Disc Herniation

A disc herniation can be one of the most painful and debilitating conditions that any person can experience. It is caused when tears in the outer fibrous part of the intervertebral disc, allows the jelly like substance within it, known as nucleus pulposes, to escape. When the disc has herniated, the nucleus pulposes is free to wreck havock on neighbouring nerves and can cause syptoms such as sciatica. Herniation can occur anywhere in the spine, but are most common in the low back and neck.Symptoms of a herniated disc can vary immensely. They can range from little or no pain if the disc is the only tissue injured, to severe and unrelenting neck or low back pain that will radiate into the regions served by affected nerve roots that are irritated. Sensory changes such as numbness, tingling, muscular weakness, paralysis, paresthesia, and decrease of reflexes can occur, corresponding to the compromised nerve.Prognostically, herniation can take over year to heal to a point where there is no pain. The objective of chiropractic treatment for herniations is to help patients deal with the excrutiating pain, and speed up recovery time with a regime of traction, adjustments/mobilizations, soft tissue techniques, and spinal rehabiliation. For a disc that is injured, chiropractic care, along with laser treatments, and spinal rehabilitation can prevent further injury and promote optimal healing of the tissue.