Movement Posture And Hydration
The reason movement and good posture are so important is because discs help to support the pressure of our body. If we dont move, the constant pressure pushes the nucleus of the disc against the outer wall and over time, weakens it.
The discs absorb water from their surroundings and if they are under constant pressure , they cannot absorb water. Without water, the discs lose some of their hydrostatic pressure and shock-absorbing properties. Additionally, as the discs lose water, the walls of the disc can dry out and weaken, making them less able to keep the nucleus inside, rather like the weakened walls of a dam which holds back water.
We constantly talk about posture with our patients.
Sitting and slouching squashes the life out of our discs. This is because if we slouch over we put a lot of pressure on the discs at the base of the spine.
When we slouch in one position, we squash the front side of the disc and the nucleus of the disc is pushed back hard against the rear of the disc. The front side can slowly dry out and weaken whilst the back side of the disc can weaken because it has the nucleus forced back against it for long periods.
Pressure can also be exerted on the body when the surrounding muscles are weak, meaning there is less support for the discs and they are squashed even more. The muscles in our back and our core muscles provide essential support to keep the spine supported and strong, which takes excess pressure off the discs.
How Does A Slipped Disc Progress
In most cases, the symptoms tend to improve over a few weeks. Research studies of repeated magnetic resonance imaging scans have shown that the bulging prolapsed portion of the disc tends to shrink over time in most cases. The symptoms then tend to ease and, in most cases, go away completely. About 50 out of every 100 people improve within 10 days, and 75 out of a 100 after four weeks. In only about 2 out of every 100 people with a ‘slipped’ disc is the pain still bad enough after 12 weeks that they end up having to have surgery .
So How Can I Get Rid Of Disc Pain And Disc Problems
Glad you asked. The answer to this question will depend on how much pain your herniated disc is causing you and how far the disc has herniated into the area surrounding the spine.
No one wants to be in pain, but no one wants surgery either. The good news here is that most people dont need surgery for a herniated disc, they just need to know the 9 little secrets for getting rid of disc pain.
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III. Hows A Herniated Disc Treated?
Your doctor will likely tell you get some rest and avoid any painful positions or movements. You may also take some painkillers to relieve symptoms. In general, a herniated disc will go away on its own. If your symptoms arent relieved within a week, you may also start physical therapy, or in extreme cases, surgery.
Luckily, there are plenty of home remedies that help soothe your symptoms and get your disc healthy again.
IV. What Are Home Remedies For A Herniated Disc?
If youre looking to get relief from a herniated disc at home, try these self-care remedies that are scientifically proven.
1. Ice And Heat Therapy
For pain relief, using a cold and hot pack may help alleviate your pain and keep inflammation down. According to Mayo Clinic, start with a cold press and change to hot within a few days.
2. Stretching Exercises
Dont just sit in bed all day. Try gentle movements during the day to use your muscles and keep them moving. Specifically, it may be a good idea to stretch your hamstring muscles to relieve herniated disc pain.
3. Yoga
According to recent studies, yoga can have a positive impact on those suffering from lower pain from a herniated disc. Not only does yoga soothe pain, it also uses a mind-body approach to reduce stress, which is a factor in muscle tension.
V. How Can I Prevent Another Herniated Disc?
Herniated Disc Treatment Steps
1. Eat a Collagen/Bone Broth Diet
First off, you need to give your body the specific nutrients it needs in order to heal the area, and that means you need to follow what I call the collagen diet. Your body needs collagen to help heal and repair a damaged disc and tissues. In order to do that, collagen is found in protein powder made from bone broth or bone broth liquid.
Drinking bone broth on a regular basis is the No. 1 dietary thing you can do. You can make bone broth at home yourself or simply buy a liquid bone broth online and have it shipped to you frozen. Sometimes you can even find it in your grocery store. You want to consume two to three servings a day its an absolute must for herniated disc treatment.
I recommend you make a big crock-pot soup every single day to consume. For instance, combine chicken, celery, onions, carrots, some organic chicken and some chicken bone broth. Thats going to give you some of the nutrients you need to help heal and repair your low back, stiff neck or wherever you might have a herniated disc.
Also, getting more antioxidants by consuming high-antioxidant foods like blueberries is key. The ideal herniated disc treatment diet looks something like this:
- Breakfast: A smoothie with a collagen protein powder or protein powder made from bone broth, blueberries, coconut milk and maybe some anti-inflammatory herbs like ginger root.
