Have you or someone you know been diagnosed with a disc herniation or a disc bulge? This can be a scary diagnosis, especially according to Dr. Google. But what if we told you that 97% of these cases can heal conservatively, without surgery or heavy drugs.
When you have a disc herniation, some of the cartilage of your disc has been stretched or torn, allowing discal material to leak out. As this material leaks out, it can irritate your nerves, leading to pain, numbness, burning, and more pain. In the low back, this causes sciatica-like symptoms. In the neck, this can cause symptoms that mimic carpal tunnel, rotator cuff injuries, and other conditions.
The first step to treating these conditions is to reduce inflammation. This can be done using ice over the area of the spine (even if your symptoms are in your arms / legs). Then, the goal is to reduce pressure off the nerve. Based on the type of injury, we will give you a simple exercise that when done repeatedly, will help lessen the nerve irritation and reduce the pain. Once we reduce the nerve pain, we address the muscles surrounding the spine that have become tight as a method of protection. This can be done through a number of modalities (scraping, cupping, ART, dry needling, etc.). And finally, we strengthen the spine and core to prevent this injury from coming back.
The benefits of conservative care include less recovery time, more cost effective, less risks, and overall a stronger, functioning body.
If you are currently suffering from a disc herniation and were told you need surgery, get a second opinion and see if it can be treated conservatively. Why go under the knife if you don’t have to. Give us a call today at (615)-900-5187 and we’ll be happy to guide you to the path of recovery.
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