what is treatment for herniated disc of spine?

by Alta Bauch Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago

What is the most common treatment for herniated discs?

Herniated Disc Treatment Options

Most herniated discs don't require surgery. They typically can be managed with a combination of the following treatments: Oral medications and/or steroid injections to reduce pain and inflammation. Physical therapy to reduce stiffness and pressure on the nerves in the spine.

What is the fastest way to heal a herniated disc?

There is no "quick fix" for a herniated disc. Some herniated discs, also called slipped discs, heal on their own in a few weeks to a few months.
...
How to heal a herniated disc quickly

Alternate applying heat and cold.
Stay as active as you can. ...
Try alternative treatments like acupuncture, massage, or chiropractic.

Jan 27, 2022

Can a herniated disc in your spine be fixed?

Spinal disk surgery also tends to work well, though the results vary depending on how severe your problem is. A true herniated disk won't ever be totally normal again after surgery, Qureshi says. But the procedure will take the pressure off the nerve and ease your pain.Jan 23, 2016

Can a herniated disc heal on its own?

The good news is that in most cases — 90% of the time — pain caused by a herniated disc will go away on its own within six months. Initially, your doctor will likely recommend that you take an over-the-counter pain reliever and limit activities that cause pain or discomfort.Sep 1, 2020

Is walking good for herniated disc?

Absolutely. Walking is an excellent choice for patients with herniated discs, as it stimulates blood flow and oxygen to the cells. It also helps keep your discs hydrated, which is important for healing. Other low-impact aerobic activities to try are swimming and cycling.Jan 14, 2019

Is herniated disc permanent?

Once a healthy disc herniates, it will never return to its normal anatomical state—the disease or injury is permanent in nature.

How does a surgeon fix a herniated disc?

Microdiscectomy is a surgical procedure for the relief of pain and other symptoms that occur when a herniated disc in the spine presses on an adjacent nerve root. During the operation, the surgeon frees the nerve by removing small fragments of disc, bone and ligament.Oct 8, 2021

How painful is a herniated disc?

You might have pain in part of the foot as well. For a herniated disk in your neck, you'll typically feel the most pain in your shoulder and arm. This pain might shoot into your arm or leg when you cough, sneeze or move into certain positions. Pain is often described as sharp or burning.Feb 8, 2022

What problems might a herniated disc cause?

If it produces pain or makes your pain worse, this may indicate a herniated disc. With a herniated disc (or a bulging or ruptured disc), you may feel stiff and may have lost your normal spinal curvature due to muscle spasm. Your doctor will feel your spine, note its curvature and alignment, and feel for tightness.Jun 20, 2019

Do herniated discs show up on xray?

X-rays. Plain X-rays don't detect herniated disks, but they can rule out other causes of back pain, such as an infection, tumor, spinal alignment issues or a broken bone. CT scan.Feb 8, 2022

Can a herniated disc paralyze you?

With a herniated disc, the capsule cracks or breaks, and the nucleus squeezes out. This can irritate the spinal cord or nearby nerves, causing weakness and numbness in the arms or legs. A severely herniated disc can cause paralysis.

How do you sleep with a herniated disc?

If you have a herniated disc, you may want to try sleeping on your side curled in a fetal position:

Lay on your back and then roll over gently onto your side.
Tuck your knees toward your chest and gently curl your torso toward your knees.
Remember to switch sides from time to time to prevent any imbalances.

5 days ago

How long does it take to heal a herniated disc?

For lumbar and cervical herniated discs, conservative (non-surgical) treatments can usually be applied for around four to six weeks to help reduce pain and discomfort. A process of trial and error is often necessary to find the right combination of treatments.

What is the best treatment for nerve pain?

Physical therapy, exercise and gentle stretching to help relieve pressure on the nerve root. Ice and heat therapy for pain relief. Manipulation (such as chiropractic manipulation) Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, naproxen or COX-2 inhibitors for pain relief.

How to treat a swollen nerve root?

A combination of the following conservative treatment options can be used through at least the first six weeks of discomfort and pain: 1 Physical therapy, exercise and gentle stretching to help relieve pressure on the nerve root 2 Ice and heat therapy for pain relief 3 Manipulation (such as chiropractic manipulation) 4 Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, naproxen or COX-2 inhibitors for pain relief 5 Narcotic pain medications for pain relief 6 Oral steroids to decrease inflammation for pain relief 7 Epidural injections to decrease inflammation for pain relief

Is trial and error necessary?

A process of trial and error is often necessary to find the right combination of treatments. Patients may try one treatment at a time or may find it helpful to use a combination of treatment options at once.

How to treat a herniated disc?

Some exercises can help improve the symptoms of a herniated disc. A physical therapist can teach you which ones strengthen the muscles that support your back. Physical therapy programs also include: 1 Stretching exercises to keep your muscles flexible 2 Aerobic exercises -- such as walking or riding a stationary bicycle 3 Massage 4 Ice and heat 5 Ultrasound therapy 6 Electrical muscle stimulation

How long does it take for a herniated disk to heal?

Most people with a herniated disk don't need surgery. Rest and other treatments should start to improve your symptoms within 4 to 6 weeks. But if your pain doesn’t improve, surgery might be an option. Talk to your doctor about surgery if: You’re not getting relief from pain relievers, injections, and physical therapy.

How to remove a disc?

