Herniated Discs – What They Are And What You Can Do For Relief From Herniated Discs

herniated discs are one of the most significant problems an individual could suffer with related to the spine. In fact, this problem can result in intense pain as well as disability. This article will discuss what bulging vertebral discs are, what causes them, the most common symptoms associated with them, as well as the most effective treatment of bulging discs.

In order for us to understand what bulging vertebral discs are, however, we must first discuss what a normal disc of the spine is. The spinal discs are cushions that separate each set of vertebrae in the spine. Each disc is composed of a strong outer covering called the annulus, as well as a soft jelly center called the nucleus.

When a person has bulging vertebral discs, the outer covering tears for one reason or another (which we’ll discuss in just a moment), and the jelly begins to shift away from the center toward the damaged part of the disc. This causes a “bulge” in the wall of the disc, which is why the condition is referred to as a bulging disc.

The cause of this can vary, but most often this problem is caused by a traumatic event (such as a car accident, a fall, or picking up something heavy). It may also be caused by a hereditary weakness in the wall of the disc, as well as toxins building up in the body. Toxins, believe it or not, will weaken the walls of the spinal discs, predisposing you to developing bulging vertebral discs.

These toxins usually build up in the body because of poor dietary choices, not drinking enough water, smoking, drinking excessive alcohol, etc. All of these things make a big difference in the health of the discs of your spine.

One thing you may find interesting about the spinal discs is that they are designed to not feel pain sensations. Now, this may sound strange at first, because this condition can result in quite a bit of pain. However, if you think about it, it makes sense – the main purpose of the spinal discs is to absorb shock, and if you were able to feel this, you would be in pain all the time!

So, if this is true, why is this problem so painful? Well, the spinal nerves are located directly behind the spinal discs, so if you develop bulging vertebral discs, the bulge will tend to apply pressure to these nerves, which can be very painful.

Not only that, disability is often associated with bulging vertebral discs as well, simply because the nerves of the spine control everything in the body. If there is pressure on these nerves, they will stop working properly, and other symptoms will be the end result.

For example, bulging vertebral discs in the cervical spine (neck) will not only result in neck pain, but you may also experience headaches, shoulder, arm and hand pain, numbness or weakness, chest pain, thyroid problems (which could lead to weight problems), as well as ringing in the ears and blurred vision.

You may not have thought that these symptoms could be caused by a problem in the neck, but this is very common because these body parts are controlled by the nerves in the neck.

In the thoracic area (upper back, between the shoulder blades), bulging vertebral discs can lead to upper back pain, pain radiating around the rib cage, chest pain, heart palpitations (feeling like your heart is beating very strongly and quickly in your chest), difficulty breathing, and headaches.

And finally, bulging vertebral discs in the lumbar region of the spine (the low back) can lead to low back pain, pain traveling down the leg (this may also be experienced as a burning sensation or numbness), pain in the feet, bowel and bladder problems (constipation, diarrhea, problems controlling your bladder), as well as sexual organ dysfunction.

So, the question is, how do you deal with this condition? Unfortunately, the traditional treatments for herniated discs are usually not very effective for this problem.

Most doctors will prescribe medications (such as pain relievers and muscle relaxers), pain injections (such as cortisone or epidurals), physical therapy, and surgery (typically as a last resort, because the success rate of surgery for the spine is very low).

The reason these treatments are not very effective is because they are all designed for one thing – their purpose is to numb the aggravated nerve and reduce the inflammation in the area (which is also primarily affecting the nerve).

While this goal sounds good since the source of the symptoms is the aggravated nerve, any relief you experience from these treatments is usually temporary because they do not heal the source of the pain, which is the damaged disc.

The problem with bulging vertebral discs is that the spinal discs do not receive very good blood flow. Blood is responsible for carrying oxygen and nutrients to damaged tissues for faster healing, and because the discs do not receive this blood supply, they tend to be very stubborn when it comes to healing.

What are your options, then? There are alternative treatments that are usually more effective at getting to the source of the problem, and actually helping the disc to heal which leads to longer-term relief.

For example, chiropractic is usually very helpful, as well as massage therapy, acupuncture, axial decompression therapy, and cold laser therapy.

However, after helping thousands of patients with this condition over the last 8 years, I can tell you from experience that it usually requires a specific combination of these treatments in order to achieve the best results.

If you would like to learn more about the most effective treatments for bulging vertebral discs, as well as the combination of those treatments that I recommend for the best results, you can click here (healing herniated discs) to get all the details.

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