Wednesday 7 August 2013

Herniated Disc Various Treatment Options Available

 HERNIATED DISC NATURAL TREATMENT OPTIONS AVAILABLE IN 2013

Herniated Disc , Since many ages is considered to be COUSIN SISTER of BULGING DISC , 
All the patients who are suffering with bulging disc treat herniated disc to be as sister of it.
Herniated disc is actually more popular than bulging disc where in your disc gets gapped leading to pain during bending etc activities.
Herniated disc is commonly diagnosed after a patient complains of back pain, leg pain, or general weakness in the lower half of the body. When the material that sits between the vertebrae in your spine is pushed out of its normal position, it presses up against the nerves which site extremely close to your vertebrae. The shifting of the material between your vertebrae would not normally cause a problem itself, its the pressing up against the nerve endings that causes the pain.

What Types Of Natural Treatment Options Are Available For Herniated Disc?



    • Rest – As with all injuries or body aggravations, the first thing you should do is rest and avoid doing anything that aggravates your symptoms. It’s likely the disc herniation will resolve itself if given enough time and rest.



    • Ice/Heat – You can also apply ice or heat therapy to the affected area which will help relieve any pain you may be experiencing. This works by relaxing your muscles which will reduce pain and swelling.
herniated disc treatment
    • While physical therapy can’t directly help a herniated disc it can help to strengthen the muscles in the area. This would reduce the load being placed onto the discs in your vertebrae. Stronger muscles would also decrease the chance of an injury to your spine.


    • Medications – Anti-inflammatory medications such as advil are commonly used by patients suffering from a herniated disc. These work by reducing inflammation which reduces the pressure surrounding the nerves in your spine. At times stronger medications may be used such as narcotics if the pain is severe. Stronger medications are typically only used on a short term basis due to the risk of addiction.


    • Steroids – Steroids can be helpful if you are experiencing a sudden herniated disc. These are powerful medications and they work similar to other anti-inflmmatory medications but they work faster and are stronger. They will alleviate swelling which will reduce the pain your suffering from.


  • Epidural Injections – Cortisone can be injected into the aggravating area. This will relieve the pressure on the nerves.
Those are the most common steps taken to help alleviate the symptoms of a herniated disc. You would progress through those steps and if nothing has helped to alleviate the pain then surgery may become an option if it’s significantly impacting your ability to function. Good candidates for surgery would include those suffering from significant weakness or pain.


If surgery becomes an option the surgeon would remove the herniated disc by freeing up space around the impacted nerve. The type of surgery performed will depend on several factors such as the size and location of the herniated disc or any other problems that may be associated. In simple cases, endoscopic or microscopic excision of the herniated disc would be the favored choice of surgeons. In more difficult cases a different type of surgery would needed which may be more invasive and require a significant amount of recovery time for the patient.

Tuesday 6 August 2013

An Overview on Herniated Disc

A DETAILED OVERVIEW ON HERNIATED DISC

What is a herniated disc? 



Let’s imagine that the spinal disk of the human skeleton is a candy with some jelly inside. The inner part of the disk is softer than the cover, but what will happen if the cover is damaged? It will simply push out of claustration if the outer layer is ruptured. This is exactly what happens with the inner substance of the rubbery disk when it gets a crack. The example with the jelly candy perfectly explains us what is herniated disc.

 When the core part of the ruptured disk pushes out through a “hole” in the disk, it finds itself in a new unnatural surrounding. It is not supposed to be there and it is very possible that it will bother the nerves. That’s why people often experience pains in various parts of the body during slipped disk, since the nerves may lead to different body parts. 


The good news: the majority of patients do not suffer so bad that they need surgery and only about 10% of all patients require operative measures implementation. Some people are even so lucky that they do not feel pain although theirdisk has slipped. It is hard to say whether it is good or not, since those who do not experience pain and the other significant inconvenience may be not aware of their state. 

Although surgical interventionis not very common but this state needs special treatment. In any case the problem may disappear on its own if your situation is not very complicated. 

Herniated disc causes may be various, but in the majority of cases the patients and doctors cannot even define the certain reason for such a state. Basically this disease is often connected with aging processes – the bones and disks become less flexible and rupture or tearing may occur with more probability in 40’s rather than in 20’s. In some cases the hernia has traumatic origin, but this is not common although many people think that the majority of raptures are the consequences of traumas.