Diskectomy. During this procedure, your surgeon removes your damaged disk to relieve pressure on your nerves. They can perform the surgery in a couple of ways: 1 Your surgeon performs open diskectomy via a cut in your back or neck. 2 Microdiscectomy is done through a much smaller incision. Your surgeon inserts a thin tube with a camera on one end to see and remove the damaged disk.

Can a herniated disk cause numbness?

Diagnosis. Treatment. Spinal Disk Problems. A herniated disk can press on the nerves in your spine and cause pain, weakness, and numbness in your neck, back, arms, and legs. Sometimes these symptoms can be severe enough to disrupt your life. Most of the time, though, the problems from your herniated disk should start to improve on their own within ...

How to help a back that hurts?

Rest can relieve swelling and give your back time to heal. While your back hurts, avoid exercise and other activities where you have to bend or lift.

How to stop back pain from a sprain?

You need to keep moving so your joints and muscles don't stiffen up. You can also use ice and heat to help relieve your pain. Just place an ice pack or warm wet towel on the area of your back that is sore. You can alternate hot and cold, or use whichever feels best.

How to get rid of a swollen ear?

Medications. Take an over-the-counter pain medicine like ibuprofen ( Motrin, Advil) or naproxen ( Aleve, Naprosyn ). These medicines can help relieve your pain and bring down swelling. Just don't use these for more than 10 days without talking to your doctor.

What is the procedure to remove a herniated disk?

Diskectomy to remove your herniated disk. Laminectomy to remove part of the bone around a herniated disk and expand your spinal canal. Artificial disk surgery to replace a damaged herniated disk with an artificial one. Spinal fusion to directly join two or more vertebrae together to make your spine more stable.

What is a herniated disk?

A herniated disk is also known as a slipped disk or ruptured disk; it is one of the most common causes of back and leg pain. Herniated disks usually happen in the lower part of the spine.

What is the best test for herniated disc?

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): The most common and accurate imaging test for a suspected herniated disk is an MRI. X-rays: Getting X-rays helps rule out other causes of back or neck pain. Computed tomography (CT): A CT scan show the bones of your spine.

What is spinal injection?

Spinal injections: Called an epidural or nerve block, a spinal injection is a shot of steroid medication directly into your spine. The medication reduces swelling and inflammation of the nerve from the disk herniation. This will allow your body to heal and return to activity faster.

Where do herniated disks occur?

They can happen anywhere along the spine, but herniated disks most often occur in the lower back or the neck. It’s rare for a herniated disk to be in the mid-back.

What does it mean when your back is numb?

It’s common for a herniated disk in the lower back to cause “sciatic nerve ” pain. This sharp pain usually shoots down one side of your buttocks into your leg and sometimes the foot. Other symptoms of a herniated disk in your lower back include: Back pain. Tingling or numbness in the legs and/or feet.

What does it mean when your neck is herniated?

Herniated or disk in the neck (herniated cervical disk) Symptoms of a herniated disk in your neck include: Pain near or between your shoulder blades. Pain that travels to your shoulder, arm and sometimes your hand and fingers. Neck pain, especially in the back and on the sides of your neck. Pain that increases when bending or turning your neck.

What is the best treatment for a herniated disc?

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) are commonly prescribed, and often help relieve the pain associated with a disc herniation. 3 By reducing inflammation, these medications can relieve some pressure on the compressed nerves. NSAIDs should be used under your doctor's supervision.

How to relieve a herniated disc?

Ice and heat application can be extremely helpful in relieving the painful symptoms of a disc herniation. 1 By helping to relax the muscles of the back, ice and heat applications can relieve muscle spasm and provide significant pain relief.

Why do you need muscle relaxers?

It is important to use these for only brief periods of time. Muscle relaxers are used to treat spasm of spinal muscles often seen with disc herniations. 5 Often the muscle spasm is worse than the pain from the disc pressing on the nerves.

How to treat herniated discs?

Most herniated discs don’t require surgery. They typically can be managed with a combination of the following treatments: 1 Oral medications and/or steroid injections to reduce pain and inflammation 2 Physical therapy to reduce stiffness and pressure on the nerves in the spine 3 Hot or cold packs for pain relief 4 Manual manipulation, such as massage or chiropractic care

Who is the spine surgeon at Johns Hopkins?

Johns Hopkins spine surgeon Amit Jain, M.D., explains what a herniated disc is, its associated symptoms and how it is diagnosed. He also covers treatment options and the prognosis for the condition.

Conservative herniated disc treatment

Conservative herniated disc treatment should almost always be fully attempted before considering surgery. Over time, these treatments can ease your herniated disc symptoms enough to enjoy a good quality of life. However, it can take some time for you to find the perfect combination of nonsurgical treatments to relieve your symptoms.

Conservative (nonsurgical) treatments include

The use of pain medication. Pain medication can be an effective short-term solution to managing the symptoms that frequently accompany a herniated disc. In many cases, over-the-counter acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be helpful under the guidance of a physician.

Examples of alternative treatments include

Yoga or Pilates. Many patients turn to regular yoga or Pilates classes to complement their herniated disc treatment plan. These classes can be helpful because they can increase flexibility, help a patient shed excess body weight and tend to be relaxing.

Common lifestyle improvements include

Modifying your posture. Making an effort to improve your posture is a relatively easy step that can make a significant improvement in your overall spine health. Maintaining good posture extends beyond standing up straight, and also includes the way you sit, sleep and go about your day.