Herniated Disc and What Chiropractic Can Do

What do you think of when you hear Herniated Disc Chiropractic?  Hopefully, you think of a neural insult to the body and that Chiropractic is one of the best ways to treat it.  If patients report of back pain, leg pain, or muscle weakness their very likely to suffer from a disc herniation.  The cushion-like disc is pushed outside of its normal parameters, between the spinal vertebras.  The disc puts pressure on the spinal nerves ,and this is what causes the patient symptoms.  Disc herniations are much more common in the middle-aged population and the chances of getting one decreases with age. This is due to the disc losing its elasticity, it begins to dry out.  Trauma or repetitive stress can cause herniated discs and this cause the nerves to become impinged.  People that suffer from a herniated disk are likely to suffer from a join-condition known as spinal stenosis, or narrowing of the spinal canal.  This means there is less room for the spinal nerves in the canal and irritation occurs.  Disc herniations can cause a slew of musculo-skeletal insults as well as neurological.  The muscles of the low back/pelvis like Quadratus Lumborum, the parapinals, and Piriformis are all affected in disc herniations.  A general rule is pain below the knee equals radiculopathy, affecting L4, L5, S1 nerve roots.  This can cause weakness on the inner and outer thigh, knee, and ankle, as well as the top of the foot.  If pain doesn’t go past the knee into the lower leg, a facet syndrome is more likely the cause because both cause pain with extension.  Specialized orthopedic tests, such as the antalgia sign will help determine not only if it’s a disc herniation but where the lesion is; whether it’s a medial or lateral disc herniation.

Chiropractic can help through adjustments, especially a technique known as the flexion/distraction technique.   According to spineuniverse.com, “theoretically, the tractioning or distraction of the disc combined with isolation and gentle pumping of the involved area allows the central area of the disc, the nucleus pulposus, to assume its central position in the disc. Flexion-distraction is thought to improve disc height.”  This takes pressure off the nerves and decreases pain.  It’s important for the chiropractic recommend at-home exercises to strengthen the weak muscles and stretch the taut ones to assist in further improvement of care.