Herniated Disc Treatment – Check Out These 11 Options

There’s quite a bit you can do to treat a herniated disc.  No doubt if you have a herniated disc you’ll probably do anything because it is so painful.  The first thing to do is consult your doctor about your back pain when you start your pursuit for herniated disc treatment.

Be specific when you talk to your doctor – know when the pain started, if any incident caused it (i.e. trauma), what you’ve done to date for treatment, when it hurts the worst, and describe the type of pain in detail.

If your doctor confirms a herniated disc, it’s time to pursue herniated disc treatment.  Here are some common forms of treatment for your herniated disc.

1.  Rest

The first step you might be recommended to take is to rest to see if that helps easy the pain and settle down any soft tissue inflammation.  You won’t rest indefinitely, but in the beginning it can be helpful.  Again, be sure to follow your doctor’s course of rest.

2.  Medication – Ibuprofen and/or NSAIDS

You can get over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication.  It’s called Ibuprofen.  You can also get stronger medication called nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS).  These anti-inflammatory medications can help reduce an inflammation that aggravates your herniated disc.  By aggravating I mean any pressure or irritation the disc protrusion has on a nerve.  It’s the pressure or irritation on a nerve that causes the pain.  If you can reduce nerve contact, you can reduce pain.

3.  Physical Therapy

This is where the rubber meets the road.  Exercises designed to stretch and strengthen your core and back muscles is a good step toward treating your herniated disc.  Be sure to seek out a physical therapist who has experience successfully treating herniated discs.  Physical therapy is more of a proactive than a passive treatment approach.  By this I mean you have to actually do exercises rather than simply lie there and be treated as you would with chiropractic care and massage therapy.

4.  Muscle Balance Therapy

Muscle balance therapy can be done under the guidance of a physical therapist knowledgeable about muscle balance therapy or you can pursue a self-directed program.  Muscle balance therapy is based on the premise that back pain, including herniated discs, is caused by some form of muscle imbalance.  Correct the muscle imbalance, you then heal the condition and get pain relief.  There’s no doubt that muscle imbalance is common in all of us.  For instance, I’m left-handed; as a result I have a stronger left arm and back muscles.  Back pain and a herniated disc occurs, according to muscle imbalance theory, as follows.  When some muscles over-develop and overpower opposing muscles, the spine is then pushed out of proper alignment.  As the spine misaligns, muscles further imbalance because the natural alignment is upset.  Compounding the problem is the misaligned spine the results in improper pressure applied to the vertebrae.  The result is many forms of back pain, including a herniated disc.

Muscle balance therapy is all about detecting the muscle imbalances and correcting them with exercises.  The exercises focus on strengthening the weaker muscles to restore balance.

5.  Spinal Injections

This is a more aggressive approach to reducing inflammation than Ibuprofen and NSAIDS.  The steroid injections are generally successful at providing short-term pain relief.  It isn’t permanent.  However, if you have too much pain preventing much movement at all (i.e. physical therapy program), temporary pain relief from injections may enable you to start a proactive therapy program that gets you on the path to long-term herniated disc treatment.

6.  Chiropractic Treatment

Some physicians support chiropractic care while others don’t.  I know some people who claim chiropractic treatments did them wonders while others claim it did nothing.  Chiropractic care is a treatment option available to you.  Be sure to tell your doctor if you pursue chiropractic treatment.  If you have a spine specialist, ask her or him about whether getting chiropractic care is a okay.

7.  Decompression Therapy

Decompression therapy is designed to stretch the spine and create space between the vertebrae.  The result is to ease or decompress the pressure on the discs – especially the disc that is herniated.  This is a focussed, passive herniated disc treatment option, but has worked well for many people.

8.  Inversion Therapy

Inversion therapy is a form of decompression therapy in that by inverting your body, it attempts to decompress the pressure applied to the vertebrae and discs allowing the muscles and ligaments that encase the spine to relax.  You can safely do inversion therapy with an inversion table.  An inversion table looks like a massage table, but it swivels so that your body inverts.

9.  Water Therapy

Exercising in water is an excellent way to do low-impact (or no impact) exercises.  Because of the buoyancy of the water, you place very little pressure on your spine and vertebral discs.  This not only relieves the pressure, but gives you the opportunity to work out and strengthen your core and back muscles.  Be sure to only pursue an exercise program under your doctor’s guidance.  Also, seek out a water therapist who has successfully worked with people suffering from a herniated disc.

