Disc herniations cause back pain and
leg pain for some. The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR welcomes those disc herniation pain patients. Gentle, relieving treatment
without surgery is what we provide. Colorado Springs back
pain patients find relief when they find us!
DISC HERNIATION: Size, Weight, Sleep
What matters when a disc produces back
pain? Its size? Its weight? Its effect on quality of life? Spinal researchers have
produced data and published that what the pain-producing disc looks like on imaging doesn’t really matter. The shape and size of an intervertebral
spinal disc’s bulging nucleus pulposus has no tie to
a what a patient’s symptoms may be
or how a patient feels. (1) The weight of a disc fragment did not correlate
with the duration of symptoms or severity
of pre- or post-operative leg pain nor post-operative leg pain or back pain improvement,
the percentage of space the disc occupied in the spinal canal, herniation classification, or vertebral level. The size
of the lumbar disc herniation did not have much effect on patient
outcomes. (2) Chronic lower back pain and sciatica due to lumbar disc
herniation negatively impacted sufferer’s
quality of sleep. Treatment positively impacted
patient perception of pain in visual analog scale (VAS) scores as well as
in the PSQI Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index scores. (3) Relieving
chiropractic treatment of a pain-producing disc involves
decreasing the risk of recurrent back pain episodes as well as reducing
the pain of the current episode.
MANAGING BACK PAIN AND RISK OF ITS RECURRENCE
Once you’ve experienced a disc herniation and its resulting back pain,
you don’t want it again! The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR gets
that and wants you to know that managing - as conservatively as
possible - the disc herniation is more realistic than curing it.
6.05% of lumbar discectomy surgery patients experienced a re-current disc
herniation. What prompted this? On their own, factors
like age, BMI, current smoking status, heavy lifting, degenerative facet joint
disease, operation time, and the ambulation time
after surgery influenced the risk of recurrent disc herniation.
Combined, older age, male sex, high body mass index (BMI), and early ambulation
were significant factors in the experience of a recurrent
lumbar disc herniation. Managing weight, not lifting heavy
items, and exercising were proposed risk reducers. (4) One new
study reported that the amount of sedentary time probably did not raise
the risk of a new episode of low back pain
as much as the amount and type of physical activity. (5) Pain relief happens
more as a roller coaster than a straight hill to no pain. A
disc herniation is like a bruise on an apple rendering the apple (and
by comparison, the spine) never quite the same again. That is
where The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR comes in with a treatment plan that ensures
you understand the disc herniation, how
to feed it nutritionally, how to get it
back to being strong with exercise and keeping it that way, and how to do activities
of daily living to avert (re)injury. A recent
systematic review of ways to approach the management
of back pain listed 10 approaches:
manipulation/mobilization, psychological/behavioral, advice to stay active/bed
rest, reassurance, antidepressants, NSAIDS, opioids, muscle relaxants, and
paracetamol. (6) The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR supports walking, moving,
careful lifting, and especially being treated with gentle, safe, effective Cox®
Technic spinal manipulation!
CONTACT The Chiropractic TRUhealthDR
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Robert Patterson on The Back Doctors Podcast with
Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates the realistic expectations
back pain patients can have with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal
Pain Management.
Make your Colorado Springs chiropractic
appointment today. Disc herniation sufferers are welcomed
to our practice for relief and a plan for controlling its future impact
on life.