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TREATMENT OF HERNIATED DISCS AND THE ASSOCIATED PAIN
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Occurrence and Risk Factors
Following headaches, back or neck pain is the next leading reason we go to the doctor, and low back pain is the leading cause of disability in America. Risk factors for back pain include level of fitness, occupation and hobbies, medical history, genetic susceptibility, and obesity. Most Americans experience back pain during their lifetime. Over-the-counter medicines might help in some cases. Stretching, ice, or moist heat might help in others. Alternatively, back pain might stop without other intervention within two or three days.
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When to Take Action
According to the National Institute of Health and National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, severe back pain that does not resolve after three days limited duty should prompt a call to your health care provider. All back injuries resulting from impact should receive professional medical care.
Muscle relaxants and pain medications are often prescribed by medical doctors for acute pain. These products have limited value, could promote additional injury, or result in chemical dependency. One day of rest might be helpful, but lying in bed for several days can worsen back pain.
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Assessment and Diagnosis
Chiropractors are doctors that specialize in the treatment of back and neck pain. As a chiropractor, my goals include treatments that provide the maximum pain relief possible and to teach you how to prevent further injury to your spine and supporting muscles. It is difficult to diagnose a disc herniation simply by evaluating symptoms or x-rays. Most disc herniations do not respond to “regular” pain therapies provided by chiropractors or physical therapists. An MRI may be needed to confirm a herniation.
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Treatment Options
You might be referred to a pain management specialist. This specialist will likely use injections to relieve the inflammation and acute pain due to herniation. However, for many people, this form of therapy might not provide durable relief – prompting ongoing drug therapies. These therapies might provide symptomatic relief, but they do not address the root cause of the problem.
Spinal decompression addresses the cause of the pain via a special traction table designed specifically for this task. Traction-distraction therapy often provides long-term relief from the pain associated with disc herniations.
In addition, decompression therapy can be effective for treating sciatica and degenerative disc disease by inducing small and regular amounts of motion into the spinal discs. These motions allow the herniation, or bulge, to draw into its correct position and away from the inflamed nerve. This pumping action promotes healing by inducing reabsorption of fluids and nutrients into the disc.
Spinal decompression through traction is a safe and gentle way to treat neck and back pain associated with herniated discs and sciatica. For many patients, this therapy is relaxing and should be viewed as an option before considering invasive measures such as surgery.
To determine if you could be a candidate for spinal decompression therapy, call Dr. Ceci for a personal phone consultation at 713-876-5092.
Click Here for more information about Decompression-Traction Therapy.
References
U.S. National Library of Medicine, (2010). Back pain. Retrieved March 15, 2010 from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/backpain.html
Ehrlich, G.E., Khaltaev, N.G., (1999). Low back pain initiative. Geneva: World Health Organization
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