Spinal decompression therapy can help with your herniated or bulging disc. This is a non-surgical treatment which can help care for your condition naturally.
Call for a consultation (360) 260-6903.
Transcription
Hey, it’s Dr. Troy here, at Zenaptic Chiropractic.
I want to talk about disc bulges or disc herniation in the spine.
So, in between each vertebra, there are tiny shock absorbers, also known as the intervertebral disc. I look at them as sponges and inside of those sponges, there is a jelly-like substance. So, what can happen though is that jelly-like substance that is inside, kind of like an egg yolk, would push out into the egg white and maybe crack the shell. That’s basically what a disc bulge or a disc herniation does.
So, if we look at the spine model, there are discs in between each vertebra and if the vertebrae is out of alignment, or there’s been trauma, or there’s been trauma and misalignment and then gravity has lowered that spine over time, the disc can actually degenerate and herniate and bulge. And then the problem is that can put pressure on the nerves that come off, put pressure on the spinal cord and that can adversely affect things like muscle function, skin sensitivity (also known as paresthesia). You could get weakness, you could get loss of reflexes, and really the biggest thing that people come to see us for is they have lost their quality of life. They can’t sit, they can’t play with their kids, they can’t go grocery shopping, they can’t walk around the mall without excruciating back pain.
I recently had a guy who was taking eight Vicodin a day just to keep his pain level at a six out of ten, ten being the worst. So, what we do is look to see where this disc bulge could be causing your problem. One of the best ways to really see it is with an MRI. We have facilities that we work with that do great MRI’s, send us great reports, and we go over those with you and educate you on how do we correct the disc bulge. And really one of the big components with this thing is going to be a loss of strength and loss of function in the posterior chain muscles in your spine, meaning the muscles in the back that hold you up from gravity.
So, there is a rehab protocol that goes along with the decompression and we have found has been very, very successful in alleviating people’s pains, and really the key is getting their life back. So, if you are suffering, you’ve been looking at surgery, you maybe have had surgery, got shots, somebody has said “Hey you got bulging”, maybe you’re just going to do pain management, you’ve tried other forms of therapy, let’s see if spinal decompression, spinal traction is right for you.
Schedule a consultation with us at our office (360) 260-6903. And what do you have to lose besides the pain that’s limiting your quality of life?
This is Dr. Troy at Zenaptic Chiropractic.
More Information on Herniated or Bulging Disc
One of the most common ailments that push people to see a chiropractor is a slipped disc. Of course, the more proper medical name for a slipped disc is a herniated disc, which we also refer to as a bulging or ruptured disc. These are all different names for pretty much the same phenomenon.
In between every vertebra in a person’s back, there is a thin disc of tissue that acts as a shock absorber and protects against the wear and tear of the spine. A herniated disc is defined as a displacement of the material within the disc (the nucleus pulposus or annulus fibrosis) outside of the intervertebral disc space. Statistics show that herniated discs are most common among people in the 30 to 50 range, with males twice as likely to suffer one than females. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2907819/
Herniated or Bulging Disc Analysis and Treatment
Anyone who’s suffered from a herniated disc knows that they can cause a great deal of pain. It is tempting to turn to prescription narcotics, such as opioids, to try and treat this pain, but unfortunately, there isn’t very much evidence that drug treatments are actually effective at dealing with a herniated disc. According to research from the National Center for Biotechnology Information, NSAIDs and cytokine inhibitors show no indication they can improve symptoms related to sciatica caused by disc herniation. Furthermore, nothing in their research has shown analgesics, antidepressants, epidural injections of corticosteroids, or muscle relaxants to be effective. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2907819/)
In fact, the one area that has been found to work consistently with regards to relieving local or radiating pain caused by a herniated disc was spinal manipulation. The study also looked at bed rest and traction, which were shown to be ineffective. There was not enough evidence to come to a conclusion about regular exercise, acupuncture, massage, heat, or ice with regards to treating herniated discs.
This research just serves to confirm what chiropractors already know. It’s no surprise that spinal manipulation would be the most effective treatment, because unlike most of the other treatments they looked at, spinal manipulation is addressing the underlying cause of the problem, rather than looking to address the symptoms.
Herniated or Bulging Discs and Chiropractic Care
It’s first necessary to diagnose the exact cause of your back pain, but once a herniated disc is confirmed, we can begin to treat it right away. It’s best to take a low-force approach that will gently guide your spine back into proper alignment while making sure not to cause any additional damage. Our experience has taught us that for most people, a chiropractic treatment plan is very effective, although in rare cases where the injury is very severe, surgery may be the only option.
Summary
If you or someone you know is dealing with the symptoms associated with a bulging or herniated disc, your best option, if you want to avoid surgery or heavy medication, is a visit to a chiropractor. Zenaptic Chiropractic offers FREE consultations at which we can assess the underlying causes of your pain and work out a treatment plan. Our staff of trained medical professionals is fully committed to the overall health and well-being of our patients. Call today to start down the path towards a pain-free lifestyle!
