Category Archives: herniated disc

Mystery of the Herniated Disc without Pain

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Lumbar vertebra.
Image via Wikipedia

A bulging disc is when the spongy material between vertebrae extends out.  It’s usually caused by too much pressure that’s been put on the spine causing excessive compression.  There are lots of nerves that run out from the disc, so when the disc bulges near one of the nerves, pain develops.  The pain isn’t necessarily in the back though.  The pain can run down the nerves and end up making your legs or even your arms hurt.

The fact is though, you can have a herniated disc and not have any pain. You can actually have a bulging disc that doesn’t affect a nerve and so there’s no pain.  The indications you have a back problem include other things like tingling and numbness in the legs.  So don’t think you have to have pain when you have a bulging or herniated disc.

The best treatment options

When it comes to treating a herniated disc, there are traditional
treatments such as ice/heat, ultrasound, electrical stimulation,
cortisone injections, anti-inflammatory medications and even surgery.
While these may deliver some relief, it will usually be temporary
if at all.

But the major problem with these traditional treatments is that they
can’t fix or heal a herniated disc as they do not address the actual
cause of the problem. For example, even if you were to have a surgery
and get some pain relief, the fact is the dysfunctions that caused
the disc to herniated in the first place are still there and if not
addressed, they will continue to place uneven pressure and strain on
the discs and sooner or later you will likely have another problem
with that disc, or others.

Without identifying and addressing the underlying cause of the problem,
which is the physical dysfunctions caused by imbalances in muscles,
you will likely continue to suffer with this condition and the
continuous flare ups for years.
Unfortunately, most doctors, chiropractors and physical therapists
don’t spend time or focus on identifying the physical dysfunctions that
are responsible for the condition so most people end up jumping from
one useless traditional treatment to the next and suffer for months or
years unnecessarily.

If you have been diagnosed with a herniated disc, or are wondering if
your back pain may be caused by a herniated disc, either way you must
identify and address the physical dysfunctions that are causing your
pain as part of your recovery.

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Exercise For Your Back Pain Now

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Back pain can keep you from doing the things you love as well as the things that you need to do. There are some exercises that you need to learn about to prevent back pain.

For the first two days after an acute injury your doctor may want you to have bed rest. Just after an injury, your may be having muscle spasms. This is your body telling you that you have an injury and that you should not move. During these two days, lying on a hard bed may relieve the spasms.

Once you have reached two days, it is time to get back out of bed and start moving. If you stay in bed too long, the muscles become weak and healing takes longer.

Getting back to a normal schedule makes recovery quicker for most people. Normal activities are better that remaining in bed or beginning a new exercise program for quick healing.

Once you have recovered completely from your injury, stay away from those activities that may be considered as high impact. In a few days you may want to increase your walking or start swimming. These activities that are considered low impact help to strengthen the back muscles. Stretching may also be used as it increased circulation, a key to healing. Warm showers are also useful in keeping muscles loose.

At some time between two and eight weeks, the back pain should be gone and you will be able to do more strenuous exercises. The doctor or therapist will help you to develop an exercise program to strengthen muscles without causing further injury.

Exercises need to target core muscles. Muscles in the buttocks, abdomen and back all support the spine. If these muscles are strengthened, then the back becomes stronger. This can take stress off the joints of the back and is an essential step to prevent recurring lower back pain.

Strengthen core muscles in order to prevent or reduce back pain. In fact, many people find that these steps will actually eliminate back pain altogether.

When muscles are not stretched regularly they shorten in length. Shortened muscles will cause misalignment of your spine which can cause pain and make you more likely to injure your back. Stretching exercises may help as the shortened muscles are lengthened. It is not just muscles in the back that may cause trouble, but also the buttocks, hamstrings and the quadriceps that may give you alignment problems. Stretching those muscles can give mobility to your spine.

If you do have a back injury, the doctor may give you a prescription for pain medication. Regular strengthening of core muscles will help to to prevent further injuries and pain.

Looking for a chiropractor westchester? Visit our site for more information and resources on sciatica, herniated disc and back pain relief westchester.

Can’t Sleep Because Of Your Back Pain?

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I have treated many patients who had suffered with insomnia because of their back pain. Have you been up most of night with back pain? Are you desperate for a good night’s sleep? Many patients I treat for back pain had not been able to sleep in the same bad with their spouse for years. Even though they had bought different mattresses, and some were very expensive. They said it would have been worth the money just to get to some sleep.

