Slipped Back Disc - Recommendations From A Doctor For Relief From Back Disc Pain

back disc conditions are some of the most common problems that can occur in the back. Unfortunately, the pain from these conditions is often very difficult to alleviate for the long term.

This article will discuss what a pertruding back disc is, as well as some simple things you can do from home for relief. But before we discuss these important details, we need to first discuss what a normal back disc is so the recommendations make sense.

The spinal discs are basically shock-absorbers that are located between each set of vertebrae in the back. They cushion your movements, so the spinal bones do not get injured, or begin to rub against each other when you move.

Each back disc is composed of a strong outer covering called the annulus, and a soft jelly center called the nucleus. The nucleus is very important because this is where each spinal disc will store oxygen and nutrients for healing. This point may seem like a minor detail on the surface, but this will become important when we discuss the home care instructions I will be sharing with you.

The most common back disc problem that can occur is a pertruding back disc. This develops when the annulus of the disc tears, and the nucleus of the disc begins to shift into the area where the disc is damaged. This creates a “bulge” in the disc, which is where the problem gets its name.

When the disc bulges, it can apply pressure to the spinal nerves, which is why this problem causes so much pain. Even more important, though, is that this problem will also cause a great deal of disability because of the pressure on the nerves.

The spinal nerves control everything in the body, so if there is pressure on a nerve, whatever that nerve controls will develop issues. This is why the pain from a back disc problem will often travel to other parts of the body besides the back.

So, what can you do to experience relief from back disc pain? Well, it’s important to realize that most treatments your physician recommends will focus on numbing the affected nerve, which may sound like a good thing on the surface, but if you never heal the disc completely, the relief you experience will be short-lived.

Not only that, the success rate of traditional treatments are very low, and after working with thousands of patients with back disc conditions, I can tell you from experience that they are ineffective more often than not.

I’ll be giving you three tips in this article, which can be done from the comfort of your home and are designed to not only provide relief from the affected nerve, but also to begin healing the back disc problem so the pain doesn’t come back.

My first tip is a simple one, but it is also the one that most people do wrong, dramatically slowing their healing. The tip is that you use ice over the injured back disc.

Ice provides many benefits, but the main point of using ice is to numb the aggravated nerve, which provides faster relief. It will also slow the inflammatory process and reduce swelling around the nerve and disc.

Using heat with this problem is one of the worst things you could possibly do, because heat will increase the swelling around the nerve, and it will take much longer for the pain to be relieved. The only exception to this rule is if you have severe arthritis in the affected area. In this case, dry heat (a heating pad) is a better option than ice, but this is the only time heat will be better than ice, because ice will cause the arthritic joints to stiffen and swell, causing you more pain.

When you utilize ice, it’s important that you follow these tips. Apply the ice for 15 minutes every hour for the fastest relief. It usually takes 4 – 6 applications before you will experience any relief, but if you are consistent with this for about 3 days, the pain level should be reduced significantly.

Make sure that you place the ice over the injured back disc, not just the area where you feel pain (remember, the pain can travel, so don’t be misguided by this – you need to treat the source of the problem).

The second tip I will recommend for you is to use a pain-relieving gel called Biofreeze. This can be easily located online or in most chiropractic offices, and it will usually provide relief for 4 hours or so. Simply apply the biofreeze over the affected disc, as well as the painful areas.

Although this article is too brief to give you everything you need to know about healing your back disc problem, my final tip is a simple exercise using a therapy ball (which is one of those large balls you can find in health clubs or physical therapy clinics).

Simply sit on the ball and gently bounce up and down for 5 minutes every day. I realize that sounds strange, but remember when we discussed earlier how the nucleus in the disc stores oxygen and nutrients for healing? Well, the only way to bring fresh oxygen and nutrients into the disc for faster healing is to physically pump the disc.

This activity will do this for every disc in the spine, so it doesn’t matter where the problem is – it will help the entire spine.

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

Did you find this article helpful? Here are some other related articles and resources you may also find useful:

• Here is a list of the best resources I've found for Bulging Disc / Herniated Disc relief
• Back Disc - Learn How To Alleviate Your Back Disc Pain
• Back Disc - Learn How To Relieve Your Back Disc Pain
• Slipped Back Disc - Simple Tips For Back Disc Relief
• More Slipped Disc Resources