Have You Injured a Disc?
Have you been told that you have a slipped disc or a disc injury? Slipped or injured discs can vary from slight to severe, but most will require at least some attention from a trained chiropractor. It's important that you understand your condition and what it means for you, and a licensed Culver City CA or Hawthorne CA chiropractor can help you develop the best treatment option for you.
The little pads that lie between your vertebrae are called the intervertebral discs. Each disc has a tough outer ring and a soft gel-like center, like a jelly doughnut. Your discs both join, separate, and protect your vertebrae from trauma. These discs serve as cushions or shock absorbers so that the bones don’t make contact with each other as you move. Without these discs, we would literally be unable to move our upper torso.
Disc Injury Diagnosis
If you are diagnosed with a protruding disc, it means that the gel has pushed out or is bulging due to injury, and is asymmetrical in different places. This may result in pinching and irritation of the nerve roots at that point, with varying levels of pain. A herniated disc is a common spinal issue, but one that can cause serious pain and mobility issues if you suffer from it. That’s why it’s important to seek out proper diagnosis and treatment for a herniated disc, and work on an ongoing treatment plan to ensure you remain healthy over the long-term. Here is more information about herniated discs and how Active Body Chiro-Care can help you overcome this condition.
More About Herniated Discs
Herniated discs occur when the cushion between discs, which consists of rubbery material, becomes damaged or dysfunctional. Each disc protects the bones in your spine, known as vertebrae. Sometimes these discs suffer a rupture, also known as a slipped disc, which can result from injuries, spinal conditions, or even natural deterioration as you age.
The result of a herniated disc is often nerve irritation, pain, numbness, and weakness in your extremities, such as your arms and legs. It may also decrease your range of motion and overall quality of life.
Treating a Herniated Disc
Your first line treatment for a herniated disc should involve non-surgical procedures with a chiropractor. This will help you avoid using addictive pain-killers or undergoing invasive surgery that can cause more problems than it fixes.
You will first meet with your chiropractor, Dr. Hogan, at Active Body Chiro-Care where you provide your medical history. In some cases, you might have started suffering back pain after a car accident or lifting a heavy object. It’s important to share this information with our chiropractic team. At that point, you will have a thorough examination, which will help determine what is causing your pain, where the problem is stemming from, and potentially what condition is causing your herniated disc.
The team at Active Body Chiro-Care, led by Dr. Hogan, has a wide variety of treatments available to help you with your herniated disc. First, the diversified technique, which is a form of chiropractic adjustment can help realign your spine and stop spinal disc degeneration.
The Activator Chiropractic Technique
The activator technique also allows your Active Body Chiro-Care chiropractor to make small but precise adjustments to your spine to relieve pressure through the use of a small spring-loaded device. This can also help restore normal blood flow to your spinal discs, and increase the flow of nutrients and oxygen to areas that have been damaged.
In some cases, multiple techniques will be utilized on your spine to help restore your spine’s health. Although you may require multiple treatments to help repair your herniated disc, your chiropractor will also help build a customized physical therapy exercise plan that you can perform at home as well. This will help build strength in the surrounding muscles and ligaments that support your spine and neck, and accelerate the healing process.
Ultimately, it’s important you build a treatment plan with your Active Body Chiro-Care chiropractor when you first have any signs of a spinal issue. This will help ensure you prevent the problem from growing worse over time.
Schedule Herniated Disc Treatment
If you have any questions about herniated discs or chiropractic treatment at Active Body Chiro-Care, feel free to call us at (310) 699-9299 or visit one of our two offices located in Culver City CA and Hawthorne CA.
