Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn Treats Disc Herniation Pain
Disc herniations can bring about back pain and leg pain for some. Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn welcomes those back pain sufferers due to a disc herniation. Gentle, relieving treatment without surgery is what we deliver. Ashburn and Herndon back pain patients are relieved when they find us!
DISC HERNIATION: Size, Weight, Sleep
What matters when a disc produces back pain? Its size? Its weight? Its effect on quality of life? Spinal researchers have generated data and described that what the pain-producing disc looks like on imaging does not really matter. The size and shape of an intervertebral spinal disc’s protruded nucleus pulposus has no tie to a what a patient’s symptoms may be or how a patient feels. (1) The weight of a disc fragment did not correlate with 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 space the disc occupied in the spinal canal, herniation classification, or vertebral level. The size of the lumbar disc herniation did not have much effect on patient outcomes. (2) Chronic lower back pain and sciatica due to lumbar disc herniation adversely affected sleep quality. Treatment improved patient perception of pain in visual analog scale (VAS) scores as well as in the PSQI Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index scores. (3) Pain lessening chiropractic treatment of a pain-producing disc involves reducing 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’ve felt back pain related to a disc herniation, you do not want it again! Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn gets that and wants you to know that managing - as conservatively as possible - the disc herniation is more accurate than curing it. 6.05% of lumbar discectomy surgery patients had a re-current disc herniation. What prompted this? On their own, factors like age, BMI, current smoking status, heavy lifting, degenerative facet joint disease, operation time, and the ambulation time after surgery influenced 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. Managing 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 no pain. A disc herniation is like a bruise on an apple making the apple (and by comparison, the spine) never quite the same again. That is where Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn comes in with a treatment plan that ensures you understand the disc herniation, how to nutritionally take care of it, how to get it back to being strong with exercise and keeping it that way, and how to perform activities of daily living to avert (re)injury. A newer systematic review of approaches to managing back pain revealed 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 encourages 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 describes the realistic expectations back pain patients can have with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
Schedule your Ashburn and Herndon chiropractic appointment soon. Disc herniation sufferers are invited to our practice for relief and a plan for controlling its future effect on life.
