天天聽說腰椎間盤退變、腰痛，到底是怎麼回事？

公開日: 2019-04-27

腰椎退行性變是指隨著年齡的增長，過度的活動和超負荷的承載，使腰椎加快出現老化，並在外力的作用下，繼發病理性改變，以致椎間盤纖維環破裂，椎間盤內的髓核突出，引起腰腿痛和神經功能障礙。

Lumbar Degenerative Disc Disease

腰椎間盤退變性疾病

Lumbar degenerative disc disease is a condition that sometimes causes low back pain or radiating pain from damaged discs in the spine. A lumbar spinal disc acts as a shock absorber between vertebrae, and allows the joints in the spine to move easily.

腰椎間盤退變性疾病是一種有時候會引起腰痛或因脊椎椎間盤破壞引起放射性疼痛的疾病。腰椎間盤充當椎體間的減震器，允許脊柱的關節自由活動。

The strong, fibrous outer portion of a spinal disc, known as the annulus fibrosus, contains the soft inner core of the disc, the nucleus pulposus.

脊柱椎間盤外部堅韌的纖維結構，稱為纖維環，中間包含著柔軟的椎間盤內核，稱為髓核。

Each person』s spinal discs undergo degenerative changes as they age, but not all people will experience symptoms as a result of these changes. Symptoms are most commonly seen in 30 to 50 year olds.

每個人的椎間盤在他們年老時都會發生退行性變。但並不是所有的人都會因為這些改變而出現癥狀。癥狀大多數出現在30~50歲。

Pain from degenerative disc disease is usually tolerable, with flare-ups that last for a few days or more. It is normally felt in the lower back, but it can radiate into the hips and legs. The pain tends to be worse when sitting, as the discs have to bear a heavier load.

因退變性椎間盤疾病引起的疼痛通常是可以忍受的，有時會突然加重，持續數天甚至更長時間。疼痛往往在腰部，但會放射到臀部及腿部。在坐的時候疼痛趨於加重，因為這時椎間盤要承受更大的載荷。

One way degenerative disc disease causes pain is through inflammation of the nerves. When the outer part of a disc breaks down, the inner portion of the disc can leak out, releasing proteins that irritate surrounding nerves. Another cause of pain is when degenerated discs cannot properly absorb stress, leading to abnormal movement along the vertebral segment. Back muscles may spasm painfully in order to stabilize the spine.

退變性椎間盤疾病引起疼痛的一條途徑是神經的炎性反應。當椎間盤的外層破裂，椎間盤的內部成分會泄漏，釋放出蛋白質，刺激周圍的神經。另一個引起疼痛的原因是當退變的椎間盤不能正常吸收壓力，導致該脊椎節段異常活動。為了穩定脊柱，背部的肌肉會痙攣而引起疼痛。

In some cases, the disc space may collapse enough to compress a nerve root, leading to leg pain known as radiculopathy. Low back pain from degenerative disc disease often goes away with time as inflammatory proteins decrease and the disc collapses into a stable position.

在有些病例，椎間盤空間坍塌，足以引起神經根受壓，導致腿痛，即所謂神經根性病變。隨著時間推移，當炎性蛋白的減少和椎間盤坍塌到達穩定的位置後，因退變性椎間盤疾病引起的腰痛常會消失。