Herniated Disk

What are the Symptoms of a Herniated Disk?

Herniated disks sometimes show up on spinal images of people who have no symptoms of a disk problem. Others can be VERY painful.

The most common signs and symptoms are:

• Sciatica is a radiating, aching pain, sometimes with tingling and numbness, that starts in the buttock and extends down the back of one leg.
• Pain, numbness or weakness in the lower back and one leg, or in the neck, shoulder, chest or arm.
• Low back pain that worsens when you sit, cough or sneeze.

What are Some Causes of Herniated Disks?

They are most often the result of slow, aging-related degeneration of the disks. As you get older, your spinal disks lose some of their water content.

This makes them less flexible and more prone to tearing or rupturing with even a minor strain or twist.

Using your back muscles instead of your leg and thigh muscles to lift large, heavy objects can lead to a herniated disk, as can twisting and turning while lifting.

More rarely, a traumatic event such as a fall or a blow to the back can also cause this malady.

When Do I Seek Medical Advice?

If you experience back pain that interferes with your normal daily activities for longer than a few days, call your doctor to be evaluated.

If the pain increases when you're sitting, coughing or sneezing, a herniated disk might be the cause.

If you lose control of your bladder or bowels, if your pain increases rather than staying about the same or decreasing over time, or if you develop numbness or weakness in both legs, seek prompt medical attention.

A disk herniation or a spinal tumor may be compressing several nerve roots in your spine. This compression, known as cauda equina syndrome, is rare but potentially disabling. It may require emergency surgery.

Conservative (passive) treatment would be to avoid painful positions. When sleeping, try lying on your side with a cushion between the knees or on your back with a cushion under the knees.

Also, follow a planned exercise and pain medication regimen. This relieves symptoms in 9 out of 10 people with a herniated disk.

Even OTC (over the counter) medications have side effects, especially when taken regularly over several weeks or months.

For instance, statistically, in the USA, 14,000 people per year die from bleeds in their stomach from taking NSAIDs (ibuprofen, etc.).

They also have serious side effects on the heart and other organs. If at all possible, incorporate more antioxidizing foods into your diet.

Within a couple of months after starting this treatment, hopefully, you will see the pain decrease. Imaging studies show that the protruding or displaced portion of the disk shrinks over time, corresponding to the improvement in symptoms.

Depending on your symptoms, your doctor may recommend:

• Modified Activity - Try to take it easy when you have severe back pain. Stay away from activities that aggravate your symptoms such as improper reaching, bending and lifting, using a rowing machine, and prolonged sitting.

  However, remember that the spine and disks rely on motion and use for their nutrition. Intermittent activity to maintain fitness and decrease stiffness is very important, so physical therapy and exercises to increase flexibility and strength may be prescribed.

  A herniated disk isn't a fragile spine problem, and physical activity shouldn't be avoided altogether. As a matter of fact, staying at work is best, even if you need to reduce your workload or assume lighter duties.

  No two people have quite the same levels of discomfort with different activities. That's why you should work with your doctor, chiropractor or physical therapist to find the right combination of rest and activity.

  Over several weeks, your activity level can gradually increase until you are once again, comfortable with everyday tasks.

Chiropractic Treatment - Chiropractic is conservative care, which means it is non-surgical and drugless.

In treating low back "slipped discs", most spine experts agree that conservative care should be tried before surgery is considered, except in severe cases.

Chiropractic care has a long history of successfully providing conservative care for disc conditions and pain relief. Most chiropractors treat several patients a day with disk injuries.

Some chiropractors do heat/cold therapy in addition to massage of the affected area. www.chiropractic-help.com : Researchers now agree that manipulation is the first line of attack against acute and chronic lower back and leg pain to gently stretch the muscles near the disc and improve blood flow.

Although 1.5 million lumbar MRI scans are carried out each year in the USA for sciatica, only 20% reveal a herniated disk, and about one third of the surgeries fail to relieve the sciatica (nerve pain).

As a consequence, 80% receive no clear diagnosis and 100,000 people have spine surgery that fails.

• Physical therapy - A physical therapist can apply heat, ice, traction, ultrasound and electrical stimulation for pain relief. Physical therapists are also able to show you positions and exercises designed to minimize the pain of a herniated disk.

  As the pain improves, physical therapy can advance you to a rehabilitation program of core strength and stability to maximize your back health and help protect against future injury.

• Heat or Cold - At first, cold packs can be used to relieve pain and inflammation. After a few days, you may switch to gentle heat to give relief and comfort.
• Pain Medication - If your pain is mild to moderate, your doctor may tell you to take an OTC (over-the-counter) analgesic medication, such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or naproxen (Aleve, others).

  Muscle relaxants such as diazepam (Valium) or cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril) may be prescribed for a few days if you have back or limb spasms.

  Diazepam is the generic medication name.

  Brand names of diazepam are: Apo-Diazepam, Diastat, Diazemuls, Novodipam, PMS-Diazepam and Vivol.

  Possible Adverse Reactions and/or Side Effects of taking diazepam which may be experienced are:

  Dizziness, drowsiness, lethargy, slurred speech, headache, blurred vision, constipation, nausea, vomiting, weight gain and rashes.

