What Causes Herniated Discs
When you fall, pick up a heavy object, or experience a heavy strain that affects your vertebrae, these discs can rupture.
In this situation, the nucleus can break through and cause pressure on the nerves around your spinal cord, which is herniation, or a bulge, of the disc in the spine. People who experience a herniated disc, a slipped disc, or a bulge, often experience debilitating symptoms. These horrific symptoms might include back pain, shoulder pain, and neck stiffness.
And this is normal, anytime your nerve root is affected. It might occur when lifting objects, when bending forward, or when sitting there. A common indicator of a disc problem is determining when the pain started, if there was a pain in the spine, or when you bend or exercise, you experience discomfort. Age causes degeneration, too.
Herniated discs can herniate in any direction including forward, centrally, backward, or sideways. Sometimes back pain doesnt mean disc herniation, as it can be a symptom of a muscle strain or simply poor posture.
While most of these bulging discs can heal with non-invasive methods, some of them require surgical intervention. When a bulging disc occurs, you want to be pain-free.
When To Get A Massage For A Herniated Disc
There are many reasons that you might decide massage for a herniated disc is right for you.
- General muscle and joint stiffness or soreness
- Feelings of anxiety, stress, and even depression
- Trouble completing daily activities due to stiffness and pain
- Good past experiences with massage
- Poor pain cycle: stiffness is causing movement avoidance, which in turn is causing more stiffness and pain
- Your herniated disc is affecting your sleep quality
- You think one might help!
Managing Pain From Herniated Disks
Pain from damaged or herniated disks can range from mild to severe. Managing the pain is similar to managing other soft tissue pain:
- Do not overdo it. If you have a herniated disk, go easy on your body. Do not lift anything heavy and be sure to use proper body mechanics when lifting bend the knees, lift with your legs not your back.
- Run hot or cold. Try heat or ice packs for 15-20 minutes at a time.
- Rehabilitation. Consistently do the exercises your doctor or physical therapist gives you to strengthen back and core muscles.
- Stand up straight. Bad posture can lead to a herniated disk and can aggravate an existing one.
- Exercise. Light, regular exercise such as walking will help maintain healthy muscles and circulation to the area.
- Lighten up. Maintaining a healthy body weight takes the load off of these disks, reducing the chances of damage and allowing damaged disks to heal.
- Ask your doctor about medications. There are medications that can help with the pain associated with herniated disks. These can range from over-the-counter analgesics, narcotics, muscle relaxers or cortisone injections. Your doctor will be able to assess an appropriate medication based on your level of pain.
- Massage Therapy! Massage can assist in maintaining healthy muscle tissue in the surrounding area, taking the strain off of the spinal column.
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The Benefits Of Massage Therapy For Back Pain
Are you looking for new ways to help ease your back or neck pain? The growing popularity of massage therapy has many sufferers of chronic back pain taking notice. After all, just about anyone can get a massage. And, studies show that more people than ever before are benefiting from the advantages of massage therapy.
Manual Therapy And Treatments Based On Physical Stimuli
The treatment options for sciatica following a slipped disc also include manual therapy and treatments based on physical stimuli. Manual treatment may include massages and special techniques for relaxing tense muscles or locked joints. Treatments based on physical stimuli use warming and cooling methods to relieve pain. These treatments are also called passive therapies because patients don’t have to actively participate. Common treatments include:
- Massages: Various massage techniques are used to relax muscles and ease tension.
- Heating and cooling: This includes the use of hot packs and heating patches, a hot bath, going to the sauna or using an infrared lamp. Heat can also help relax tense muscles. Cold packs, like cold wraps or gel packs, are also used to help soothe irritated nerves.
- Ultrasound therapy: Here the lower back is treated with sound waves. The small vibrations that are produced generate heat and relax the body tissue.
There is no overall proof that passive treatments speed up recovery from a slipped disc or relieve the pain especially well. But many people find that heat or massages are pleasant and relaxing.
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Degenerative Disc Disease And Massage
Increasing the feel good chemical: Endorphins are a mood enhancing chemical which is released in our brain. When receiving a treatment from a massage therapist, this chemical is released and can help with reducing pain and a faster recovery. When you emotionally feel better, you relaxe the muscles and therefore elevates some of the added tension.
Best Types Of Massage For Pinched Nerves
If youre ready to try massage to ease your pinch nerve pain, what type of body massage should you book?
Swedish massage would be a good place to start. Your therapist will use light-to-medium pressure and a series of long gliding strokes to relax your muscles and nervous system. They might also incorporate some gentle stretching to lengthen your muscles and relax your joints.
For a pinched nerve in the lower back, a deep tissue massage could provide more relief than a standard Swedish massage. The muscles in the low back, butt, and hips are dense, and more pressure might be needed to get them to relax. Your therapist might use a combination of long strokes, kneading, and cross-friction massage to release any areas of tension.
