A right paracentral disc protrusion refers to a spinal disc that is bulging outside of its normal circumference. As the name implies, the protrusion or bulge is occurring on the right side of the patient’s body. A disc protrusion involves one of the tough and pliable oval-shaped discs located between the vertebrae that has weakened and is pushing outward from its center.

In cases of disc protrusions, however, the disc has not yet broken open and allowed its gel-like center to leak out into the spinal column. Because a right paracentral disc protrusion does invade the surrounding space, there is a chance that it may compress other parts of the spine, such as the spinal nerves that are branching off the spinal cord.

Types of disc protrusion

A disc protrusion can be divided into two categories:

• Broad-based disc protrusion — occurs when the protruding section of the disc covers 90 to 180 degrees of the total spinal disc circumference
• Focal disc protrusion — occurs when the protruding section of the disc covers less than 90 degrees of the total spinal disc circumference

The terms bulging disc and protruded disc are differentiated based on the proportion of the disc’s circumference. A protruding disc has an expanded area involving less than half of the disc’s circumference. A bulging disc is often classified as a disc expansion involving more than 180 degrees of the disc’s 360-degree circumference.

Right paracentral disc protrusion symptoms

Right paracentral disc protrusion symptoms can take the following forms:

• Cervical disc protrusion — includes problems with mobility in neck, head and shoulders; loss of feeling in hands and arms
• Thoracic disc protrusion — includes pain that feels concentrated around the torso, sternum, rib cage or diaphragm
• Lumbar disc protrusion — includes numbness or tingling in the lower back, legs and feet, as well as radiating pain due to pressure on the sciatic nerve

Right paracentral disc protrusion treatments

If you feel that your disc protrusion symptoms are reducing your daily quality of life and no treatments have been able to help you, surgery may be beneficial. Contact the experts at USA Spine Care. We offer state-of-the-art, minimally invasive procedures that are safer and effective alternatives to traditional open neck or back surgery.^

USA Spine Care is the leader in minimally invasive spine surgery and has helped more than 75,000 patients find relief from chronic neck or back pain. Our board-certified surgeons+ use a less than 1-inch incision and muscle-sparing techniques in order to alleviate symptoms while resulting in less bleeding and a lower risk of complication compared to traditional procedures.^ Reach out to our dedicated team today to find out more about right paracentral disc protrusion.

We can schedule a no-cost MRI review* to find out if you are a potential candidate for our minimally invasive spine surgery.

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