 Actually it is often hard to say what causes a herniated disc but of course there is a list of the most common causes, which includes:
 - Aging processes in the human body, such as aging degeneration. 
- Overweight 
– people with excessive weight definitely have more chances to get hernia-related problems. 
-Physical stress 
– people whose job includes heavy loads lifting, bending, pushing the objects, as well as the professional athletes, are under especial risk. 

The problem may develop into even more complicated states including caudaequina syndrome and so on. If your state worsens although you do all the procedures recommended by your curing doctor, and if you often feel weakness, sometimes cannot move or if you have troubles with doing the things ordinary for your regular life, you need to call emergency.


HERNIATED DISC SYMPTOMS

herniated disc symptomsHerniated disc symptoms are quite various and they mainly depend on location of the rupture and its size. In this article we would like to make a detailed description of different symptoms of herniated disc with various dispositions.

In some cases you may not even have any symptoms of this disease. For instance if the hernia doesn’t press on nerve, it often happens that the patients don’t feel any discomfort. But in some cases they my experience some ache in the low back, although it is usually not very disturbing.

On the other hand it is more common that the person who has hernia experience mild or moderate pains, weakness or torpor in an unusual part of the body. This is an expressive sign of the fact that the nerve in the area where the problem occurred is pinched. It can be completely another body part, and for example the disease may take place in lower back while the numbness may occur in right hand. This happens due to the fact that the nipped nerve may travel to anther body part and the real symptoms will declare itself exactly there.


The type of the pain may help you to understand where the problem has occurred. Shoulder, chest and arms pains may have connection with rupture in the cervical. Again this happens due to the fact that hernia can pinch the nerves which lead to the other parts of the body.


In some cases the patients experience leg pains and they are often sudden and unbearable. Long standing, sitting or even such regular and natural activities as stooling, coughing and sternutation may cause severe shooting pains due to the fact that damaged disk get sudden shock and displacement.

If the symptoms of a herniated disc become unbearable, you may try to relief the pain trying to lie down and relax changing the pose.

 In some cases when the worsening of the state occurs during prolonged standing or sitting, it is necessary to go for a walk. If you are definitely sure that walking is not your choice, and if you feel weakness in your legs or at least in one of them, it may be the indication of caudaequina syndrome or some other similar problems. Such symptoms are very disturbing and from your own state you will understand that urgent medical interference is needed. Hopefully this information will help you to get a fast relief and your hernia will be cured soon.


Herniated Disc Treatment

Herniated disc treatment may vary a lot and may include various practices and procedures. All possible curing variations can be basically divided into three groups: conservative treatment, medicaments and therapy. Of course the doctors decide which kind of treatment is appropriate in every concrete situation, after carefully examining the patient and figuring out what kind of hernia the patient has.

The least painful and bothersome ruptures are usually treated by conservative treatment for herniated disc. If the person experiences not the most severe pain and he or she can bear it and move forward, it is extremely important not to use more powerful and strong medication. The term “conservative treatment” includes a variety of specially developed procedures and exercises, massage and so on. 


About 90 per cent of all patients with hernia can benefit from this approach and it usually only takes 30-60 days of such treatment to bring a long-lasting relief to the patient. The principle of such approach is based on the fact that rupture and disc displacements can huddle over the time, and basically it is the best possible alternative to get rid of the disease.

On the other hand we have 10 per cent of patients whose pains are much more significant and they cannot overcome hernia without additional medical remedies. There are plenty of different pain killing substances available on the market, but the most effective pain killers are usually the most dangerous for the human organs, body and brain, therefore it is important to understand that the difference is very big. While over-the-counter pain medications like ibuprofen and naproxen can only cause such mild side effects like problems with liver and stomach and intestinal tract bleeding, the more serious pain-killers are narcotics with such by-effects like aversion, reduced nervous activity and the other more serious disorders in the body organs. In the most severe cases the doctors prescribe nerve pain medicaments for instance tramadol, gabapentin or amitriptyline. In fact discal hernia is treated exactly with the help of such powerful pills.While in case of limb or back spasms muscle relaxants are more commonly implemented. They can cause giddiness and sedative effect.

