Diagnosis
The diagnosis for bulging and herniated discs can frequently be faulty because magnetic resonance imaging MRI scans as well as CT scans upon which doctors and surgeons rely can only show about 25% – 40% of the patient’s condition – and even then the results of such scans are not necessarily indicative of the real problem affecting the patient. Scans can assist but they cannot provide conclusive evidence of a particular condition.
A patient for example may not exhibit any symptoms that might be expected from the scan, and vice versa, so it is necessary to conduct a physical exam as well as take the history, pathology, and range of movement into consideration, which is beyond the field of study of most general practitioners and surgeons.
In cases of ‘torn’ muscles or ligaments, it is uncommon for soft tissue to be actually torn: it is more often simply compressed. If passive movement of the joints is impaired by even a tiny misalignment of a joint, the soft tissues and ligaments will go into spasms, which occur in the majority of cases. The patient might then feel that he has ‘torn’ a ligament, which is not actually the case.
The nerve roots from the spinal cord are 2/3mm thick, while the distance between the discs and the spinal nerves is 1.2/1.5 mm. The height of each disc in the lumbar region is 9mm, in the thoracic 6mm and in the cervical (neck) 3mm.
The spinal nerves can control muscular, motor, or sensory functions or a combination of these – and if affected by a misalignment of a joint or otherwise, the patient will develop a range of different symptoms and feel pain with tingling or numbness in different parts of the body such as an arm, hand, fingers or in the lower part of the body and experience leg pain.
Additionally, when a disc is herniated it can also obstruct the spinal canal and can potentially also impinge upon the spinal cord, and lead to severe problems such as loss of bladder or bowel control as well as tingling and numbness in the arms or legs as well as in the extremities.
Treatment
If an intervertebral disc is bulging or herniated (a prolapsed disc is when the outer rim starts to break down), it will be necessary to mobilise the joints above and below the disc to enable the nucleus pulposus (which is contained within the disc as a support) to return to its proper place.
To relieve pain, the treatment involves a painless physical therapy procedure called mobilisation which has to be conducted over a number of sessions because the nucleus pulposus cannot be forced back into the disc overnight – it has to be coaxed back gradually over a few weeks.
The larger the protrusion the more time it will take to return. The outer rim is affected in the majority of cases and following treatment, it will take up to three months to heal.
If not treated, then the outer disc will become scarred which makes the disc weaker. From the age of 60 the discs lose about 20% of their water content and their ability to recover from a hernia is lessened, but surgical treatments for this condition is unnecessary and always extremely dangerous at any age, because eventually the neighbouring joints are subjected to constant irregular pressure which can cause pain and stress fractures.
These joints are normally strong precisely because they are supported by surrounding ligaments and tissue, which include the spinal discs, and these should be left intact to serve their purpose as best they can.
A disk herniation or bulging disc can impinge and put pressure on other nerves such as the sciatic nerve, causing sciatica or severe pain in the leg, thigh, buttocks, hip, feet and toes. If upper sections of the back are affected then symptoms will appear in the arms, hands or fingers. The symptoms will determine exactly which disc is affected, and although the condition is very painful, surgery is rarely required to cure a herniated or bulging disc, and should not be performed.
For even better results, try using a spinal decompression device, such as the Backrack.
Backrack - The Non-Invasive Treatment for Herniated Discs
Benefits of spinal decompression therapy for disk bulging
A disk may become herniated due to reasons such as aging and loss of water content, but one major, yet overlooked cause is that of spinal compression. When this occurs, the spinal column becomes squashed, and everything in-between stands the risk of being compressed. That includes intervertebral disks and nerve roots.
Spinal decompression reverses the process of compression. It lengthens the spine and restores the space between each vertebra to allow sufficient space for nerves and disks to function normally.
This is achieved by performing various exercises as one lies on the Backrack. The motions that take place during simple exercises allow the nodules on the device to massage each portion of the spine, providing a wide-range, yet targeted pain relief for the person.
Once the spine is sufficiently decompressed and the disks are no longer under increased pressure, the herniation shall heal on its own, provided that no stress is placed upon the back throughout the healing period. When the herniation heals and it no longer presses against any nerve roots, the pain shall disappear as a result as well.
Please note: if your symptoms do not improve, or if they get more, or more symptoms start to appear, please seek medical advice.
Author: Spinal Backrack