- Lunch/Dinner: Soup or stew with the bone broth.
2. Consume Beneficial Supplements
3. Practice Egoscue
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How Long For Herniated Disc To Heal Without Surgery
How long does it take for a herniated disc to heal completely without any surgery? A herniated disc typically takes six to eight weeks to heal. Patients with this condition, on the other hand, typically only require minor surgery to heal.
Herniated discs form when the outer layer of the spinal disc is damaged. A herniated disc is diagnosed in approximately 20 of 1,000 adults annually. If your injury has healed properly, a physical therapist can determine how long it will take for it to heal. As a result of this assistance, you may be able to select activities to engage in while recovering.
If your doctor is unable to diagnose your back or neck pain, seeing a physical therapist may be the best option for you. Through simple exercises and stretches, physical therapy can help you improve your quality of life. Furthermore, you may require medication, such as Opioids or anti-inflammatory drugs, to help your body heal.
Secret #: Make This 10 Healthy Lifestyle Choices
While most people try to eat healthily and get exercise, it doesnt appear that most of us are doing a very good job of it.
Of course, one of the biggest problems come from our modern-day lives, where we sit too much, eat too much, and stress out too much.
How to help fix a slipped disc? Want to prevent it from happening again? We will need to make some lifestyle changes.
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Manual Therapy And Exercise
Manual therapists work with patients in a number of ways. When someone presents with a herniated disc, we look at the overall function of the body. We can use stretching techniques to ease the muscle spasm and then we use our hands to move the joints, to mobilise them. This mobilisation is important to free the movement and allow the bodys natural healing mechanisms to operate.
A herniated disc is not purely about the spine. As an Osteopath, I look at the hips and the whole body. If one part of the body is not moving properly, this can mean that certain movements and thus additional forces pass through the back e.g. if the hips are not moving, twisting motion which would normally be a combination of hip and lower back movement can pass primarily through the back. That puts excessive forces on the discs and they can herniate. So we look at those imbalances and work on them.
The word exercise usually elicits a groan but exercise neednt be boot camp types of exercise! Once we get movement back in the spine and start to address structural imbalances, simple exercises to strengthen the muscles will help to support the spine and ease pressure on the disc. That creates an environment for the body to heal itself and repair the injured disc.
What Is The Best Slipped Disk Treatment
You may need more advanced treatments if your symptoms aren’t getting better. Your healthcare provider might recommend:
- Medication: Your provider may prescribe an anti-inflammatory pain reliever or muscle relaxant.
- Physical therapy: A physical therapist teaches you an exercise program to help relieve pressure on your nerves. Exercise loosens tight muscles and improves circulation.
- Spinal injections: Called an epidural or nerve block, a spinal injection is a shot of steroid medication directly into your spine. The medication reduces swelling and inflammation of the nerve from the disk herniation. This will allow your body to heal and return to activity faster.
- Surgery: In rare cases, a large herniated disk might injure nerves to the bladder or bowel. That may require emergency surgery. For nonemergency cases, surgery is an option when other treatments fail. There are various ways to perform spinal decompression surgery, but the goal is to relieve pressure on the nerve.
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Get Help Eliminating Your Disc Pain Problems In Anchorage
At Better Health Alaska, weve provided help for over 15,000 back pain cases over our 20+ years in service. So if you want fast, safe, and effective treatment for your bulging discs, herniated discs, or disc degeneration, schedule a same-day appointment with the trusted Better Healths chiropractor in Anchorage today.
Slipped Disc Symptoms Causes And Treatment
Back pain is a very common problem. Unlike other injuries, the basis of back pain could be anything. One minute youre watching TV on your couch and then try to get up but you cannot because there is a sharp pain in your back. The cause for this pain can be a slipped disc.
A slipped disc also known as prolapsed disc or disc herniation can cause many problems in everyday routine.
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Pain From A Bulging Disc
About 90 percent of herniated discs occur in the lumbar region of the spine or the lower back. Those who do experience pain feel it because the bulging part of the disc is pressing against the longest nerve in the body the sciatic nerve. Ninety percent of sciatica, pain along the sciatic nerve, cases occur due to a herniated disc.
Since the sciatic nerve runs over the buttocks on both sides and down the legs, the pain tends to radiate, usually on just one side. For example, you might feel a stabbing pain in one buttock and then down the leg on that side. There may also be tingling in the legs or feet along with muscle weakness.
