For a lot of patients, some of the scarier news they can receive from me or another doctor is that they have a disc bulge or herniation. Most people when they hear the words disc bulge immediately think they are going to have risky surgery. What people don’t know is that 30% of people walking around have disc bulges and never even know it. Its only when a bulge puts pressure on a nerve that we feel the symptoms like numbness and pain. The great news, your local Shakopee chiropractor can provide conservative treatment that most times can alleviate the pain, and actually get the disc to heal on its own.
Before we dive into what treatment options there are out there for a disc bulge, let’s describe what a bulge and herniation actually are. A bulging disc is a condition where the inner portion or nucleus of a disc pushes the outer portion of the disc out but unlike a herniation it is still contained within the outer portion. I have always like the example of a tire with a tube in it. If the tube pushes the tire out it creates a bulge in the tire, if the tube pushes out far enough and causes the tire to pop that would be a herniation.
Listed below are some of the common symptoms one could feel with a disc bulge or herniation:
- Pain in neck or low back
- Numbness in arms or legs
- Weakness in arms or legs
- Pain when walking or moving that shoots down a leg or arm
So we’ve discussed what a bulge is, as well as what kind of symptoms to look for. Lastly we need to discuss what kind of treatment options a chiropractor can provide to alleviate symptoms and fix the disc.
- Chiropractic adjustments can reduce stress on the disc, increasing normal joint motion, and decreasing inflammation.
- Traction or Decompression therapy does a number of things. For one traction produces a negative pressure within the disc that can help to reduce the size of a bulge taking pressure of the nerve. It also brings nutrients into the disc by a process called imbibtion, the negative pressure helps to bring nutrients into the disc that can lead to healing the disc.
- Flexion distraction can help to open up the facet joints, as well as taking pressure of the nerve and the disc.
- Rehab exercises to remove pressure on the disc, as well as to strengthen core muscles to help fix and prevent the issue from happening again.
I hope the quick blog above gives you some hope that surgery in most cases is completely avoidable. The combination of chiropractic adjustments, traction, and rehab worked on 86% of people in the latest study by Spine. So next time you hear a loved one dealing with the issue, give us a call at (952)456-6611 or visit us a Brooks Chiropractic to see if chiropractic care would work for you. #shakopeechiropractor