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Understanding Spinal Disk Problems - Basic Information
What Are Spinal Disk Problems?
Only a person who has experienced a damaged spinal disk understands the agony and helplessness it brings. The pain can be excruciating. Every movement seems to make it worse.
This pain is a warning signal. If you heed the warning and take proper action, the discomfort usually stops, and the problem can be corrected. If you ignore the warning, you could suffer permanent damage.
Spinal disks are supple pads tightly fixed between the vertebrae, the specialized bones that make up the spinal column. Doctors call them intervertebral disks. Each disk is a flat, circular capsule about an inch in diameter and one-quarter inch thick. They have a tough, fibrous, outer membrane called the annulus fibrosus. Inside is an elastic core called the nucleus pulposus.
The disks are firmly embedded between the vertebrae and are held in place by the ligaments connecting the spinal bones and the surrounding sheaths of muscle. There is really little, if any, room for disks to slip or move. The points on which the vertebrae actually turn are called facet joints, which stick out like arched wings on either side of the rear part of the vertebrae. These facet joints keep the vertebrae from bending and twisting too far -- far enough to damage the spinal cord, the vital network of nerves that runs through the center of each vertebra.
The disk is sometimes described as a shock absorber for the spine, which makes it sound more flexible or pliable than it really is. While the disks do separate the vertebrae and keep them from rubbing together, they are far from pneumatic or spring-like. In children, they are gel- or fluid-filled sacs, but they begin to solidify as part of the normal aging process. By early adulthood, the blood supply to the disk has stopped, the soft inner material has begun to harden, and the disk is less elastic. In middle-aged adults, the disks are tough and quite unyielding, with the consistency of a piece of hard rubber. These changes related to aging make the outer protective lining more weak and the disks more prone to injury.
Understanding Spinal Disk Problems - Herniated Disk
The pain of a herniated disk is debilitating, and further spinal disk damage may be irreversible.
Under stress, a disk's inner material may swell, pushing through its tough outer membrane. The entire disk becomes distorted. All or part of the core material protrudes through the outer casing at a weak spot, pressing against surrounding nerves. If further activity or injury causes the membrane to rupture or tear, the disk material can injure the spinal cord or the nerves that radiate from it. This causes extreme, debilitating pain. It's an unmistakable signal to stop all movement immediately. Further disk damage may be irreversible. In some instances, the injured disk itself is the source of pain.
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Important Safety Information you should know about HUMIRA® (adalimumab).
Serious infections have happened in patients receiving HUMIRA. These infections include TB (tuberculosis) and infections caused by viruses, fungi, or bacteria that have spread throughout the body. Some patients have died from these infections.
Before starting HUMIRA:
Tell your doctor if you think you have an infection, are being treated for an infection, have signs of an infection (such as a fever, cough, or flu-like symptoms), have any open sores on your body, have warm, red, or painful skin, get a lot of infections or have infections that keep coming back, have or had hepatitis B infection, take the medicine Kineret (anakinra), have TB or have been in close contact with someone who has TB, have lived in an area where TB or histoplasmosis is common, or were born in, lived in or traveled where there is more risk for getting TB. Your doctor should test you for TB before starting HUMIRA. If your doctor prescribes any medicine for the treatment of TB, you should start taking it before starting HUMIRA and take the full course of TB medicine prescribed.
Tell your doctor if you have any numbness or tingling, or have a disease that affects your nervous system such as multiple sclerosis or Guillain-Barré syndrome, have heart failure or other heart conditions, are scheduled for major surgery, are pregnant, become pregnant, plan to become pregnant or are breastfeeding. Tell your doctor if you are allergic to HUMIRA or any of its ingredients or are allergic to rubber or latex. The needle cover of the prefilled syringe and the pen contain dry natural rubber.
Also, tell your doctor if you have recently received or are scheduled for any vaccines. Except for live vaccines, patients may still receive vaccines while on HUMIRA. It is recommended that children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis be brought up to date with all immunizations prior to starting HUMIRA.