10.  Yoga

Once you’ve enjoyed some respite from the pain, if your doctor is on board, you might attempt some gentle yoga for further herniated disc treatment.  Yoga is a practice that incorporates both stretching and muscle strengthening.  It is generally very good for the back.  However, beware that overdoing it in yoga can actually cause injury.  Look for a yoga teacher who has worked with people who have back pain.  You also want a yoga teacher who has a Yoga Alliance certification – either a 200 or 500 hour certificate.  This means the teacher has had some level of anatomy instruction.

11.  Surgery

For me and for most people, surgery to treat a herniated disc is a last resort.  I would try all the above treatment options before resorting to surgery.  I would also seek out a couple or few medical opinions about surgery – even if I had to pay out-of-pocket for the medical opinions.   Talk to plenty of people – your physical therapist, your family doctor, a back or spinal surgeon.  Get informed.  That said, if you endure excruciating pain daily or you’ve lost much use of your body on account of your herniated disc, and have tried many treatment options, then you may have no choice but try surgery.

IMPORTANT:

  • Only embark on any herniated disc treatment program under the guidance of a medical doctor.
  • Regrettablyhere is no guarantee any or all of these herniated disc treatments will work for you.
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Causes of Herniated Disc – Are You Vulnerable?

Herniated disc is one of the most common causes of back pain – especially severe back pain.  The reason a herniated disc can be so painful is it actually contact or irritates a nerve.  One common nerve affected is the sciatica nerve running from the lower back to the feet (in both legs).

Herniated discs are most common in the lower back; however,  herniated discs in the neck also frequently occur.

Herniated Disc Causes

There are many causes of a herniated disc.  Some of the more common causes include:

  • Aging. As we age our soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, and vertebral discs) become more brittle and weaken.  Naturally weaker vertebral discs are more more susceptible to herniation.
  • Trauma such as a car accident, trip and fall, or assault. Sudden, violent pressure can herniate a disc immediately.
  • Sedentary life. When core and back muscles weaken, the spine is more susceptible to misalignment.  This then places unusual pressure on the vertebrae and thus the vertebral discs.  Over the long-term, this can result in a herniated disc.
  • Poor posture when sitting, walking, or standing. If you spend much time in  a position that is not the spine’s natural curvature, then the spine can misalign over time resulting in a herniated disc.
  • Physical jobs such as hardwood floor installer or drywaller where the back is in hunched and awkward positions for long periods of time.  Many workers who do labouring jobs end up with back pain including a herniated disc.  The reason is the spine is placed for long periods of time in awkward, unnatural positions which can misalign the spine in time.
  • A bulging disc can progress to become herniated. This is why if you experience even the slightest back pain, it is a good idea to visit your doctor.  If you have a slight bulge, you can work toward correcting it.
  • Weakening of core and back muscles. This can result in a muscle imbalance which then places pressure on a vertebrae which over time can result in a bulging or herniated disc.
  • Degenerative disc disease. Just as the term states, your disc degenerates or weakens so that it is susceptible to herniation.
  • Smoking. Smoking dries out soft tissue including the vertebral discs.  When tissue dries, it’s brittle – especially the discs.  Brittle discs are more susceptible to herniation.
  • Poor diet. The health of your soft tissue is in large part influenced by diet.  If you eat nutrient-rich foods that nourish and hydrate soft tissue, you promote healthy vertebral discs.  Poor diets thus can do the opposite.
  • Poor lifting technique – over time or a single incident.  One single movement, such as a bending over, can herniate a disc.  The more weight you lift with improper lifting technique, the bigger the chance of herniating a disc.  Older people are more vulnerable than younger people – but people of all ages can suffer a herniated disc.

Often a herniated disc results from a combination of the above.  For example, someone who lives a sedentary life whose core and back muscles are not strong is then in a car accident.  The car accident may not even be very violent, but is enough trauma to place sufficient pressure to a vertebrae that then cause a herniated disc.

Another example may be a person who has a desk job, isn’t very active, has mediocre posture and then decides to help a friend move on the weekend.  This person hasn’t lifted more than 20 pounds in months.  Suddenly, he is lifting 50 pounds and more.  Any bad lift could easily result in a herniated disc.

Fortunately there are herniated disc treatment options available.  In fact, there are many to pursue.  Not all may work for you.  You may have to try several herniated disc treatment options before enjoying some respite from the pain.

Causes of Herniated Disc Video:

End of the Causes of Herniated Disc Post

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Herniated Disc Prevention – How Are You Doing?