Whichever type of massage you book, communication with your therapist is key. Dont be afraid to speak up if youd like more pressure in a certain area. If you listen to your body and give feedback to your therapist, you can work together to find relief for your pinched nerve pain.
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The Mckenzie Method Can Help Shift Sciatica Pain
The McKenzie Method is one type of physical therapy that involves a specific approach to exercise. For lumbar herniated disc pain, the goal is to shift pain away from your leg and centralize it more in your lower back.5
- Your specific symptoms typically determine which McKenzie Method exercises a physical therapist will suggest.
- After your symptoms have moved out of your leg, the approach usually shifts to longer-term rehabilitation to strengthen your back and other key muscle groups.
Even after the lumbar herniated disc pain has subsided, a back strengthening and stretching program should be continued to reduce the risk of lumbar pain returning.
Read more about McKenzie Therapy for Mechanical Low Back Pain
Can You Massage A Slipped Disc
Some people try to massage spinal discs and hope that this is going to reduce pain and ease other symptoms that come with a bulging disc. However, the treatment of the discs damages should be performed by an experienced doctor or physician.
A spinal doctor can prepare a program for you to help you deal with pain. Physical therapy often starts with passive treatments. After that, patients are moved to active treatments that can improve lower back pain, reduce nerve pressure on the spinal cord, strengthen back muscles, and prevent similar spinal injuries in the future.
At the primary stage of treatment, your physician is going to use pressure to adjust your discs. One of the methods of healing low back pain and disc problems is deep tissue massages. They can release the tension in muscle groups and reduce spams and pain very effectively.
After that, your physical therapist can speak to what type of exercises you might need to build your muscular strength and get back to normal faster.
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Tips For Helping Your Dog Through Crate Confinement:
- Unless your dog feels safer in a plastic crate, find a wire crate with see-through sides to minimize the feeling of being closed-in.
- You can buy a cover for the wire crate to use at night, or simply drape a blanket over it.
- Keep the crate in view of the family to keep your dogs spirits up.
- As long as it doesnt excite your dog too much, visit often. Sit with your dog and talk about anything and everything. Just the sound of your voice will help.
- If your dog is paralyzed, it is possible he or she will be incontinent during this period. You may need to help him/her to urinate by expressing the bladder, which your vet should demonstrate for you.
- Gentle massage can help your dogs spinal cord reconnect with its nerves. with neurological recovery. For example, you can gently massage the dogs foot pads if the back legs are paralyzed.
What Does This Mean
Back pain can be caused by a bulging or herniated disc. It often begins as back pain but can progress to sciatica . People with back pain often visit a chiropractor or their family doctor . Unfortunately, some of those people experience a rapid progression of their herniated disc and have to visit an emergency department and then go on to need surgery.
This study shows that this progression of symptoms was not not caused by the chiropractic treatment any more that it could have been caused by visiting the family doctor.
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More On Herniated Discs
You might be wondering the difference between, say, a herniated disc and a bulging disc.
A herniated disc is more like a disc opening and spilling its insides out, while a bulging disc is the disc stretching and protruding outward. Herniated discs are also called ruptured discs or slipped discs more often than bulging discs are. Compared to herniated discs, bulging discs are more common, and they might also go unnoticed more often since they can cause less pain. Then again, each persons symptoms are different.
The main difference between the two is that a bulging disc is thought to be caused by pressure that forces the disc to stretch, while on the other hand a herniated disc is primarily caused from a crack developing in the tough outer layer of the discs cartilage. With a herniated disc, once a crack forms its possible for the discs softer inner cartilage to move through the crack and touch surrounding nerves, similar to what happens with a bulging disc.
A herniated disc can also be a sign or symptom of other problems as well, such as:
Inflammation And Bacteria In Disc Herniation
Inflammation can also be caused by Propionibacterium acnes, a Gram-positive bacteria that has been shown to correlate with patients with disc herniation. But the evidence is pretty weak, according to a recent systematic review that stated, we cannot support that P. acnes and development of symptomatic degenerative disc disease due to the low quality of the results.
While massage therapy cannot change your genes, push a disc back in place, or squeegee bacteria out of your body, it may alleviate the symptoms caused by these factors, similar to most types of low back pain. But be aware that such degeneration may not be a significant cause of back pain for some people since research has shown that many older adults with this degeneration are asymptomatic.
Research has yet to reveal why some people have no pain with a disc herniation while some do. Perhaps there is something going on in the brain that affects individual pain tolerance?
Maybe those with a disc herniation and no pain have a healthy lifestyle that suppresses the inflammatory signals? Or could it be that disc herniation just does not elicit symptoms for some people?
For a few lucky folks, a herniated disc could reabsorb back into its place without any interventions!
These ideas apply to both massage therapy and physical therapy for herniated discs.