People who suffer with back pain tend to buy different beds – some very expensive beds. Some patients have tried putting boards under their mattresses, or they sleep on the floor. Many have slept on their couches or were sleeping propped up in their recliners. They try buying different pillows: soft or contour pillows for their necks and firm body-pillows for between their knees. It is sad because they will tell me they have not slept with their spouses in years, because they hurt too much to stay in the bed. These back pain sufferers report they have the “Goldilocks” syndrome, and they actually have tried sleeping in every bed in their house. Nothing helped them for any length of time.

Some back pain may resolve in a short time, and there can be temporary reasons for the pain. However, it can be a more serious problem, if the symptoms persist. Back pain and interrupted sleep can become a cycle, even though back sufferers try so hard to get some sleep. Many of my patients told me they had slept in every bed in the house, just like Goldilocks. Because they cannot sleep, they keep their spouses awake by tossing, turning and having the television on, or playing soothing music. While they are surfing late-night television, it is common that they watch infomercials and buy things such as inversion tables, aids for sleeping, diet, or exercise programs; all for the hope of pain relief and sleep.

There are temporary reasons for back pain. An example is a pregnant woman. Her back pain can be because of so much extra weight around her mid- section during the day. The same thing can happen from being overweight. Other reasons could be improper carrying to one side, anything from a heavy purse to a child riding on the hip, improper sitting, sitting while leaning and peering at a computer screen. The list goes on, because of our more sedentary lives.

If the pills do not help you, on the next visit when you see your doctor, he or she will probably tell you to go to a physical therapist. If you are still in pain, when you go back to your doctor again, then you may get to have X-rays or MRIs to figure the actual diagnosis and exactly what is wrong. If you are diagnosed with a herniated disc or degenerative disc disease, you may be referred to an orthopedic specialist or a neurologist. At that point, they could recommend having an injection (epidural) which may help short-term: two months, two weeks, two days, or not at all.

If your pain continues, surgery may be recommended. After surgery, some patients are very disappointed because they still have pain and some of the previous symptoms. I call this process a “medical pipeline”.

There may come a point, where your specialist recommends back surgery. Some surgeries are successful – while others are not, and without saying, these patients are extremely disappointed. If you need to continue to take pain medications long-term, then you will be under the care of a pain specialist. At this point, you would have a diagnosis of “failed surgery syndrome”.

Learn what others are doingfor sleeping with back pain#1. Stop by Dr. Richard E. Busch III’s site where you can find out all about how to avoid surgery for back pain#2 and why to say no to surgery.

MRSA In Our Hospitals, Communities And Homes

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Most of us have heard about MRSA, and many of us now know of someone who has contracted it: some of us even know of someone who has died. MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) is often noted as the “Super-Bug”. Actually, MRSA can be many strains of S. aureus bacteria (it is not a virus), and it is resistant to many antibiotics. There is a continued effort to develop more antibiotics, but it is difficult because of its evolving resistance to more and more drugs. MRSA is most likely to be contracted from hospitals (hospital-acquired infection). Some studies show a contamination rate as high as 64%. There have been random studies performed on common surfaces in hospitals, such as doors, walls in the hospital halls, and elevator buttons, and 80 %of the tested surfaces had evidence of MRSA. Many doctors and healthcare professionals are considering this a global plague – projecting over six million cases in 2010 – with a death rate of over 30 %. The major concern is the limited medical options for care and the sources of contamination that are outside of our hospitals.

MRSA cases identified in a healthcare setting are referred to as healthcare-associated MRSA (HA-MRSA). In the last 40 years, MRSA has become a significant problem in hospitals and other healthcare facilities, although it was found in 1945 with the advent of penicillin. In the early years, MRSA was treated with penicillin. Now is antibiotic resistant, which includes penicillin and many other antibiotics. Because many patients in hospitals and nursing homes are weakened from disease or surgery and have compromised immunity – they are very vulnerable.

It would seem to be natural, if MRSA is most likely to be spread by hand-to-hand contact, that it would imperative to have in place mandatory hand-washing procedures and other hygiene processes in hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Since hospitals and healthcare facilities have implemented computer technology, there is an additional risk of transmission increasing by the use of computer keyboards.

