Diagnostic Procedures for Identifying Bulging Discs

Diagnosing Bulging Discs

There are different methods/procedures employed by health professionals in the identification of bulging discs in the body. We are going to have a look at them:

Computed Tomography Scan

Best known as CT Scan, this diagnostic procedure works with different rotating x-rays of your body from different angles (rather than a singular angle) via your presence in a tunnel-shaped device; then, it uses a computer to combine these rotating x-ray results of your body and create slices of your body or a 3D image of the area of your body with the bulged disc.

It works better than an X-ray because it scans your body from multiple angles.

X-rays

Using electromagnetic waves, an X-ray is used to identify bulged discs in your body by a quick scan which produces images of the structures of the bones in your body making it easier to map out the swollen discs. The radiation you are exposed to is little so there is nothing to worry about.

It is performed by either of these health professionals: an x-ray or a radiologist technologist. While an X-ray will show images of the structures of the bones in your body, it is not sufficient to identify the bulging discs in your body.

Myelogram

This test, unlike an X-ray, looks into the relationship between the stack of bones in your back and the discs between them. Doctors require this as a diagnostic procedure if the CT Scan and/or MRI Scan does not reveal enough information about the stack of bones and discs in your body to work off from. A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scan uses radio waves and magnets and certainly, a computer, to create images of the inner sections of your body. With any of these diagnostic procedures or a combination of two or three, doctors can identify if you have a bulging disc between the stack of bones in your back and its severity.

Unlike slipped discs, bulging discs swell or protrude outwards as the name implies; when a disc between the bones in your body bulges, it is the annulus that swells leaving the soft tissue inside unaffected. It affects nerves close to it and creates pains and problems incrementally.

The symptoms and causes of bulging discs are not dissimilar to those of slipped discs and almost the same section of the population and individuals performing certain activities are affected: overweight individuals, desk-bound employees, employees working in physically intense companies and industries such as construction and the likes where “heavy lifting” is a regular thing, individuals with bad/improper standing and sitting posture, those with weak back muscles, et al.