What is a Herniated Disc?
The term “herniated disc” has been called many things from a slipped disc to a bulging disc. For a doctor who specializes in disc problems, the term is critical because it tells him/her how to create a prognosis and subsequent treatment plan for a patient. To clarify the disc issue, a herniated disc is where a disc tears and the internal material of the disc, called the nucleus pulposis, extends through that tear. It always results from trauma or an accident. A bulging disc is a degenerative “wear and tear” phenomenon where the internal material or nucleus pulposis does not extend through the disc because there has been no tear, but the walls of the disc have been thinned from degeneration and the internal disc material creates pressure with thinned external walls. The disc itself “spreads out” or bulges.
The symptoms will present as pain that runs from the medial part of your body outward or down a limb. This pain can be burning or shooting and it can be severe. It can also be numbness or tingling radiating down a limb.
How can Chiropractic care help?
There are different techniques that a chiropractor can employ to rehabilitate the damaged disc. Gentle and controlled tractioning of the spine is one of the most utilized. Think of it as pulling a peanut butter and jelly sandwich apart and watching the jelly retreat back to the center of the sandwich.
