Research has shown that 60% to 80% of people will experience low back pain at some point in their lives. One of the main causes is a herniated disc.
A spinal disc is a like a jelly donut, contain a softer center within a tougher exterior. A herniated disc occurs when some of the softer “jelly” is pushed out through a tear in the tough exterior. It can then irritate nearby nerves and result in pain, numbness or weakness in an arm or leg. However, there are many people out there that experience no symptoms from a herniated disc, the lucky ones…
It is always ideal for a patient with a disc bulge or herniated disc to know how to further protect their disc. Here is a chart showing how much pressure you put on your disc in each position:
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The dashed line marked “100” is when the “jelly” is getting absorb back into the disc container, while any position that crossed that dashed line meaning the “jelly” is getting squeezed out of the disc. It tells us that, no lifting, bending, and twisting of the body. If sitting on a chair, the best posture is to have it lean back a little instead of straight-up.
Conservative care is always to the first choice of treatment unless there are severe neurological deficits such as bowel or bladder incontinence. The goal is simply to provide pain relief while waiting for the disc to heal itself. Common conservative care includes:
Rest: When it first started, 1-2 days of bed rest will calm the severe back pain. However, it is important to not stay in one position for too long.
Anti-inflammatory medication and painkillers: Medicines like ibuprofen or naproxen may reduce pain by slowing down the inflammation process of the disc. Prescribed pain-killer can be one of the options as well if the patient is suffering severe pain from it.
Epidural steroid injection: There is moderate research shows that by injecting steroid into your back, it may reduce local inflammation, hence provide short-term pain relief. However, there is no research shown that it has any long-term effect or benefit.
Chiropractic and physical therapy: Strong research supports the use of chiropractic care when the patient has passed the acute phase. By restoring motion into your joints, you take off the imbalance that is loading on your disc, aiding the healing process. Core strengthening exercises should be given to the patient as well to provide more support to the spine and disc.
Our experienced, friendly and professional chiropractors can diagnose your pain and direct you down the right path of healng. Here at Lakeside Chiropractic we treat visitors for their pain and aid in their healing both in the practice and at home with a care plan. We are located in Joondalup 6027, - central to Currambine 6028, Kinross 6028, Burns Beach 6028, Wanneroo 6065, Edgewater 6027, Woodvale 6026, Heathridge 6027 and Beldon 6027.
On site we have HICAPS, this means we can process your payment to your selected Health Fund immediately. We are a Medibank preferred provider but are able to process other funds like - HBF, BUPA, HIF, CU Health, health.com.au, CBHS Health. If your Health Fund is not listed, please ask.
We are available Monday to Saturday, please call us on 9300 0095 or visit the link on the web site.
