According to the Ministry of Health statistics, China’s lumbar spine disease patients have exceeded 200 million people, lumbar disc herniation patients accounted for 15.2% of the country’s total number of people. The incidence of lumbar intervertebral disc herniation has been second only to the flu, becoming the most common disease causing back and leg pain, we have to prevent. Who is prone to lumbar disc herniation The lumbar disc is located between the lumbar vertebrae, like a soft cushion, the lumbar vertebrae play a supportive, connecting and cushioning role. In the middle of the lumbar disc is the nucleus pulposus, which is 85% water. As we age, the moisture in the nucleus pulposus decreases and the lumbar vertebrae become less flexible. To maintain the stability of the vertebrae, there are ligaments around the vertebrae. The anterior ligaments are wide and the posterior ligaments are narrow, resulting in a lack of protection in some areas in the back, which is where disc herniation is most likely to occur. Due to the different pressures inside our body, the shape of the disc can change, if it is an obese person, or carrying heavy loads, then the disc will protrude into the spinal canal, compressing the nerves and the crural marrow, resulting in low back pain and leg pain. Which position puts the least pressure on the intervertebral disc? If you assume that the disc is pressurized 100 percent when standing, the least stressful position is lying down, when the disc load is very small, only 20 percent of what it would be if you were standing. The worst case scenario is sitting in a chair without a backrest, with the body still bent forward and no place for the arms to rest, when the pressure on the disc is twice as high as when standing. Epidemiologic studies have shown that the incidence of lumbar disc herniation has been on the rise over the years and has been expanding at an alarming rate year after year from middle-aged to young adults. In clinical treatment, the youngest patients are only in their teens, while the oldest can be in their 80s to 90s. In terms of regional distribution, lumbar disc herniation is highly prevalent in economically developed coastal areas, less prevalent in less developed areas in the west, and highly prevalent in major cities such as North, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. This may be due to the high incidence of good medical level, but the main thing is closely related to the bad habits of the local residents, as well as high work pressure. The male to female ratio of patients with lumbar disc herniation is about 3:1, with peak incidence around 40 years old. The occupations of lumbar spine patients are mostly IT practitioners, teachers and civil servants. Education is also closely related to the incidence of lumbar disc herniation, the higher the education, the higher the risk; the incidence of people with bachelor’s degree or above is much higher than that of those who graduated from elementary school or junior high school. Causes and Symptoms of Lumbar Disc Herniation So what exactly are the causes of lumbar disc herniation? Clinically, the top four long-term causes are disc degeneration, injury, genetic factors and pregnancy. Although lumbar disc herniation is not a genetic condition, it is affected by genetic factors. If one parent has a herniated lumbar disc, the likelihood of the child having the condition increases. Weight gain during pregnancy and its concentration in the abdomen increases the load on the lumbar spine. Trauma, physical activity, and playing golf can also put a lot of pressure on the discs. Short-term triggers are direct triggers of lumbar disc herniation, and the following 5 in particular need attention. 1, increased abdominal pressure: violent coughing, constipation, defecation, etc.; 2, lumbar posture is not appropriate: when the lumbar region is in a flexed position, such as sudden rotation; 3, sudden weight bearing: in the absence of adequate preparation, sudden increase in lumbar load; 4, lumbar trauma: acute trauma can affect the structure of the annulus fibrosus, cartilage plate, etc., and contribute to the nucleus pulposus that has been degenerated protruding; 5, occupational factors: such as drivers in the sitting position for long periods of time and bumpy conditions, easily triggered disc herniation. Easy to induce disc herniation. With lumbar disc herniation, 80%~95% of patients have radiating pain. This pain may start from the buttocks, and gradually radiate to the back of the thighs, calves, the back of the feet and the soles of the feet and toes. When the intra-abdominal pressure is increased by coughing, sneezing and urination and defecation, the radiating pain in the lower limbs is aggravated, like an electric shock. Leg pain is heavier than low back pain is one of the main signs of disc herniation. In addition, numbness of the limbs, walking effort, muscle paralysis, paralysis, etc. are also symptomatic manifestations in a small number of patients. Diagnosis of a herniated disc can be made by CT or MRI, which shows a soft tissue shadow that bulges into the spinal canal. Nuclear magnetism can be seen more clearly than CT. Clinically, it can determine exactly which nerve is being compressed based on the extent of the pain and numbness. Therefore, the patient must record the range of pain or numbness, which is very helpful for clinical diagnosis and treatment of which section of the lumbar spine has problems. How to prevent lumbar disc herniation The following four steps can help you prevent lumbar disc herniation. The first step: maintain good sitting posture. For people who often sit in the office, it is very necessary to develop a good habit of getting up and resting while maintaining a correct sitting posture. Especially after sitting for a long time, you should get up in time to relax your body and stretch your body, so as to relieve the discomfort of the low back. The correct sitting posture should be like this: the body tilted backward, neck support; arms naturally drooping, placed chair buttresses; hands parallel to the keyboard; knees slightly higher than the seat, to maintain the smooth operation of the blood; the screen is slightly lower than the line of sight. Step 2: correct waist posture. Standing should straighten the back and keep the natural curvature of the crest. When squatting, bend your knees as much as possible to minimize bending. Lift objects close to the body and do not lift objects higher than the chest. For patients with minor lumbar disc herniation, early treatment measures should be taken to minimize bending, maintain an upright posture, and walk with the chest lifted, so as to maintain the normal shape of the body. Step 3: Pay attention to rest. Reducing activities for a certain period of time can make people relax physiologically and psychologically and eliminate or reduce fatigue. Every twenty minutes or so, it is best to get up and move around. When standing for a long time, it is best to cushion a foot, and from time to time to change the foot. People lying down, lumbar spine pressure is minimized, but pay attention to the mattress soft and hard moderate, too hard or too soft will hurt the lumbar spine. Step 4: appropriate exercise. To ensure the continued health of the lumbar spine, it is crucial to enhance the weight-bearing and toughness of the lumbar region. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out some targeted lumbar function exercise, such as “lumbar spine drill”: put your hands behind your back, waist forward or backward bending. If prevention fails, back pain should be treated promptly. Most patients with lumbar disc herniation can be relieved or cured by non-surgical treatment. For example, young people, as well as patients without obvious spinal stenosis, the first attack or short duration of the disease, mild symptoms, and symptoms can be relieved by themselves after rest. In addition, bed rest, wearing a waist cuff, physical therapy and scientific and moderate massage and acupressure can relieve muscle spasms and reduce the pressure within the intervertebral discs, so that the pain can be reduced. For patients whose condition worsens and long-term conservative treatment is ineffective, it is recommended that they go to regular hospitals for surgical treatment, and nowadays, precision technology and minimally invasive surgery have very good efficacy.