A herniated disc or “slipped disc” occurs when the discs within your spine wear down with age and use.
Without these discs working correctly to absorb shock, you can experience a lot of pain in your spine.
While most people are not at risk of suffering from a herniated disc, it is not uncommon in young to middle-aged adults who overwork their bodies.
Despite the pain this condition can cause, there are options for relief through chiropractic care!
What is a Herniated Disc?
Between almost all your spinal vertebrae lies an intervertebral disc. These discs act as cushions to help absorb and distribute shock. Without them, your spine cannot function. However, as with almost every body part, the discs show signs of wear and tear with age.
While “slipped disc” has become a popular term for bulging, ruptured, or herniated discs, intervertebral discs do not actually “slip.”
The annulus fibrosus (the tough outer layer) and the nucleus pulposus (the soft, gelatin-like center) make up your discs. When cracks occur in the disc’s outer layer, the gelatin-like material found inside begins to ooze out. This process puts excess pressure on the spinal cord or spinal nerves and causes severe pain. Thus, not the entirety of the disc slips, but only the tiny area of the crack is dislodged from its proper place.
Disc herniation usually happens in the following regions:
- Lumbar disc herniation: lower back
- Thoracic disc herniation: mid to upper back
- Cervical disc herniation: neck
Disc herniation lumbar and cervical are the most common. The discs can protrude in any direction, including toward the spinal cord.
Am I Suffering from a Herniated or Bulging Disc?
Eventually, discs deteriorate, resulting in either a bulging or herniation. As time passes, discs dehydrate, and their cartilage stiffens, causing the disc’s outer layer to bulge out.
A bulging disc does not always affect the entire perimeter of a disc. However, at least a quarter or half of the disc’s circumference is generally affected. Only the outer layer of tough cartilage is affected when it comes to a bulging disc.
On the other hand, a herniated disc occurs when a crack in the tough outer layer of cartilage allows some softer inner cartilage to protrude out of the disc. Also called a ruptured disc or slipped disc, a herniated disc is not caused by an entire disc rupturing or slipping.
How do you know if you are suffering from a bulging or herniated disc? The best way to tell is by the pain level you are experiencing. As a herniated disc generally protrudes farther and irritates the nerve roots, its symptoms are more painful than a bulging disc. The irritation of a herniated disc is caused by the nerve’s compression or the nerve root’s painful inflammation.
If you have a lumbar disc herniation, the pain in your legs may be worse than the discomfort in your back. The symptoms often affect only one side of the body and worsen when you move or hunch forward.
Other symptoms that point towards a lumbar disc herniation diagnosis include:
- Sciatica pain, which can radiate down your buttocks, hamstring, and calf
- Numbness or tingling in the legs
- Weakness in the leg, foot, or toes
- Difficulty lifting the foot when walking
- Incontinence issues
- Dull, aching, stiff lower back
If the disc herniation is cervical, your symptoms may fall in the following range:
- Pain on the back or side of the neck
- Pain that radiates through the shoulder, arm, wrist, or fingers
- Stiff neck
- Reduced mobility in the neck and shoulders
What are the Different Disc Herniation Stages?
If you have a back pain condition, the symptoms will likely start small and gradually increase until you feel excessive back pain. There are four main stages of disc degeneration:
- Degeneration
- Prolapse
- Extrusion
- Sequestration
The first stage, degeneration, occurs when the disc loses its elasticity and becomes brittle with age.
Stage two, prolapse, occurs when tiny tears form in the outer fibrous ring of an intervertebral disc. These tears allow the gel-like central portion to bulge along with the tough, fibrous outer layer.
Extrusion, stage three, is when part of the nucleus breaks through the tough outer layer but remains within the disc. Also known as a non-contained or transligamentous herniation, an acute lumbar disc herniation is followed by sequestration.
In stage four, disc sequestration, the gel-like material breaks through the tough outer layer and leaks into the spinal canal, causing a free fragment. After all four stages are complete, you will feel full-fledged disc herniation symptoms and require chiropractic treatment.
How Does Chiropractic Care Address Disc Herniation?
Your Chiropractor Will Conduct an Initial Assessment
Before your treatment plan begins, your chiropractor will conduct an initial assessment.
During this initial consultation, your chiropractor will examine your medical history, conduct a physical exam, and perform orthopedic and neurological tests.
Even if you are only experiencing low back pain, your chiropractor will also examine your neck and other portions of the spinal column to evaluate the overall health of your spine.
Similarly, if you are experiencing neck pain, your lower back will also be evaluated.
Chiropractic Techniques for Herniated Discs
Chiropractors have several techniques to treat and relieve pain caused by herniated discs. While there are options for surgical chiropractic care, you can also receive nonsurgical treatments to ease back pain.
Flexion-Distraction Technique
The flexion-distraction technique reduces herniated disc symptoms and relieves back pain by reducing the pressure on your discs.
Your chiropractor will use a specialized table to gently stretch the spine to conduct a flexion distraction. They will isolate the affected area while slightly flexing the spine with a pumping rhythm. This treatment option is almost painless and allows the center of the intervertebral disc to assume its central position in the disc without excess pressure.
For the flexion distraction to be successful, you must undergo a series of chiropractic care treatments alongside adjunctive ultrasound, muscle stimulation, physiotherapy, supplementation, and at-home treatments. Your chiropractor will monitor your progress throughout the entire process.
Spinal Manipulation
Often used for spinal conditions and disc problems, spinal manipulations are a type of chiropractic adjustment conducted under anesthesia. Luckily, the anesthesia puts the patient to sleep for about six minutes, allowing your chiropractor to stretch and manipulate the area while the body is completely relaxed. Unlike the flexion-distraction technique, a spinal manipulation treatment plan requires only one to three sessions.
Pelvic Blocking Treatments
Herniated disc symptoms can also be treated through pelvic blocking techniques. Cushioned wedges placed under each side of the pelvis allow gentle exercises to draw your disc away from the nerve it may be pressing on, easing spinal pain.
Additional Treatment Options
Chiropractors suggest supplementing the above treatment options with additional techniques to find relief. Such additional options include:
- 3D active traction
- Laser therapy
- Massage therapy
- Ultrasound-guided injections
These more conservative chiropractic treatment options target your herniated disc at its root cause and help manage its other symptoms.
Dr. Doerr is the Best Chiropractor in New Jersey for Treating Disc Herniation!
At Bergen Chiropractic and Sports Rehabilitation Center, our chiropractic team, under the leadership of Dr. Gregory Doerr, adheres to the highest and most professional medical standards to provide superior chiropractic help for post-concussion syndrome patients. Our mission is to provide unparalleled patient care in a comfortable, healing atmosphere.
Access our contact form or call us at (201) 945-4075 to learn more about our chiropractic care services! Our offices at 532 Anderson Avenue, Cliffside Park, NJ 07010, and 62 Summit Ave, Hackensack, NJ 07601, are ready to welcome you as we proudly serve the areas of New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, PA, and Baltimore, MD. Also, access our blog, Facebook, and Instagram pages for more information on concussion treatment!
References
- Chiropractic Treatment for a Herniated Disc – Healthcentral, www.healthcentral.com/condition/herniated-disc/chiropractic-care-back-pain-non-invasive-treatment-bulging-ruptured-or. Accessed 10 Aug. 2022.
- “Disc Herniations.” Virginia Spine Institute, www.spinemd.com/what-we-treat/neck/disc-herniations. Accessed 10 Aug. 2022.