After starting HUMIRA:
Call your doctor right away if you get an infection, or any sign of an infection including a fever, feeling very tired, cough, flu-like symptoms, warm, red or painful skin or if you have any open sores on your body. HUMIRA can make you more likely to get infections or make any infection that you may have worse.
Possible side effects of HUMIRA:
Serious side effects, which sometimes lead to death, have happened in patients taking HUMIRA.
- Serious infections. These infections include TB (tuberculosis) and infections caused by viruses, fungi, or bacteria. Your doctor will examine you for TB and perform a test to see if you have TB. If your doctor feels that you are at risk for TB, you may be treated with medicine for TB before you begin treatment with HUMIRA and during treatment with HUMIRA. Even if your TB test is negative your doctor should carefully monitor you for TB infections while you are taking HUMIRA. Patients who had a negative TB skin test before receiving HUMIRA have developed active TB. Tell your doctor if you have any of the following symptoms while taking or after taking HUMIRA: cough, low-grade fever, weight loss, or loss of body fat and muscle.
- Certain types of cancer. There have been cases of certain kinds of cancer in patients taking HUMIRA or other TNF blockers. Patients with RA, especially more serious RA, may have a higher chance for getting a kind of cancer called lymphoma. Some patients receiving HUMIRA have developed types of cancer called non-melanoma skin cancer (basal cell cancer and squamous cell cancer of the skin), which are generally not life threatening if treated. Tell your doctor if you have a bump or open sore that doesn't heal.
- Allergic reactions. Signs of a serious allergic reaction include skin rash, a swollen face, or trouble breathing.
- Hepatitis B virus reactivation in patients that carry the virus in their blood. Tell your doctor if you have any of the following symptoms: feel unwell, poor appetite, fatigue, fever, rash or joint pain.
- Nervous system problems. Signs and symptoms include: numbness or tingling, problems with your vision, weakness in your arms or legs, and dizziness.
- Blood problems. Symptoms include a fever that does not go away, bruising or bleeding very easily, or looking very pale.
- New heart failure or worsening heart failure you already have. Symptoms include shortness of breath or swelling of your ankles or feet, or sudden weight gain.
- Immune reactions including a lupus-like syndrome. Symptoms include chest discomfort or pain that does not go away, shortness of breath, joint pain, or rash on your cheeks or arms that gets worse in the sun.
Call your doctor or get medical care right away if you develop any of the above symptoms. Your treatment with HUMIRA may be stopped.
Common side effects of HUMIRA are: injection site reactions (redness, rash, swelling, itching or bruising), upper respiratory infections (sinus infections), headaches, rash and nausea.
These are not all the side effects with HUMIRA. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Information You Should Know About HUMIRA® (adalimumab).
HUMIRA is used to reduce the signs and symptoms of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis in adults, may prevent further damage to your bones and joints, and may help your ability to perform daily activities. HUMIRA can be used alone or with methotrexate or with certain other medicines. HUMIRA is used to reduce the signs and symptoms of moderate to severe polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis in children 4 years of age and older. HUMIRA can be used alone or with methotrexate or with certain other medicines. HUMIRA is used to reduce the signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis in adults, may prevent further damage to your bones and joints, and may help your ability to perform daily activities. HUMIRA can be used alone or with certain other medicines. HUMIRA is used to reduce the signs and symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis in adults. HUMIRA is used to reduce the signs and symptoms of moderate to severe Crohn's disease in adults who have not responded well to conventional treatments. HUMIRA is also for these adults with moderate to severe Crohn's disease who have lost response or are unable to tolerate infliximab. HUMIRA is used to treat moderate to severe chronic (lasting a long time) plaque psoriasis in adults who are under the ongoing care of a physician, have the condition in many areas of their body and who may benefit from taking injections or pills (systemic therapy) or phototherapy (treatment using ultraviolet light alone or with pills).
HUMIRA is taken by injection.
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