Conservative Treatment Therapies for a Herniated Disc in Roswell

Slipped disc can be an irritating and painful condition that affects your ability to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. Can you imagine bending down to pick up your car keys or getting dressed in the morning for work becoming excruciating pain? When such is happening, you will experience numbness, muscle weakness, and pain in the shoulder, back, hip, and neck. Roswell herniated disc is treated with conservative therapies to alleviate the pain, restore mobility and function without the fear of surgery.

A herniated disc can be caused by aging, overweight, smoking, genetics, occupation, spinal injuries, repetitive strenuous activities, and degenerative disc disease. However, the following non-surgical treatment options are highly effective in relieving slipped disc pain.

Modification of Activities

The bulging disc is most painful when it first develops. A team of experts at Apex Spine and Neurosurgery advice on resting and the following modified activities to alleviate the pain:

  • Refraining from strenuous activities such as physical labor and sports activities.
  • Modifying sleep positions by changing pillows or sleeping on your back.

Medications

Since the worst pain of the herniated disc is caused by nerve, root, and tissue inflammations, the following medication is prescribed to be used in the short term during bad-flare ups to relieve pain:

  • Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen alleviate pain and the inflammatory effects.
  • Paracetamol is used as a painkiller for NSAIDs alternative.
  • Muscle relaxant for muscle relaxation.
  • Anticonvulsants to treat nerve pain.

Physical Therapy

Strengthening and stretching exercises help you to become resistant to more pain. The exercises are as follows:

  • Chiropractic care involves spinal manipulation to gently stretch the spine while taking pressure off the nerve and increasing motion.
  • Chin tuck exercises help the head and neck maintain a proper posture.
  • Traditional Asian medicine such as acupuncture, reiki, and moxibustion help to relieve pain.
  • Stretching exercises to keep your muscles relaxed.
  • Aerobic exercises such as walking, swimming, and stationary bicycle riding help to alleviate the pain.
  • Staying active slows down aging symptoms such as bone loss, inflammation, and injuries.
  • Eat nutrient-dense foods such as green leafy vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats to reduce inflammation.

Manual Therapy

Involves the following special techniques to relax the tense muscle and locked joints:

  • Massage to relax muscles and ease tension.
  • Heating and cooling techniques using hot packs, heating patches, hot baths, ice packs, and going for a sauna help relax tense muscles.
  • Ultrasound therapy involves treating the lower back with sound waves to generate heat and relax the body tissues.
  • Electric muscle stimulation involves the use of electric waves to stimulate the tense muscles.

Therapeutic Injections

The main goal for injection is to deliver medicine directly at the point of pain without damaging any critical structures within the spine, such as the nerve root, spinal cord, and blood vessels. The types of injections are:

  • Epidural steroid injection whereby a steroid solution is injected in the epidural space to reduce inflammations.
  • Selective nerve root injection to alleviate nerve root pain.
  • Facet joint injection into the lumbar spine to reduce inflammations and relieve pain.

Talk to Your Herniated Disc Specialist Today

Slipped discs can heal on their own, but they can cause debilitating pain that calls for comprehensive medical attention when they become chronic. Book an appointment with a team of experts at Apex Spine and Neurosurgery to get your health back to enjoy your daily living activities. 

 

 

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