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Herniated Thoracic Disc A herniated thoracic disc can be one of the most painful and frustrating conditions to live with. This article will discuss 3 simple tips you can use at home for relief.Before we go through the 3 home care steps I will be recommending for you, we need to discuss what a herniated thoracic disc is so the tips make sense. The discs of the spine are cushions that are found between each set of vertebrae (bones of the spine). They are a special type of ligament that is responsible for holding the bones of the spine together, but also acting as shock-absorbers so you don’t feel pain whenever you move. The way the discs are made is also special. They have a strong outer covering and a jelly center. The jelly in the center of the disc is really important, because this is where the disc stores oxygen and nutrition for proper healing. When a disc herniates, the strong outer covering tears, and the jelly begins to push through where the outer covering is weakest. This creates a bulge in the disc, which unfortunately usually occurs where the nerves of the spine are located. What’s interesting about the discs of the spine is that they are designed to not feel pain. This makes sense, if you think about it, because if they could feel pain sensations, you would hurt every time you move! So, if this is true, why is a herniated thoracic disc so painful? The pain from this condition is actually from the pressure on the nerve. The nerves of the spine are very sensitive, and even the slightest pressure applied to them can cause severe pain. Not only that, when a disc herniates and applies pressure to a nerve of the spine, the body goes through a process called inflammation, which causes even more pain. The body will rush blood to the area to try and heal the nerve, which causes additional swelling around the nerve, causing more pain. The pain, however, is really less important than the disability that can occur from a herniated thoracic disc. The nerves of the spine control everything in the body, so if a nerve is being pinched by a bulging disc, whatever the nerve controls will start to malfunction as well. The nerves located in the thoracic spine control a number of different parts of the body, including the immune system, heart, lungs, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, kidneys, and adrenal glands. Because of this, it’s very common for a person suffering with a herniated thoracic disc to experience symptoms such as pain in the middle back, pain traveling around the rib cage, chest pains, shortness of breath, indigestion and heartburn, frequent infections and illnesses, and lack of energy. So, now that we’ve discussed what a herniated thoracic disc is, and the most common symptoms associated with it, let’s discuss the causes of the condition, and then we’ll discuss 3 helpful tips that will provide relief. The most common cause of most disc conditions is trauma – whether it be a car accident, a fall, a sports injury, or any other type of force applied to the spine. This can cause the outer covering of the disc to tear, resulting in the disc herniation. There is also a genetic component to this condition. If you have a family history of spinal problems, you may be predisposed to developing a spinal disc condition. A herniated thoracic disc can also be caused by toxins building up in the body (whether from poor diet, or problems with the cleansing organs of the body such as the kidneys, liver, and spleen). These toxins can weaken the outer covering of the spinal discs, making them weaker. What can you do about this condition? Well, most doctors would treat this condition with medications, pain injections (such as cortisone or epidurals), physical therapy, and surgery (as a last resort). Unfortunately, the success rates of these treatments are not very good. There are alternatives (such as chiropractic and massage therapy), which can also be very effective, but the 3 tips I’m about to give you can be used at home, and should help with your pain levels. The first thing you can do from home for relief is to use ice. Remember when we were discussing earlier how the body will go through inflammation when there is pressure on the disc? Well, as the body is rushing blood to the aggravated nerve, the area will get very hot because blood is hot. Knowing this, does it really make sense to apply heat to the problem area? This is what most people do, and heat is truly the worst thing you can do if you are in pain. When using ice for relief, you must follow these rules. Use real ice rather than a substitute, and apply it directly to the skin over the painful area. Leave the ice on for 15 minutes, or until the area becomes numb, whichever comes first. Then, repeat the ice treatment every hour. Repeating the ice treatment will typically result in relief in about 3 days. The second tip I will recommend for you is to bounce on a therapy ball. A therapy ball is one of those large balls you see in health clubs or physical therapy clinics. Although this may sound somewhat silly, it will actually help quite a bit with providing relief for your herniated thoracic disc. Simply sit on the therapy ball and gently bounce up and down for about 5 minutes every day. This pumps the discs of the spine, and pumps in new oxygen and nutrition into the jelly of the discs for faster healing. This works for every disc of the spine, no matter where it is located. The 3rd and final tip I’ll give you is to use a pain-relieving gel called Biofreeze. You can find Biofreeze online, and in most chiropractic clinics, but you simply want to apply it over the painful area. This gel will provide relief for 4 – 6 hours. If you would like to learn more about what you can do for herniated thoracic disc pain, please click here. Did you find this article helpful? Here are some other related articles and resources you may also find useful:
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