Disc herniations can bring about back pain and
leg pain for some. Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn welcomes those disc herniation pain patients. Gentle, relieving treatment
without surgery is what we provide. Ashburn back
pain patients find relief when they find us!
DISC HERNIATION: Size, Weight, Sleep
What matters when a disc causes back
pain? Its size? Its weight? Its effect on quality of life? Spinal researchers have
produced data and documented that how the
painful disc appears on imaging does
not really matter. The shape and size of an intervertebral
spinal disc’s bulging nucleus pulposus has no link to
a what a patient’s symptoms may be
or how a patient feels. (1) The weight of a disc fragment did not relate to the duration of symptoms or severity
of pre- or post-operative leg pain nor post-operative leg pain or back pain improvement,
the percent of spinal
canal occupation, herniation classification, or vertebral level. The size
of the lumbar disc herniation didn’t have much effect on clinical
outcomes. (2) Chronic lower back pain and sciatica due to lumbar disc
herniation adversely impacted sleep quality. Treatment positively impacted
patient perception of pain in visual analog scale (VAS) scores and the PSQI Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index scores. (3) Relieving
chiropractic treatment of a pain-producing disc involves
decreasing the risk of recurrent back pain episodes as well as decreasing
the pain of the current episode.
MANAGING BACK PAIN AND RISK OF ITS RECURRENCE
Once you have felt back pain related to a
disc herniation,
you do not want to have it back! Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn gets
that and shares that managing - as conservatively as
possible - the disc herniation is more accurate than curing it.
6.05% of lumbar discectomy surgery patients experienced a re-current disc
herniation. What brought that on? On their own, factors
like age, BMI, current smoking status, heavy lifting, degenerative facet joint
disease, operation time, and the time it took to ambulate
after surgery affected the risk of recurrent disc herniation.
Combined, older age, male sex, high body mass index (BMI), and early ambulation
were significant factors in the experience of a recurrent
lumbar disc herniation. Controlling weight, not lifting heavy
items, and exercising were suggested risk reducers. (4) One new
study reported that the amount of sedentary time probably did not increase
the chance of a new bout of low back pain
as much as the amount and type of physical activity. (5) Pain relief happens
more as a roller coaster than a straight hill to pain relief. A
disc herniation is like a bruise on an apple rendering the apple (and
by comparison, the spine) never quite the same again. That’s
where Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn comes in with a treatment plan that makes sure
you understand the disc herniation, how
to feed it nutritionally, how to exercise to return
it to strength and keep it strong, and how to do activities
of daily living to avert (re)injury. A recent
systematic review of approaches to managing back pain listed 10 approaches:
manipulation/mobilization, psychological/behavioral, advice to stay active/bed
rest, reassurance, antidepressants, NSAIDS, opioids, muscle relaxants, and
paracetamol. (6) Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn promotes walking, moving,
careful lifting, and especially being treated with gentle, safe, effective Cox®
Technic spinal manipulation!
CONTACT Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Robert Patterson on The Back Doctors Podcast with
Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates the realistic expectations
back pain patients can have with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal
Pain Management.
Make your Ashburn chiropractic
appointment soon. Disc herniation sufferers are invited
to our practice for relief and a plan for controlling its future impact
on life.