Hall mentioned that this change of framework will help patients get back to being physically active and avoid the fear of moving.
References
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Massage For A Herniated Disc
What is a herniated disc? Herniated discs are often caused when too much pressure is put on an otherwise healthy spine. The spine is composed of many bony vertebrae, separated by jelly-like discs.
These discs cushion the joints during impact, allow for movement in the spine and keep the vertebrae in place. A herniated disc occurs when the soft inside of the disc leaks through the tough outer portion . This irritates the surrounding nerves.
When the herniated disc affects the nerves in a specific area of the spine, it can lead to pain and weakness in the area of the body that specific nerve serves.
Cervical radiculopathy
If a disc herniates in the neck or upper spine, it can cause pain to radiate down the shoulder, arm to the hand. This pain is called cervical radiculopathy. Its more commonly referred to as a pinched nerve. Cervical radiculopathy may result in feelings of burning, tingling, and weakness in the arm, shoulder, or hand. In severe cases, it may also result in loss of feeling and paralysis.
Treatment for Herniated Disc
There are several treatment approaches for a herniated disc. Most doctors recommend pain medication, rest, physical therapy, and other conservative treatments such as Massage before considering surgery.
When healing from a painful disc herniation, massage is a great adjunct to other treatments to get you back on track to a life you can participate in fully.
Moderate Physical Activity Releases Endorphins
While it may seem counterintuitive, staying active can provide pain relief if you have a lumbar herniated disc. When you exercise the body releases endorphins, which can naturally improve your mood3 and reduce the perception of pain.
Most people with lumbar herniated discs are able to tolerate low-impact activities such as:
- Walking outside or on a treadmill
- Using an elliptical trainer
Read more about Low-Impact Aerobic Exercise
If your pain is more severe, you may want to try a water-based activity, such as hydrotherapy. Water-based activities are often recommended because the buoyancy of water counteracts gravity and decreases the load bearing placed on your spinal discs. Your health care provider may suggest a dedicated water physical therapy program or swimming.
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Class Iv Diowave Laser Therapy
Another approach to treating your herniated disc symptoms and pain is DIOWAVE Class IV Laser Therapy. This innovative and powerful treatment penetrates the affected tissues, providing faster healing while offering natural pain relief. DIOWAVE Laser Therapy uses the power of photobiostimulation to healwhich is how our cells naturally respond to waves of light. DIOWAVE delivers a concentrated dose of lightat a predetermined wavelength and frequencyand triggers your bodys cells to produce more Adenosine Tri-Phosphate . ATP is the substance responsible for cellular energy production. With increased cellular energy your body experiences better blood circulation, heightened DNA/RNA activity, accelerated collagen production, less inflammation, optimized cellular regeneration, and faster healing.
Did You Know Physiotherapy Could Help Relieve Pain Caused By Herniated Discs
Could you have herniated disc pain? This type of pain can sneak up on you. Youre sitting comfortably watching TV and when you stand up, theres a sharp pain that radiates through your back.
If youre experiencing pain in your lower back, you just might have a herniated disc. Give our office a call for a consultation and evaluation, so you can get a proper diagnosis.
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Certain Sleep Positions Help Relieve Herniated Disc Pain
Pain from a lumbar herniated disc can worsen during the night. You may find comfort sleeping in a position that relieves pressure from the spine. A couple good options include:
Your preferred sleeping position and pillow placements will likely be determined by the location of your herniated disc. Try a few different pillow and positions to see what works best for you.
See Best Pillows for Different Sleeping Positions
Will Massage Help A Bulging Disc
As you might expect, a herniated or bulging disc in the lumbar spine can put pressure on the spinal cord and cause muscle spasms, cramps, numbness and considerable pain in the neck, back or legs. The good news is that remedial massage can be very beneficial in treating bulging or herniated disc symptoms.
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Natural Herniated Disc Treatment Options
Back pain is something a very large number of people have to deal with at one point or another. In fact, there are some 31 million people in the U.S. alone who suffer from lower back pain at any one time, according to the American Chiropractic Association. Unsurprisingly, a herniated disc is one of the leading causes of back pain, and it can be so debilitating that it makes everyday activities seem like moving mountains. Thankfully, herniated disc treatment doesnt have to be chore.
If you have a herniated disc, a bulging disc, a desiccated disc, or any sort of low back injury or low back pain, these tips can absolutely help you deal with the sciatic nerve pain that follows. I can tell you from experience. Ive had a herniated disc from lifting weights and doing other things in the past. These things help me personally, and Ive seen them help thousands of patients Ive taken care of over the years as well.
Here, I lay out five steps to heal a herniated disc, including the diet, the supplements and natural herniated disc treatment options you need to follow. Lets start with the diet you need eat and go one from there with the herniated disc treatment steps that will give you fast back pain relief at the same time.