Disc Therapy

The Benefits of Disc Therapy for Degenerative Disc Disease

Disc therapy is a type of therapy that is meant to decompress the spine and reduce the pressure on your spinal disc. This helps eliminate nerve compression. Thus, relieving discomfort, swelling, and other symptoms caused from your herniated disc.

In many scenarios, most people can get over cases of bulging discs with bed rest, an exercise program, or heat therapy. Sometimes, they will need more treatments, which is where doctors or alternative medicine enter the picture.

Or keep reading to learn what this type of therapy involves, risk factors, diagnosis, and other important information.

Call 208-991-2684 to learn more about our chiropractors and disc Therapy services.

What Is Disc Therapy?

Disc therapy is a surgical or non-surgical treatment for a herniated disc. You may also know this condition as a bulging disc, disc protrusion, or disc prolapse. Disc therapy aims to return flexibility to your body and relieve pain.

While disc therapy is considered medically safe, it may not be for all patients. We will cover more on this in a bit.

What Are the Benefits of Disc Therapy?

Benefits of receiving disc therapy include:

Resuming daily activities without having to worry about back pain
Pain relief
Improves your posture
Helps with recovery from your symptoms
No more numbness
Reduce weakness and strengthen core muscles
Potentially eliminates sciatica

Using chiropractic care for your body also comes with a number of benefits. For example, you could eliminate neck pain or lower back pain.

What Are the Possible Side Effects of Disc Therapy?

Disc therapy can seldom result in shooting pain down your legs and arms or muscle spasms. In extremely rare circumstances, chiropractic care for the neck can lead to a stroke.

You should not consider disc therapy if you fall under one of these categories:

Suffer from disc space infections
Have severe nerve damage
Metastatic cancer: this is cancer that has spread to the bones and can lead to complications
Pregnant women: disc therapy can potentially cause abdominal pressure
Had spinal surgery: therapy can negatively interact with metal plates or similar hardware
Severe spinal degeneration
Grade 3 or 4 Spondylolisthesis

If you have one of the above categories, you will have increased risks of side effects from disc therapy.

How Does Disc Therapy Work?

Most traditional treatment methods for herniated discs include a doctor prescribing pain medication (like ibuprofen), muscle relaxants, opioids, cortisone injections, an epidural injection, and other drugs. In extreme scenarios, you will need spine surgery.

If you do not have a severe case of a lumbar herniated disk, you can get alternative treatment through physical therapy, chiropractic care, and acupuncture.

A physiotherapist will certainly advise various workouts to aid you handle your signs and symptoms and also return toughness to your muscular tissues. Chiropractics physician will certainly make use of a collection of back adjustments to remedy your body, lower swelling, and also aid your body with self-healing. Acupuncture will certainly boost nerves and also enhance your body's all-natural medicines.

What Are the Different Chiropractic Techniques for Herniated Discs?

The following treatments that chiropractors may use for disc herniation include:

Manipulation Under Anesthesia

A chiropractor will perform manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) at a hospital. They will use light anesthesia to put you under for around 6 minutes. During this time, they will manipulate and stretch different parts of your body.

Pelvic Blocking Techniques

The specialist will place cushioned wedges under each side of your pelvis. They will use light adjustments to pull your disc away from the nerve root it presses against.

Flexion-distraction

The specialist will gently stretch your discs to relieve vertebrae pressure. This stretching will help isolate affected areas of your spinal column using a pumping motion. And when pulling your disc away from your nerve root, you will have less inflammation in your spine, buttocks, and leg.

What Can I Expect During Disc Therapy?Techniques for Herniated Discs?

During your first visit with a doctor or an orthopedic specialist, they will use the following imaging tests to rule out other potential conditions:

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): confirms your herniated disc's location
Myelogram: an injected dye shows the pressure on your nerves and spinal cord
X-ray: helps diagnose other problems like spinal alignment issues, broken bones, infections, and more
CT scan: combines a series of x-rays to create images of your spinal column

Also, during your test, you will likely have nerve tests such as electromyography (EMG) or nerve conduction studies. The former uses an inserted needle electrode to test your muscle's electrical activity. The latter tests electrical nerve impulses through your skin.

If the doctors diagnose a herniated disc, they might suggest patients perform various exercises, apply heat or ice, and other pain management techniques. Otherwise, they will likely give you medicine and discuss other treatment options. A chiropractor or other alternative medicine specialist will recommend exercises, applying cold or hot packs to your back, dietary or lifestyle changes, and different treatment methods.

How Do I Prepare for Disc Therapy?

You will need health information such as your family medical history to prepare for your first disc therapy session. Depending on the treatment for your condition that the chiropractor suggests, you may need to drink a lot of water.

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