Herniated Disc Treatment

Herniated disc treatment can be somewhat discouraging, because most of the treatments available through traditional medical methods only provide temporary relief, if that. This article will discuss the most common treatments available for a herniated disc, as well as 3 simple things you can do from home for relief.

But before we get into that, we need to discuss what a spinal disc is, as well as what a herniated disc is, so you understand why the recommendations I will make in this article will provide relief.

The discs of the spine are cushions that are located between each set of bones in the back. Their main function is to absorb shock, which protects the bones from too much force, which could cause quite a bit of pain.

Each spinal disc is composed of two main parts – a strong outer covering called the annulus, and a soft jelly center called the nucleus. The jelly in the center is really important, because this is where the disc stores oxygen and nutrition in order for the disc to stay healthy, and heal if a problem ever develops.

One of the things that complicates any disc condition is the fact that the spinal discs do not receive a very good blood supply. Normally, the body uses blood to transport oxygen and nutrients to injuries, so they can heal more quickly. One of the tips I give you later in this article will help bring new oxygen and nutrients to the jelly of the disc for faster healing.

In the case of a herniated disc, the outer covering tears, and the jelly in the center begins to shift into the area of the injury. This causes the disc to bulge against the nerves of the spine, which causes quite a bit of pain. In addition to this, because the nerves are affected, this condition can also cause quite a bit of disability, simply because the nerves of the spine control everything in the body.

In fact, one of the things you may not know about a spinal disc is that they can not feel pain, which sounds strange at first, but if you think about it, it makes sense considering the fact that they’re absorbing shock all day.

So, it’s important to realize that all of the pain is actually coming from the pressure on the nerve. This is truly the reason that most herniated disc treatments are not effective for the long term – they are all primarily designed to address the painful nerve, which sounds good on the surface, but they do not really get to the cause of the problem, which is the herniated disc.

For example, most doctors will begin by prescribing muscle relaxers and pain relieving medications, which are only effective about 30% of the time. The reason for this is because they numb the nerve, but don’t do anything for the disc herniation.

Physical therapy is also usually recommended, and although I’m a fan of physical therapy, with this condition, it often doesn’t provide a long term result. The same is true for pain injections (such as cortisone and epidurals), which usually provide relief about 50% of the time, but the pain inevitably returns.

Surgery has the lowest success rate of all (16% according to the medical journal Spine), which is why most doctors will try everything else before recommending surgery. Not only that, surgery is also temporary, and the pain usually returns within 5 years of having the surgery if you’re fortunate enough to experience relief to begin with.

This is why many have a difficult time finding a herniated disc treatment that will provide lasting relief. The good news is that there are actually a number of treatments that are effective, and truthfully, it often takes a combination of specific treatments to accomplish the end result you are looking for.

In this article, I’m going to give you 3 simple treatments that can be done from home, but realize this is only part of the solution – I’ll give you a helpful resource at the end of the article if you’d like to learn more. Each herniated disc treatment that I’m about to recommend needs to be followed as I outline for best results.

The first tip I’ll give you is to use ice. Most people want to use heat with this condition, which is really the worst thing you can do. Heat will aggravate the nerve more, and cause excessive swelling in the injured area, which also causes more pain.

Ice will numb the aggravated nerve, and slow the inflammatory process, which will provide faster relief. In order to see the fastest results with ice, you should use real ice rather than a substitute (such as frozen vegetables), and you should place the ice directly on the skin over the painful area.

Leave the ice on for 15 minutes maximum, or until you feel numbness, whichever comes first. Then, repeat the ice treatment every hour – it will take 3 to 4 treatments before you experience any relief, and it usually takes about 3 days to experience a noticeable difference in your pain level.

The next herniated disc treatment I will share with you is actually a simple exercise using a therapy ball. A therapy ball is one of those large balls you see in health clubs or physical therapy clinics. People often use them for abdominal exercises, however, the exercise I will recommend for you is actually very easy.

Simply sit on the ball and gently bounce up and down for 5 minutes each day. Remember how we were discussing earlier how the jelly in the disc is where the oxygen and nutrients are stored for healing? This exercise will pump every disc in the spine, which pumps new oxygen and nutrients into the disc for faster healing.

The final herniated disc treatment I will recommend today is another exercise using a mini-trampoline. You can find a small trampoline (usually about 4 feet wide) at most sports stores, and you simply want to stand in the center of the trampoline and march in place for 5 minutes a day.

Don’t jump with this exercise – marching will force the body to re-balance the muscles in the entire spine, which takes a lot of pressure off the injured disc. This exercise will go a long way for not only alleviating the pain, but also for healing the herniated disc.

If you would like to learn more about herniated disc treatment, including the combination of treatments I have found to be most effective for this condition, please click here.

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