Guide To The Causes And Complications Of A Herniated Disc

Being Overweight

When an individual carries extra fat around their waist, it causes their back to arch and their pelvis to tilt foreword. This abnormal alignment is often referred to as lordosis in the medical community. This altered position of the spine and pelvis promotes the wearing down of the outer layer of the spinal discs. The excess weight causes unnecessary pressure on the affected individual's spinal discs, which can produce radial tears in the outer parts of the disc. This mechanism puts the individual's spinal disc at a greater risk of rupturing. When the outer layer of an individual's spinal disc ruptures, the soft inner nucleus escapes and may settle on the root of a neighboring nerve. Being overweight can also cause systemic inflammation and swelling of tissues throughout the body that can also place unnecessary pressure on the spinal discs, resulting in a herniated disc.

Read more about the complications of herniated discs now.