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WHAT IS A HERNIATED DISC?
The 24 vertebrae of your
spine are separated from one another by pads of cartilage called discs.
These discs have a fairly tough outer layer with a soft interior to
cushion against the shocks and strains experienced as you move and put
various stresses on your spine. The discs are subject to injury, disease,
and degeneration with use over time. Certain activities and types of work
increase the risk of discs being damaged or deteriorating. When the soft
interior material of a disc pushes out through a tear or weakening in the
outer covering, the disc is said to be herniated.
WHAT ARE THE
SYMPTOMS OF A HERNIATED DISC?
If you have a
herniated lumbar disc, you'll typically feel pain that radiates from your
lower back area, down one or both legs, and sometimes into your feet
(called sciatica). You may feel a pain like an electric shock that is
severe whether you stand, walk, or sit. Activity such as bending, lifting,
twisting, and stooping increases the pain. Lying on your back may be the
only relief because it relieves the downward pressure on the disc. Also,
you may notice numbness or a tingly feeling in your leg or foot.
A herniated
disc may follow a period of low back pain, or even a longer history of
sporadic back pain that comes and goes. The pain changes from low back
pain to sciatica (leg or foot pain) when the gel-like substance in your
disc actually pushes out and presses against a nerve. The amount of pain
you feel depends on how much the nerve is compressed. You may experience
cramping or muscle spasms in your back or leg.
Often, by the
time pain develops in your leg, the pain in your lower back may have
decreased. In addition to pain, you may have leg muscle weakness, or knee
or ankle reflex loss. In severe cases, you may experience foot drop (your
foot flops when you walk) or loss of bowel or bladder control.
TYPES OF DISC INJURIES
There are 3 main types of
disc injuries. The first disc injury consists of annular fiber tears which
do not
extend to the outer aspects of the disc. Thus, the inner nuclear material
is prevented from completely escaping the disc. You can see an
illustration of this condition on the right.
The second type of disc
injury, which is the one we have been talking about, is commonly referred
to as a disc herniation. A disc herniation consists of annular tears
which run from the innermost aspects of the annulus (where the nucleus is)
to the outermost aspects of the annulus. In this type of injury, the
pressurized nuclear material can squeeze through the tears in the annulus
and escape to the outside of the disc. When this occurs, the nuclear
material may come in contact with nearby spinal nerves and even the spinal
cord.
 In
the third type of disc injury, referred to as a disc bulge, the inner
nucleus loses hydration; common in those with prolonged spinal stress and
the elderly. This results in "bulging" of the disc much like a
tire "bulges" when it contains inadequate amounts of air.
Similar to the previous injury, the nearby spinal nerves and spinal cord
may become impinged from the bulging disc.
IS
CHIROPRACTIC TREATMENT EFFECTIVE FOR DISC HERNIATIONS?
Yes!
Chiropractic care can be very effective for disc herniations.
Disc injuries respond
favorably to chiropractic care. This is because chiropractic treatments
focus on the dysfunctional spinal segments and not just the symptoms of
the disc injury. Pain killers, anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxants do
nothing to treat the cause of disc injuries and have been shown to induce
further injury.
Chiropractic treatments
provide fast, effective, safe and long lasting relief from disc injuries.
This is because the chiropractor's approach focuses on restoring spinal
alignment, spinal function and overall spinal health, which are the
primary factors responsible for the development of disc injuries.
Chiropractic doctors are
experts in maintaining proper spinal alignment and function, both of which
play a critical role in minimizing spinal stresses - the stresses that are
responsible for injury and accelerated degenerative processes in spinal
discs.
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