  Drug to drug interactions may be experienced while taking diazepam and alcohol, antidepressants, antihistamines and opioid anlgesics. Diazepam may decrease the efficacy of levodopa.

  Increased possibility of depression may occur if diazepam is used concurrently natural herbs such as kava kava, valerian or chamomile.

  cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril):

  Cyclobenzaprine is the generic drug name.

  Brand names for cyclobenzaprine include Amrix and Flexeril. They are skeletal muscle relaxants that work on your Central Nervous System.

  Possible Adverse Reactions and/or Side Effects of taking cyclobenzaprine are:

  It should not be used within 14 days of MAO inhibitor therapy, immediately after a myocardial infarction, concurrent with severe or symptomatic cardiovascular disease or hyperthyroidism.

  Cyclobenzaprine can also cause dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, fatigue, headache, nervousness, dry mouth, blurred vision, arrythmias of the heart, constipation, upset stomach, and nausea.

  Possible Side Effects of cyclobenzaprine when taken concurrently with kava kava, valerian, chamomile or hops can increase Central Nervous system depression.

  Avoid concurrent use of alcohol or other Central Nervous system depressants when taking cyclobenzaprine. Avoid driving or other activities that require an alert mind until your response to this drug is known.

  Natural antioxidants are preferable to taking prescription medications, if at all possible due to these medication side effects.

  However, if you are in severe pain from a herniated disk (sometimes called a ruptured disc), prescription pain medications may be necessary to relieve the pain.

  Knowing all the ramifications of taking these prescription medications allows you more control over experiencing any possible side effects.

  Increasing your antioxidants will help decrease the inflammation that causes the back pain.

• Rest: If your back hurts, take a little rest for a couple of hours. Lie down and avoid overusing your back muscles for a litte while (one day maybe). Don't stay in bed for long periods, however.

  Too much rest can make your back pain worse because proper blood flow to the area helps to relieve the inflammation. This is best achieved by movement. After a short rest, get up and move around again.

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• When Will The Pain Go Away? - Herniated disk symptoms generally take 4 to 6 weeks to significantly improve. If your symptoms haven't resolved after 6 weeks, more aggressive therapies may be effective and prevent you from needing surgery.

Disk Surgery

Approximately 10 percent of people with herniated disks eventually need surgery. You may be a good candidate for surgery if conservative treatment fails to improve your symptoms after 4 to 6 weeks.

Surgery also may be considered if a disk fragment lodges in the spinal canal, pressing on a nerve, or if you're having trouble standing or walking.

Microdiskectomy: The most common surgery is a microdiskectomy. This procedure has the best success rate among healthy people with single disk herniations.

Microdiskectomy is related to standard or open diskectomy, a spinal surgery that involves cutting away some of the spinal bones (vertebrae) to access the herniated disks and compressed nerve roots.

In microdiskectomy, surgeons use a surgical microscope or magnifying lens to allow smaller incisions in the skin, muscles and bone overlying a herniated disk.

Smaller incisions and less disruption to surrounding tissue lessen pain and shorten recovery time.

What are Some Lifestyle and Home Remedies?

Standard conservative treatment for a herniated disk is to:

• Limit your activity: Mentioned above under treatments.
• Apply cold and heat: Mentioned above under treatments.
• Do careful exercises: Even if you have never done yoga, slow, stretching exercises help your muscles relax, allowing the inner part of your disk to move back into its normal place. Regular exercise slows aging-related damage to our disks and core muscle strengthening stabilizes the spine.

• Water: Most people totally overlook the value of increasing their water intake to help the body heal, especially in tandem with exercise.

  Many people find it difficult to drink their 6-8 glasses of water each day, but your body really needs extra hydration when it is damaged. If you just can't stand water from the tap, make lemonade or buy bottled water.

  Water helps the body move toxins and wastes away from muscles and joints and excrete them through the kidneys and bladder via urination.

  More water intake also helps the body excrete excess medication in your system.

  Drastically Reduce Your Tea and Coffee Intake: Tea and coffee add fluids to your body, but they both have caffeine. When you are in pain, your Central Nervous system does not need any more stimulation. Your adrenaline is already hard at work in your body.

  Tea and Coffee are also diuretics. Just when your body's cells most need more hydration, tea and coffee both cause your body to lose water quite quickly.

  This probably goes without saying, but in the first few months after you have recovered from a herniated disk, remember to avoid high-impact activities such as jogging, tennis and high-impact aerobics, even if the pain no longer bothers you.

  Take it slow and give your body a few months to properly heal.

• Maintain good posture - Good posture reduces the pressure on your spine and disks. Try to keep your back straight and aligned, particularly when sitting for longer periods.

  Stretch Often: When you are sitting in a chair, every 10 or 15 minutes, slowly stretch your back and neck.

  Also, lift heavy objects properly, making your legs, not your back, do most of the work.

• Maintain a healthy weight - Excess weight puts more pressure on the spine and disks, making them more susceptible to herniation.
• Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables: Give your body the support it needs by increasing your antioxidants which can be found in fruits and vegetables and other antioxidant-rich foods such as dark chocolate to help decrease inflammation in joints and help prevent other diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer.

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