How Did I Get A Herniated Disc?

San Francisco Chiropractor and Herniated Disc Doctor Comments:

Patients are often suprised when they find out they have a herniated disc (see disc herniation video at spine-health.com). The first thing they want to know is:

How did I get a disc herniation and what can be done to fix it?

First of all...disc herniations in the lumbar spine are way more common than cervical disc herniations. Herniated discs in the thoracic spine are rare.

There's no quick easy answer to why someone gets a disc herniation. Check out this explanation from www.webmd.com:

A herniated disc usually is caused by wear and tear of the disc (also called disc degeneration). As we age, our vertebral discs lose some of the fluid that helps them maintain flexibility. A herniated disc also may result from injuries to the spine, which may cause tiny tears or cracks in the outer layer (annulus or capsule) of the disc. The jellylike material inside the disc (nucleus) may be forced out through the tears or cracks in the capsule, which causes the disc to bulge, break open (rupture), or break into fragments. See an illustration of a herniated disc .

Injury to the disc can occur from:

·                                 A sudden heavy strain or increased pressure to the lower back. Sometimes a sudden twisting movement or even a sneeze will force some of the nucleus (the material inside the disc) out through the disc's outer layer (annulus or capsule).

Activities that are done over and over again that may stress the lower back, including poor lifting habits, prolonged exposure to vibration, or sports-related injuries.

Here's my take...If the bones lose their normal alignment, it puts abnormal stresses on the spinal disc and they can wear out prematurely. Just like when your car is out of alignment and the tires wear unevenly. If this abnormal wear and tear occurs over an extended period of time, the outer containment wall of the disc (annulus fibrosis) will weaken and give way to the jelly like center of the disc (nucleus pulposus), which can put pressure on the spinal cord and nerves causing pain and dysfunction.

Disc herniations are usually confirmed by cervical or lumbar MRI. Your doctor can perform x-rays and orthopedic tests first if she thinks you may have a disc herniation...but an MRI is necessary to confirm the diagnosis.

Once we know you have a herniated disc...it just depends on the severity of your condition, as far as what to do next. It also depends on the type of doctor you are seeing, and really their personal preferences for disc treatment.

Personally, I always like to try a little chiropractic unless the patient is in very acute pain, or has a severely degenerated spine. Age and physical conditioning comes into play, as does health history.

If we think gentle chiropractic would be too much (or chiropractic has already failed) and the patient qualifies for spinal decompression...we consider the DRX9000 Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression System. Sometimes we do a combination of both...along with massage, ice, and muscle stim. Each case is different. When the pain settles down as well as the inflammation, we introduce exercises.

A medical doctor may want to give you pain pills, muscle relaxers, or anti-inflammatory medication. Or, she may want to prescribe physical therapy sessions or cortisone injections.

Acupuncture can help with pain also. Lots of choices...it can be very confusing. What I like about spinal decompression and chiropractic is...they address the cause, not just the symptoms.

In reality, its much more important to try to figure out what to do about a herniated disc than it is to try to figure out how it happened. Go to an expert...someone that treats herniated discs for a living...preferably without drugs or surgery (you can go this route if natural methods fail). 

If you get a good feeling about the recommendations...go for it. That's what I think :)

If you would like to find out if you are a candidate for care at our San Francisco Chiropractic & Spinal Decompression Center...please fill out our Free Online Consultation Form. We will get back to you in a jiffy.

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