herniated

A patient points to a herniated disc on an anatomical chart.

Definition

1. Adjective (medical):
   • Protruding through a weak spot: "herniated" describes an organ or tissue that has pushed through an abnormal opening or weakened area in the surrounding wall, typically in the body (e.g., a disk in the spine or an intestine in the abdominal wall).

Usage Examples

• (A spinal disk has bulged out of its normal position.)
• (A portion of the intestine protruded through a weak area in the abdominal muscle.)

Advanced Usage

• "Herniated nucleus pulposus": A specific medical term for a herniated intervertebral disk, where the soft inner core (nucleus pulposus) leaks through a tear in the outer ring.
  • An MRI confirmed a herniated nucleus pulposus at the L4-L5 level. (A diagnostic image showed the spinal disk rupture.)

Variants and Related Words

• Hernia (noun): the condition or protrusion itself.
  • He developed a hernia from lifting heavy objects. (A bulge of tissue through a weak muscle wall.)
• Herniate (verb): to undergo or cause a hernia.
  • The disk may herniate if the spine is under too much pressure. (The disk can bulge out of place.)

Synonyms

• Protruded: pushed outward or forward.
• Bulging: swelling outwards.

Related Idioms (medical context)

• "Herniated disk" (common phrase): a specific type of spinal injury.
  • Many people with a herniated disk experience pain in the leg. (A bulging spinal disk can press on a nerve.)

Phrasal Verbs

• None directly; "herniated" is primarily used as a medical adjective or past participle.