If you feel pain and numbness on your side that could extend to your legs or arms, it could be a sign that you have a herniated disc. If the pain worsens as you move, stand, or sit, it also falls under a herniated or slipped disc symptoms. Other symptoms of a slipped disc also include pain when walking even for a short distance, muscle weakness that you can’t explain, and the tingling, burning, or aching sensations on your back. But don’t panic yet, since there are treatments for slipped discs. You can also follow the tips listed below to avoid suffering from one.
What is a herniated or slipped disc? As the name suggests, the disc on your spine slipped, which can cause discomfort to extreme pain. Treatment for a slipped or ruptured may require surgery, while there are non-invasive treatments like chiropractic care.
What is a herniated disc?
Before you book an appointment at Debole Chiropractic, there are things that you need to know about a slipped disc first. A slipped disc is when the disc located between your vertebrae or spine provides cushions between each vertebra. The discs cushion or absorb the shocks in your spinal bones. However, strenuous physical activities or exercise, and even accidents can cause a slipped disc because of the disc's pushing out of its annulus into the spinal canal. With this, you can’t imagine the extreme discomfort and excruciating pain that you might suffer from a bulged or slipped disc.
The pain from the ruptured of a herniated disc was due to your spinal nerves' pressure or stress. Just imagine the disc on your back slipped out of its position, which causes it to press on your spinal nerves that cause moderate to severe pain. And since the slipped disc can happen to any part of your disc, the pain level also depends. However, the most common area for slipped discs is in your lower back or lumbar spine. Some slipped discs can again happen on your neck or cervical spine.
What are the possible causes of slipped discs?
Going to the gym seems fun, but unsupervised weight lifting and muscle pumping can lead to injury. Improper use of weights can strain your back that can cause a ruptured disc. As one age, the discs on your vertebrae also degenerates while the ligaments that hold the discs in place weaken as well. As your vertebrae degenerate, one simple bad back twisting, a bad fall, or lifting can cause your disc to slip.
Specific jobs are also prone to disc rupture like those into heavy work, and constant lifting is likely to suffer back injury. But in some cases, weak discs and ligaments can also be shared in some families. If you reach a certain age and are still lifting heavy gym weights or are into a strenuous job, you better watch your back and spine. One wrong slip may cause your disc to rupture. But when it happens, you will probably experience one or two symptoms.
What are the symptoms of a ruptured disc?
If you feel a jolting pain on your side that affects your arms or legs, and you may have a slipped disc. The problem in your lumbar spine or lower back was due to the pressure on your spinal nerves that leads to sciatic nerve pain. If this happens, you will probably feel pain, tingling, burning, and numbness that may start from your buttock into your legs. To describe the problem, it almost feels like an electric shot that is sharp and short.
The pain can be recurring. Physical activities as simple as walking and sitting down can trigger the problem due to the nerves' pressing. If the pain happens on the neck area, you might have nerve compression, especially if you feel a sharp or dull ache on your neck or in between your shoulder blades.
The symptoms and location of the pain may vary depending on the spot or position of the rupture. Although most ruptures on your disc happen in the lower back, the disc on your neck area may go out of place as well. The discomfort from the rupture also differs since it depends on the nerves' pressing, which may lead to extreme discomfort, pain, weakness, numbness, and even muscle weakness.
The pain could be bearable, but some pains are excruciating since the nerves on your back are pressed. The pain can also go away on its own since some slip disc can heal without treatment after some time. All you need is a handful of patience and good pain tolerance. However, if symptoms are not getting better and worse, it is best to visit your care physician, therapist, or chiropractor.
What are the treatment options for a herniated disc?
Some slipped discs may require invasive treatment like surgery, while other conditions can still be treated through chiropractic care. Some sciatica conditions or conditions of nerve pressing in your spine heals and improves on its own after a few days or even weeks. However, waiting for your situation to get better should be coupled with patience and discipline. It would help if you stopped strenuous activities in the meantime, as it could trigger more pain and injury. It would be best if you also visited your therapist or chiropractor for treatment and manipulation regularly.
To help you get better fast, here are some tips:
- Rest and avoid strenuous exercises and other activities for at least three days. However, refrain from taking prolonged bed rest, as you need to move around. With this, walking is recommended. You can also take pain relievers to ease the pain on your back.
- Visit your care physician for an evaluation of your condition. Most cases do not require surgery, but it would be best not to assume if it comes to your health. A professional assessment will help you decide if your condition warrants a surgery, or a visit to the physical therapist or chiropractor at Debole would do. Your physician will most probably require an MRI as part of your evaluation process.
Do you need surgery to treat a slipped disc?
As mentioned, most conditions do not require surgery as the slipped disc can be treated naturally. However, requirements may vary for each person that although most cases improve naturally after a few days or weeks, some pain from the slipped disc worsens. If this happens, a visit to your care physician for an evaluation would be needed. The results of the assessment will help you know the treatment options for your condition. So, would you go for surgical or non-surgical? Your evaluation results will help you decide on what best treatment to take.
If the evaluation yields that a non-surgical treatment will be needed for your condition, all you need is refrain from doing strenuous activities. With this, you may temporarily cancel your gym trips, but instead, enjoy a low impact exercise like swimming or walking. Although anti-inflammatory medicines also help alleviate pain, it is better to take it with caution.
Aside from proper rest, low impact exercises, and taking of pain relievers, a visit to your physical therapist or chiropractor is also needed. Treating your ruptured disc through chiropractic care would require a series of chiropractic manipulations. The treatment plan could last for several sessions to slowly adjust your disc back to its proper place. However, don’t just go to any chiropractor. Experienced chiropractic professionals best treat spine conditions like those at Debole Chiropractic. Settle with only the best chiropractor in Victor, NY.
Apart from disc displacement or ruptured disc treatment, Debole also offers spinal decompression, auto accident injuries, pain management, sports injury, power vibe, spinal screening and x-ray, whiplash, headache, and pregnancy care. Your chiropractor also offers a holistic approach to your chiropractic treatment, including going for the reason behind your slipped disc. For example, if a slipped disc was caused by putting on too much weight more than your disc can support weight management plans, proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle may be included in your chiropractic treatment plan.
Now, you know what a herniated or slipped disc is and its treatment options, it is also good to know how to avoid getting your disc ruptured. More so, if your slipped disc condition needs treatment, don’t just immediately sign up for surgery since most situations can be treated naturally through spine manipulation. So, don’t get anxious yet from the thought of getting an invasive treatment like surgery. Visit your chiropractor at Debole for invasive chiropractic care and ease your slipped disc pain.