The least popular of all herniated disc treatment options is probably cortisone injections which are aimed directly to the zone where the pain arises.

When the patient’s physical state improves a special rehabilitation therapy is often needed. It ensures full recovery preventing the relapse of the disease in the future.



Herniated Disc Surgery

herniated disc surgeryWhile half of all patients recover from herniated discin the low back after the first month of the curing process, the other people may require more resolute decision. Another 40% of patients with rupture recover after the half-year treatment term with the help of various, but what should the other 10% do in case if the conservative treatment and medical preparations do not bring the long-awaited relief? Herniated disc surgery may be a possible solution of the problem, but this is the most extreme arrangement and such measure can be considered only in case if everything indicates that no other treatment type can possibly help. 

The conditions which point out possible necessity of the surgery may include:
- The patient’s ability to move is limited due to rupture and after at least a month of treatment there is no significant improvement in the state of the patient.

- The diagnostic testing results indicate the necessity of the surgical aggression. Among the tests which can be a basis for such decision may be computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, etc.

- Doctors examination shows that the patient experiences odd sensitivity, excessive feebleness and cannot move much.

Even if all of the indicators mentioned above show that the surgical procedure is needed, there is still a necessity to discuss possible results, deflections and expectations with the doctor. Some factors may not allow the surgery to go through completely successful. If the operative intervention is chosen there must be a sufficient cause to believe that it will promote fast convalescence, while all other types of treatment will not be able to promote such results. Some patients choose the surgery for herniated disc in case if their work or the other vital circumstances require them to recover as soon as possible. Of course all patients want to get a fast relief, but in the case with hernia it is much better for the organism if this disease can go away on its own. Elder people or the patients with the other spine diseases are often required to have surgical procedure due to their overall health state.

Tuesday 23 July 2013

Degenerative Disc Disease and Its Causes

WHAT EXACTLY IS DEGENERATIVE DISEASE?

WHAT EXACTLY IS THIS DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE???


When one’s spine ages, especially the intervertebral discs, the chances for the degenerative disc disease to develop are very high. 

However, this is not to say that only old people get to experience this particular physical condition. Even young adults can experience the same as a result of an injury to one’s back. Such illness could also develop whenever that part of the body has been weakened due to wear and tear of one’s spine. To know more about what cause this disease, read the information below.

CAUSES :


One of the causes of degenerative disc disease as stated earlier is age. When this particular cause is involved, you can think of degenerative disc disease as a process. When one ages, there will be changes to his intervertebral discs. The same will later on affect his vertebrae’s other motion segments. 

As the time passes by, the disc’s outer portion called the annulus fibrosus will also change. This would result to the reduction molecules that attract water, which also reduces the ability of the disc to have back movement handled. This will make the disc thinner and less spongy. This causes problems to the stability of the spine, resulting to the wear and tear condition. 

Another cause of said disease is hypermobility. This causes the growth of osteophytes or bone spurs, which are small bony elements that stops movement. Said elements actually pinch the structures of one’s nerves sometimes, which cause pain. Another cause of such condition is one’s genes. It could be that a person is pre-disposed to disc and joint wear and tear that is excessive.

Degenerative disc disease could also develop in a person when his lifestyle is not exactly healthy. For instance, smokers are said to be vulnerable to said disease because such vice has adverse effects on the one’s discs. The same has the result of having the disc’s water amount decreased.

Sunday 21 July 2013

Bulging Disc in Neck Causes Strong Pain for me

BULGING DISC IN NECK CAUSES ME STRONG PAIN

Bulging disc in neck usually appears in the old age or may be caused by the trauma or overloads on the vertebral zone. In any case the bulging disk or the cervical disk appears as the result of the process of deterioration and is connected with the stress of the neck zone. 

One of the symptoms of the bulging disk may be 

    the strong pain in the area of the neck. 
    weakness, 
    tingling in the neck or around the spine zone where the bulging disc is located. 
    Pain and the uncomfortable feelings of weakness may spread to the other parts of the body – to the shoulders, fingers, arms and hands. 
    Age is one of the most common reasons of disc bulging as during the years discs become weaker and they deteriorate due to the loads and pressures.