Bulging discs can pop up in the cervical region of the spine as well. In those cases, pain radiates down one arm. The hand on that side might tingle or feel numb, too. The pain from a herniated disc can be chronic in other words, it might come and go. You might feel it after sitting too long or trying to lift a box. You might wake up with pain in the middle of the night for no apparent reason.
What Causes Lumbar Disc Herniation
Lumbar disk disease is caused by a change in the structure of the normal disk. Most of the time, disk disease happens as a result of aging and the normal break down that occurs within the disk. Sometimes, severe injury can cause a normal disk to herniate. Injury may also cause an already herniated disk to worsen.
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What Caused My Disc To Herniate
Herniated discs can occur as a result of a heavy strain or fall, which causes the nucleus to break through the wall of the disc and place pressure on the nerves that branch out from the spinal cord. For example, lifting a heavy object after sitting down for a long period of time can cause a disc to herniate.
What Causes Slipped Discs
A slipped disc occurs when the outer ring becomes weak or torn and allows the inner portion to slip out. This can happen with age. Certain motions may also cause a slipped disc. A disc can slip out of place while you are twisting or turning to lift an object. Lifting a very large, heavy object can place great strain on the lower back, resulting in a slipped disc. If you have a very physically demanding job that requires a lot of lifting, you may be at increased risk for slipped discs.
Overweight individuals are also at increased risk for a slipped disc because their discs must support the additional weight. Weak muscles and a sedentary lifestyle may also contribute to the development of a slipped disc.
As you get older, you are more likely to experience a slipped disc. This is because your discs begin to lose some of their protective water content as you age. As a result, they can slip more easily out of place. They are more common in men than women.
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Pt May Include Deep Tissue Massage Hot/cold Therapies Hydrotherapy And Exercise
Physical therapy often plays a major role in herniated disc recovery. Its methods not only offer immediate pain relief, but they also teach you how to condition your body to prevent further injury.
There are a variety of physical therapy techniques. Passive treatments relax your body and include deep tissue massage, hot and cold therapy, electrical stimulation , and hydrotherapy.
Passive treatments relax your body and include deep tissue massage and electrical stimulation . Photo Source: 123RF.com.
Your physical therapy program will usually begin with passive treatments. But once your body heals, you will start active treatments that strengthen your body and prevent further pain. Your physical therapist will work with you to develop a plan that best suits you.
How Can A Physical Therapist Help
In all but the most extreme cases, conservative care often produces better results in treating a herniated disk than surgery or pain medications, such as opioids.
Your physical therapist will work with you to design a specific treatment program that will speed your recovery, including exercises and treatments that you can do at home. Physical therapy will help you return to your normal lifestyle and activities. The time it takes to heal the condition varies, but results can be achieved in 2 to 8 weeks or less, when a proper posture, pain-reduction, stretching, and strengthening program is implemented.
During the first 24 to 48 hours following your diagnosis of a herniated disk, your physical therapist may advise you to:
- Rest the area by avoiding any activity that causes worsening symptoms in the arms or legs.
- Avoid bed rest.
- Stay active around the house, and go on short walks several times per day. Movement will decrease pain and stiffness, and help you feel better.
- Apply ice packs to the affected area for 15 to 20 minutes every 2 hours.
- Sit in firm chairs. Soft couches and easy chairs may make your problems worse.
- Consult with a physician for further services, such as medications or diagnostic tests.
Some exercises are better for individuals with herniated disks. Your physical therapist will educate you about them. For example:
Your physical therapist will work with you to:
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The Difference Between A Herniated Disc And A Bulging Disc
While you might hear people refer to a slipped disc, this is not an accurate term since a disc cannot actually slip out of place. When most people talk about a slipped disc, they are referring to a herniated disc. Sometimes this is also called a ruptured disc.
Between the bones of the vertebrae of the spine are small cushions that are filled with a jelly-like substance. These cushions prevent bones from rubbing against one another and act like miniature shock absorbers.
As we age, these cushions become harder and less flexible. When too much pressure is put on the spine, these discs can bulge out from between the vertebrae, touching a nerve. The nerve reacts by sending pain signals to the brain. This is called a bulging disc.
If the pressure remains intense or if the bulging disc is damaged enough times, the outer layer of the disc can split, allowing some of the softer inside material to squeeze out. This also touches on a nerve and causes intense pain. When this happens, it is called a herniated disc. A full explanation is discussed here.
As you can imagine, a herniated disc usually causes much more intense pain since it is usually larger in scale and can have more of an impact on the nerve root.
