Physiological Alterations And Neurological Function

Pathophysiologic Alterations and neurologic function
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Mr. White is a 39-year-old construction worker who is seen in your office for a herniated disc of L4. He now has sciatica in his left lateral thigh and posterior calf. Explain the physiology of a herniated disc, what sciatica is, and how a herniated disc might result in these symptoms.
Your friend steps on a piece of glass and immediately hops on one foot, taking the weight off the affected foot. What motor and somatic pathways are involved in this scenario?
The lumbosacral disks (L4-L5, L5-S1) are most commonly affected by the herniated intervertebral disk where the disk material is displaced beyond the disc space (McCance, Huether, Brashers & Rote, 2018). Herniated disc means that the disk ligament and posterior capsule are torn, and this leads to extrusion of the gelatinous material or nucleus pulposus in the spinal canal. In most cases, the involvement of the nerve roots by a compression mechanism that affects the vascular supply and causes inflammatory-like changes, and sometimes the injury tears the disc loose (McCance et al., 2018). Trauma, degeneration, and overexertion increase the risk of disc herniation. Sciatica is the pain in the distribution of the sciatic nerve or lumbar, and the sacral nerve roots as the sciatic nerve originate in the lumbar roots L4, L5, and S1 to S3 and begin from the lower part of the lumbar spine and gluteal region (McCance et al., 2018). The herniated disc may cause pain, walking difficulties and altered sensitivity, and if this irritates the sciatic nerve, the pain can spread to the legs. There may be nerve injury, where the time that the nerve has been compressed and structures damaged affect sciatic nerve recovery.
Neurons make up the nervous system and are capable of receiving stimuli and of developing responses to that stimulus. There is commun...