Regrettably most people take a pain-free back for granted.  Little thought is given to “what if I suddenly have daily back pain?”.  I do think about the real possibility we all have with developing back pain because I work with people suffering with daily back pain.  I know how debilitating it can be.

Hence, I’m very interested in techniques to prevent back pain.  Specifically, herniated disc prevention.  Why a herniated disc?  Because it’s one of the most common and painful back pain problems.  Also, it’s preventable to some degree.

We’re all vulnerable to a herniated disc.  Few of us have perfect posture.  Most of us drive in vehicles where a severe car accident could happen any time.  We could trip and fall and jar our back any time as well.  And yes, we’re all aging which weakens our muscles and the protective disc layer that maintains vertebral disc shape.

However, just because it’s possible to suffer a herniated disc does not mean there is no reason to take some simple steps to promote a healthy back and herniated disc prevention.  It’s actually pretty simple to promote a healthy back.  Consider these options:

Yoga or a stretching program.

Yoga is an outstanding activity for promoting a healthy back.  Start of gently because, yes, people do get hurt doing yoga.  Stretching the back muscles and spine creates space over time between the vertebrae.  It also helps align the spine correctly.  Many yoga postures also strengthen core and back muscles which promotes a healthy back.

Swimming

There’s hardly some form of health advocate that doesn’t suggest swimming.  Swimming is a terrific low impact physical activity that works out both your upper body and lower body.  When you swim you also use your core and back muscles which strengthens them for better spine support.  At the end of the day, any activity that strengthens core muscles will be great for promoting a healthy back.

Another option are water-based exercise programs.  These too are very low impact and can do wonders in promoting a healthy back.

Pilates

I like swimming and yoga; I’m not familiar with Pilates.  However, I do know Pilates is all about strengthening the core.  Therefore, it is a physical activity that promotes a healthy back.

Walking

At the end of the day, even gentle activity like walking is good for promoting a healthy back.  Many people live extremely sedentary lives.  If you do no physical activity, simply walking 30 minutes 3 times a week will improve your physical condition considerably.

Elliptical Trainer Workouts

I love using an elliptical trainer when the weather is bad.  I like it because it’s low impact and works out both my upper and lower body at the same time.  You actually also work out your core muscles as well as your legs and arms stride in opposite directions.

Improved Posture

Work on improving your posture when sitting and standing.  Be mindful of it.  Over time an improved posture will become habitual.

Drink Water, Stay Hydrated

Staying hydrated is important to overall health – back health included.  The outer layer of the vertebral disc is comprised partly of water.  As you age, your tissues dry out and thereby weakening.  You can minimize the drying out by being mindful about staying hydrated.

Reduce Stress

Have you ever felt knots in your back?  I know I have.  They result from stress – both emotional and physical.  I’m left-handed, so I get them a bit worse on the left side.  Knots also develop from emotional stress.  When stressed or in fear, muscles contract.  It’s the fight or flight response.  Our muscles are built for some contraction, but constant or frequent contraction can result in knots.  This constant contraction can place additional stress to the spine and vertebrae which in turn stress the discs.  Ongoing stress to the discs is what can ultimately result in a herniated disc.

The good news is that the other activities listed above can help reduce stress.

Proper Lifting Technique

We all know it’s best to lift with our legs.  Yes, it seems so much easier to bend at the waist, but do so at your own peril.  Making it a habit to bend at the knees could save you a herniated disc.

Quit Smoking

Smoking dries out our tissues.  It’s very stressful to all our organs.  If the outer layer of the vertebral disc dries, it’s weaker and is more susceptible to herniation.

Lose Excess Weight

Excess weight places more pressure on your spine and vertebrae.  This in turn places more pressure on your vertebral discs that in time can cause a herniated disc.  Every pound you lose, the less pressure you place on your spine.  Not only does the excess weight place more pressure on your spine, but it can actually misalign your spine which increases the chance of getting a herniated disc.

Here’s the deal.  You don’t have to start an olympian exercise regimen to promote a healthy back and pursue herniated disc prevention.  Yoga one or two times each week for 15 to 30 minutes each time is sufficient.  Yes, more may be better, the biggest bang for your back is the little bit you do consistently.  Start with short programs – whatever you decide to do.  If you start with a 90 minute killer yoga or swimming routine, you’ll quit.  I know I would.  I’ve been into fitness for years, but I still do only moderate long routines.  I opt instead for variety in short durations.

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