Additional strains of MRSA, identified as CA-MRSA (community-associated MRSA), have been identified since late 1990′s. CA-MRSA appears to have no relationship with healthcare settings and there were no at-risk patients that were sick, injured and immune compromised. CA-MRSA is very different from the healthcare-associated strain. MRSA can be carried by anyone, and it can be picked from objects such as keyboards and door knobs that are contaminated . Heaviest transmission seems to be from most concentrated in groups that are related to locker rooms, sports, gyms, military groups, prisoners, and other concentrated gatherings of people. According to a majority of research, MRSA occurs in our noses, and if it enters the body via injuries and open sores, then there is a possibility of fatal infections. You can avoid the likelihood of contamination by not sharing anything personal such razors and towels. Always use proper hand washing methods and bandage cuts, scrapes and abrasions.

Headaches, fatigue, fever, swelling, pain and heat around an incision, wound or injury are common symptoms of MRSA. Infections that are more severe are in the joints, bones, surgical incisions, heart, lungs and bloodstream. Many times a bump on the skin will be dismissed as a spider bite. If it doesn’t get better in 3-4 days and you have a fever and flu-like symptoms, this could be MRSA.

There is reporting of MRSA infecting horses, and these cases are on the increase. This is just one of several ways strains of MRSA are challenging the human and animal barrier. Studies have shown that MRSA can be passed from humans to horses and horses to humans. There is now a strain of MRSA (ST398) detected in pigs. Initially it was reported from the Netherland five years ago, and then, more recently, it was reported in Canada. Now it has been found in the US, although there is no clear proof that the infection can contaminate our foods or humans. If that should become a fact, that will further complicate the battle against MRSA. It is also been determined that our pets have a strain of MRSA, and again, there is no proof of this infecting people. In fact, it could be that humans are infecting their pets.

Most especially for those considering elective surgery for neck and back pain, consider all your options and research nonsurgical procedures. Surgery is not your only option. MRSA contamination is common in hospitals. Screening could be done for MRSA in hospitals, but many do not. If testing proved positive, then patients would have to be placed in isolation, and this would increase the patient’s length of stay and the load on the facility by over crowding and under staffing. It is possible then – this can lead to more contact with infected people – serious under staffing which can lead to less hand washing and hygiene.

See what a national expert has to say about nonsurgical back pain treatment. visit Dr. Richard E. Busch III’s site on how to avoid surgery for back pain and neck pain and avoid needless risk.

Herniated Disc’s As a Cause of Sciatica

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by Randall Pruitt, DC, DACNB, DAAPM, MUAC

A herniated disc is a very painful condition, sometimes the pain can be associated with only the back and other times you may get sciatica. This creates an even more debilitating condition.

First a herniated disc occurs when the central portion of the disc called the nucleus pulposis migrates outwards and breaks through the outer portion of the disc called the annulus fibrosis.

The disc has actually been shown to only be painful in it’s outer 1/3. So the migration of the central portion can go on for some time before pain is experienced.

Repetitive activities, incorrect sitting postures and trauma are usually to blame when it comes to herniated disc pain. These activities weaken the outer annulus allowing migration of the inner portion of the disc.

As the migration occurs and the outer fibers become contacted the pain sensitive nerves begin to become activated resulting in local back pain at first.

Usually a short period of relief may follow the initial beginnings of back pain related to a disc injury. As the activities responsible are modified the pain may lessen.

Once a bout of disc related pain begins however, the research shows it is almost always likely to come back without proper treatment. This is often dangerous for unsuspecting people who think they are out of the woods.

With the return of the pain there is also a corresponding increase the the area involved. This usually starts with a movement of the pain into the arm and leg depending on where the disc problem is.

If this migration of pain begins to move into your leg it is often referred to as sciatica. This is a term used to describe irritation of the sciatic nerve.

In many cases the sciatic nerve is compressed directly from the injured disc and other times it is simply chemically irritated by inflammation associated with the disc injury.

No matter what the underlying reason for the sciatica pain, the disc has to be treated properly. This means a functional treatment like spinal decompression.

Spinal decompression actually creates negative pressures in the disc to draw back the herniated material so the disc can actually heal.

This really is the best solution for sciatica caused by a herniated disc.

About the Author:
Randall Pruitt, DC, DACNB, DAAPM, MUAC is a chiropractic neurologist in Phoenix Arizona. His practice focuses on chronic back and neck pain. If you have a herniated disc you can learn more by going to www.arizonabackinstitute.com. They also have a lot of experience dealing with chronic sciatica. So if you are suffering from back or neck pain call the Arizona Back Institute today.