A herniated disc can be one of the most difficult conditions to heal and experience relief from. The real key with this condition is that you have to have a clear understanding of how it works.
This article will discuss what a herniated intervertebral disc is, what causes it, symptoms commonly caused by it, as well as therapies that are normally recommended for healing.
The spinal discs are cushions that separate each set of bones in the spine. Their main function is to absorb shock so the bones do not get damaged when you move.
Each disc of the spine is composed of a strong outer covering called the annulus, and a soft jelly center called the nucleus. When a person has a herniated intervertebral disc, the strong outer covering tears, and the nucleus in the center begins to push through where the disc is injured. This creates a bulge in the disc.
This tearing of the annulus is often caused by an injury (such as a car accident, or a fall), but may also have a hereditary component. In other words, if you have other family members who suffer with back conditions, you may have a hereditary weakness in the annulus of the disc, which would predispose you to developing bulging vertebral discs.
What’s interesting about the spinal discs is that they are designed to not feel pain, which sounds silly if you’ve ever experienced bulging discs, because you know they can be very painful.
So, what causes the pain and dysfunction that is associated with bulging discs? Well, if you look at the spine, you will see that the spinal nerves are located directly behind each spinal disc.
What causes pain from a bulging disc is actually pressure on the spinal nerves from the herniated intervertebral disc. Not only is pain common with this problem, it is also common to experience other symptoms that you may have never associated with your back.
The spinal nerves control everything in the body, so if a nerve has pressure on it from a herniated intervertebral disc, whatever it controls will begin to malfunction. For example, a herniated intervertebral disc in the neck will typically cause pain in the neck, as well as in the arms, chest, hands, and can even lead to ringing in the ears, blurred vision, or even problems with the thyroid gland (leading to a feeling of fatigue and weight problems).
bulging discs in the middle back will lead to symptoms such as middle back pain, chest pain, pain traveling around the rib cage, shoulder pain, and even headaches.
In the lower back, it’s common to experience not only low back pain, but also pain traveling into the legs, numbness in the feet, and even problems with the bowel and bladder (such as constipation, diarrhea, or losing control of your bladder).
So, what can you do for relief from pain from a bulging disc? Most doctors would prescribe medications (usually pain killers and muscle relaxers), physical therapy, pain injections (such as cortisone and epidurals), and even surgery as a last resort.
These therapies, however, are usually not as effective as we’d like them to be. The reason for this is because they all focus on numbing the nerve (which makes sense for pain relief), but they do not do anything to actually heal the herniated intervertebral disc. Because of this, most traditional treatments will only provide temporary relief, and the pan will invariably return.
After working with thousands of patients suffering with a herniated intervertebral disc, I can tell you that there are a number of therapies that are more successful, but it is really a combination of therapies that provide the best results. Many doctors are not aware of this, which is why the success rate for this problem is very low typically.
If you would like to learn more about the most effective therapies for a herniated intervertebral disc, as well as the combination of those therapies that I recommend for the best results, you can also click here (herniated disc).