How Chiropractors Can Help With Disc Injuries

The discs in between your spinal vertebrae are important, delicate parts of your body. They allow you to move freely without pain. Whenever one of these discs becomes non-functional, either due to an injury or because it simply begins to wear out with age, it’s important to visit a chiropractor and get treatment as soon as possible.

Causes of Disk Injuries

There are numerous causes of disc injuries. The most common is related to the disc wearing out with age. Chiropractors call this process disc degeneration. In fact, as people age, it’s only natural that their spinal discs begin to get brittle and are thus more susceptible to rupturing even after something as simple as bending over or twisting the torso. In general, with age, the discs become much less flexible and prone to problems of all kinds.

However, there are many other risk factors that can lead to disc injuries, including the following:

Smoking: Some physicians will tell you that if you smoke, you cut off the supply of pure oxygen to your spinal discs. This inevitably can cause the disc to lose its softness and break down faster than usual. Don’t be surprised if your chiropractor advises you to stop smoking in order to improve your back health.
Your job: A common cause of disc problems are jobs in which you must twist your torso, bend repetitively, place your body in awkward positions, and constantly lift heavy loads. Construction workers often have disc issues and seek medical care in order to maintain the health of their backs.
Being overweight: It might not seem obvious, but if you are overweight, your lower back tends to bear the burden of the additional pounds. It’s rather common for people who are even slightly overweight to have issues with their discs. In addition to losing weight, they need to get care for their injured discs in order to bring their bodies back into alignment.
Your genetics: Studies have shown that a small percentage of people are at risk for disc problems due only to inherited traits. However, regular chiropractic care can alleviate even these kinds of disc problems.

How Chiropractors Can Help Relieve Back Pain

Chiropractors, by the nature of what they do, are back specialists. Not only can these physicians diagnose and treat many kinds of back injuries and problems, but they can also do so without surgery and without drugs of any kind.

Adults and children visit chiropractors for all sorts of reasons in addition to back pain. Specifically, of the 22 million chiropractic visits made by patients each year, the reasons include things like sports injuries, all kinds of accidents, strained muscles, and more. In addition to the back, common parts of the body that chiropractors treat include the arms, neck, legs, and head (for headaches).

To relieve back and other types of pain, chiropractors employ a wide range of alternative treatments, including spinal manipulation. This latter technique is a hands-on approach that can assist the patient with bringing the body into a more beneficial alignment. One way that chiropractors let the body “heal itself” is by bringing the spine into a natural alignment. After one or more sessions, many patients begin to notice that their bodies are healing without drugs or surgery.

In fact, when someone has a tissue injury and suffers from a restricted range of motion or lack of mobility, a chiropractor can use several manipulation techniques to bring back full mobility and total, or very improved, range of motion. In many cases, long-term patient habits, like using a chair that has no back support, falling, engaging in repetitive stress, or other traumatic events can lead to loss of mobility or severe pain.

Specific Methods Chiropractors Use

When disc injuries arise, chiropractic is often the most advantageous approach for people who want to avoid the cost and risk of surgery, and who want a non-drug solution to their physical problems. However, many patients use chiropractic care as part of a tandem treatment process that involves conventional measures like minor surgery or drug therapy from an MD. Additionally, the majority of chiropractic physicians deal with the treatment of tendons, connective tissue, ligaments, joints, bones, muscles, and cartilage on a daily basis.

When it comes to disc injuries, chiropractors utilize several essential treatment modalities. The one the physician uses depends on many factors but particularly on the specific characteristics of the patient’s medical history, state of health, and injury. Keep in mind that there are many different types of disc injuries, but herniated disc problems make up the majority of chiropractic visits in this category.

Chiropractors have dozens of treatment methods for disc injuries. They choose one or more of these methods based on a complete medical history of the patient, the extent of the pain, and what is most likely to work. Among

Pelvic blocking: Using specialized wedges to support the patient’s pelvis area, the doctor is more able to isolate the injury and work on it directly.
MUA: This means “manipulation under anesthesia,” and takes place over the course of several sessions a few weeks apart. The goal is to minimize pain during the manipulation process.
Flexion-distraction: This popular and effective treatment method requires a special kind of table that allows the doctor to slowly stretch the patient’s spine in order to isolate the injured area and manipulate it.
Therapeutic massage: In situations where the injury is very slight and causes a moderate amount of pain, a chiropractic physician might choose to use standard manipulation techniques followed by a series of therapeutic massage sessions.

What To Do If You Have a Disc Problem

If you suspect that you have a disc injury, it’s important to seek professional medical help as soon as possible. At Spinal Health and Wellness, our staff is specially trained to diagnose and treat a wide spectrum of disc injuries, from minor to major. The important thing to keep in mind is that any disc injury will almost certainly get worse over time, even though it might “quiet down” for a short period of time.

Unfortunately, many people who have disc injuries assume that they are merely suffering from a temporary sports injury or the results of a pulled muscle after a fall. That might very well be true because many common muscular injuries closely resemble serious disc problems. For that very reason, it’s essential to see a chiropractor and get checked out.

At Spinal Health and Wellness, we always advise our patients that spinal health is not something to take for granted. Even a minor injury to your spine can turn into a major, long-term problem if left unattended and untreated. The good news is that our physicians are experienced in assessing your spine and discovering if anything is seriously wrong with it.

Stop by our offices today for a no-obligation assessment or give us a call to set up a wellness appointment. We welcome new patients and treat all of our clients with complete courtesy and professionalism. We look forward to hearing from you. Don’t let a minor problem with your spine turn into a major medical problem. Get your spinal health checked today.