How a Disc Bulge or Disc Herniation Causes Pain

Have you been told that your back pain is being caused by a disc bulge? Chiropractic care could reduce your pain and improve your ability to move easily.

Small gel-filled discs fill the spaces between the boney vertebral bodies in your spine. These discs cushion your spine and make movement comfortable and pain-free. A disc herniation occurs when the inner layer of the disc protrudes through an opening in the disc's outer layer, due to too much pressure on the disc.

When this happens, the bulging part of the disc often presses on nearby nerves or soft tissue and can trigger pain. Since these discs are circular, they can bulge into the spinal cord or out, onto a nerve. On top of that, when you feel the pain depends on the location of the herniated disc. For example, a herniated disc in your lower back could cause pain that extends to your legs or buttocks, in addition to your back. Shoulder or neck pain could occur if you have a bulging disc in your neck.

Pain isn't the only symptom of a herniated disc. These sensory nerves also control other things in the body. If we don't have pain, we may experience weakness, tingling, or numbness. All of these sensations may worsen in the evening or early morning hours.

Anybody can develop a herniated disc, although the condition is more common in older people due to years of wear and tear on the spine. A few other things can increase your risk for a bulging disc. Have you put on a few pounds over the years? Extra weight increases pressure on your spine, boosting your risk for a disc herniation. High stress can also cramp down on the surrounding muscles and bones, leading to disc herniations.

Did you feel a sudden pain in your back when lifting or moving a heavy object? Using improper lifting techniques could be the reason you have a herniated disc.

How's your posture? Poor posture also stresses the back and can cause herniated discs. Slouching or hunching over when driving, using your computer, or playing video games increases your herniated disc risk.

Chiropractors Treat Herniated Discs Naturally

80 percent of people walking around, have disc herniations. These herniations can go in and out over time. Typically a patient will come to a chiropractor when and if the herniation is causing pain. As a Chiropractor, we see and treat a lot of disc herniations. Chiropractic treatments don't involve medication, steroid injections, or surgery and could even help you avoid or delay surgery if you have a herniated disc. In a retrospective cohort study published in BMJ Open, researchers reported that spinal manipulation treatment, one of the therapies offered by chiropractors, significantly reduced the need for discectomy during the two years following manipulation therapy for patients recently diagnosed with herniated discs. Discectomy is a surgical procedure that removes all or some of a herniated disc.

Another cohort study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics noted that spinal manipulation therapy was effective in improving herniated disc symptoms. According to the study, 90.5 percent of patients saw an improvement in symptoms after three months of spinal manipulation therapy.

Chiropractors use spinal manipulation therapy to adjust the position of vertebrae that have moved out of alignment. Once the vertebrae are in their normal position, inflammation and pressure on the nerves decreases and that disc can heal.

Your chiropractor may also recommend one or more of these therapies:

• Cold Laser. This treatment reduces the inflammation in the area and increases the cell turnover faster. This allows for increased healing and shortens the time is takes for the disc to heal.
• Electrical Stimulation with Dry Needles. Electrical stimulation treatments prevent pain receptors from telling the brain about pain and enhance healing by improving blood flow. Gentle electric pulses delivered through electrodes attached to the skin provide the stimulation your body needs for repair and pain relief.
• Pelvic Blocking. During your visits to the chiropractic office, your chiropractor may put foam wedges under your pelvis. Pelvic blocking therapy moves the bulging disc away from nerves, reducing pain.
• Massage. In addition to helping you relax, massage decreases swelling and inflammation and improves blood flow. The therapy relieves stiffness by loosening tight tissues, decreasing muscle spasms, and improving flexibility.

Chiropractic care could help you manage your herniated disc symptoms. Contact our office to schedule an appointment.

Sources:

BMJ Open: Association Between Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation and Lumbar Discectomy in Adults with Lumbar Disc Herniation and Radiculopathy: Retrospective Cohort Study Using United States' Date, 12/16/2022.

https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/12/e068262.abstract

Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics: Outcomes of Acute and Chronic Patients with Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Confirmed Symptomatic Lumbar Disc Herniations Receiving High Velocity, Low-Amplitude, Spinal Manipulative Therapy: a Prospective Observational Cohort Study with One-Year Follow-Up, March/April 2014

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24636109/

Verywell Health: Chiropractic vs. Surgery for Herniated Disc, 11/2/2022

https://www.verywellhealth.com/chiropractic-vs-surgery-for-herniated-disc-5443093

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons: Herniated Disc in the Lower Back, 1/2022

https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/herniated-disk-in-the-lower-back/