Back Disc Pain

Back disc pain can be one of the most serious types of pain a person could suffer with related to the spine. Back disc conditions will not only result in pain – they will also cause a great deal of disability because of how the nerves of the spine become involved.

This article will cover some simple things you can do from home for relief from back disc pain, but before we get into these details, we need to first discuss how this condition causes pain so the home care instructions will make sense.

The discs of the back are basically cushions that separate each set of bones in the spine. They are very important, because they absorb shock when you move, which protects the bones from injury.

Each back disc is composed of two main parts – a strong outer covering called the annulus, and a soft jelly center called the nucleus.

If you take a closer look at the spine, you will notice that the nerves of the spine are located directly behind each spinal disc. This is very important to realize, because this is really the source of all the pain with these conditions.

Whether your problem is a bulging disc, or even degenerative disc disease (which is a form of arthritis in the spine), the actual cause of the pain is pressure on the nerves that occurs from the changes that are taking place within the affected disc.

In fact, the spinal discs are actually designed to not cause a person to feel pain. There are very few pain-sensing nerves going to each disc, which if you think about it, is actually a good thing. Because the discs are absorbing shock with movement, you would be in pain all day if your discs could cause you pain.

The nerves, on the other hand, are very sensitive to pain. If there is any pressure applied to a spinal nerve, they become easily aggravated and inflamed and can cause severe pain for a person.

Not only that, the nerves control everything in the body, so a back disc condition that results in pressure on a nerve will also result in a great deal of disability. Whatever the affected nerve controls will begin to malfunction, and can lead to some very serious problems.

So, with this in mind, let’s talk about the two most common conditions that can cause back disc pain. The most common condition that can occur is called a bulging disc. This condition is also commonly referred to as a herniated disc or a slipped disc.

In the case of a bulging disc, the outer layer of the disc is injured, and the jelly in the center of the disc will begin to shift into the weaker area of the disc. This creates a “bulge” in the disc wall, which is how the condition gets its name. The bulge in the disc wall will apply pressure to one of the nerves of the spine, which is why this condition can be so painful.

The second most common condition that can cause back disc pain is degenerative disc disease. With this condition, the jelly in the center of the disc becomes dehydrated (it loses water), and the disc begins to shrink. If the disc shrinks, the space between the bones becomes less, which also causes pressure on one of the spinal nerves.

So, what can you do to alleviate your back disc pain? Well, if the source of your pain is a bulging disc, one of the best things you can do for relief is to use ice over the injured disc.

Using ice will numb the aggravated nerve, and slow the inflammatory process so you will experience relief much more quickly. Never use heat with this condition, because that will aggravate the nerve even more, and dramatically slow the healing process.

When applying ice, place the ice over the injured area and leave it on for 15 minutes, or until you feel numbness – whichever comes first. Then, wait an hour, and repeat the ice treatment again.

You need to be consistent, and use the ice treatment multiple times during the day for the best results. It normally takes 3 or 4 ice treatments before you will notice any difference, but if you are consistent, most people will see a big difference in their pain level within 3 days.

If the cause of your back disc pain is degenerative disc disease, however, ice is one of the worst things you can do. Degenerative disc disease is a form of arthritis, so if you place ice over the affected area, it will just become more stiff and aggravated.

Now, this is a fine line, because using heat over this area can also cause more pain because of the aggravated nerve. So, here’s what I normally tell people to do in this case – use ice for one treatment and see how you feel.

It’s more likely that your pain is coming from the aggravated nerve, so you want to err on the side of ice being the better treatment option. However, if you notice any more pain or stiffness with the ice treatment, discontinue it immediately and try dry heat (which would be a heating pad).

Follow the same rules with heat (15 minutes on, 1 hour off, repeat numerous times during the day) for best results.

There are many more treatments that are very effective for these conditions, and if you would like to learn about all of your options, please click here for the full details.

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