The spinal discs are functioning like the cushioning pads and they decrease the pressure on the spine during the movements or physical exercises. In the middle of the disc there is a pulpous soft component, and around the disc there is a ligament, which is connecting the bones of the spine to each other. 


WHAT DOES IT MEAN BY THE TERM "BULGING DISC IN NECK" ??


It means that one of the disks came out of its normal position in one of the neck zones of the spine. If not treated in time it may lead to the difficulty in movements of the head and the movement will be causing pain. The strong pain may be the result of the nerve pressure by the expanded disc.

It is always better to try to avoid surgical methods and try physiotherapy, special physical exercises, avoiding stress in the neck. 


HOW DO I GET RID OF THIS ?

Sometimes if all this methods are not working, it may be prescribed to go through the corticosteroid treatment to decrease the risk of inflammation. Sometimes the neck brace is used to lower the load and stress in the neck area of the spine.

The neck spine surgery is usually quite hard and serious operations and it is prescribed if the pain is really hard and no other non-surgery methods provide the positive effect.

 Among the other experimental treatment of the bulging disc in neck may be the laser therapy, acupuncture, although it is always better to talk to your doctor before starting any procedures. In case of the initial symptoms appearing, like for example the pain in the neck zone, it is better to go to the doctor and not to postpone it.

What is Herniated Disc?

WHAT ARE HERNIATED DISC AND REASONS FOR IT?


Herniated discs are as result of a health disorder referred to as spinal disc herniation resulting from trauma, lifting injuries or idiopathic causes due to a tear in the peripheral fibrous ring, of an invertebral disc. A disc is a cover that serves as a blinding between the invertebral bodies which reduces the shock as a result of movement of the spinal column.

 The discs have softer cores (nucleus pulposus).

Disc herniation is as a result of anomalous tearing or breakage of the softer core of the disc. Normally, disc herniation occurs between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae in the lower back. Significant disc herniation causes the tissue to press on the neighbouring spinal nerves that depart the spine at that point and may result to pain, hence, one of the major herniated disc symptoms are pain in the lower back.
The tear in the discs may result in secretion of inflammatory chemical mediators which may set off acute pain devoid of nerve root compression. Herniated disc symptoms are of a wide span depending on the where the herniation is situated and the soft tissues affected. They span from virtually little or no pain if the disc is the only tissue affected to severe discomfort on in the neck or low back region that spreads out to areas attended by the affected nerve roots.

Diagnosis is very difficult in initial stages as patients complain of indeterminate pains in the thighs, knees and feet. In early stages herniated disc symptoms are misleading since the affected persons my think that they are suffering from leg-affecting complications.

Other symptoms are numbness in affected areas; muscular weakness; tingling; paresthesia; paralysis; and affection of reflexes. People with L3 and L5 may suffer from erectile dysfunction due to the tissues involved with the  muscle.

Herniated discs are as result of a health disorder referred to as spinal disc herniation resulting from trauma, lifting injuries or idiopathic causes due to a tear in the peripheral fibrous ring, of an invertebral disc. A disc is a cover that serves as a blinding between the invertebral bodies which reduces the shock as a result of movement of the spinal column.

The discs have softer cores (nucleus pulposus).

Disc herniation is as a result of anomalous tearing or breakage of the softer core of the disc. Normally, disc herniation occurs between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae in the lower back. Significant disc herniation causes the tissue to press on the neighbouring spinal nerves that depart the spine at that point and may result to pain, hence, one of the major herniated disc symptoms are pain in the lower back.
The tear in the discs may result in secretion of inflammatory chemical mediators which may set off acute pain devoid of nerve root compression. Herniated disc symptoms are of a wide span depending on the where the herniation is situated and the soft tissues affected. They span from virtually little or no pain if the disc is the only tissue affected to severe discomfort on in the neck or low back region that spreads out to areas attended by the affected nerve roots.

Diagnosis is very difficult in initial stages as patients complain of indeterminate pains in the thighs, knees and feet. In early stages herniated disc symptoms are misleading since the affected persons my think that they are suffering from leg-affecting complications.

Other symptoms are numbness in affected areas; muscular weakness; tingling; paresthesia; paralysis; and affection of reflexes. People with L3 and L5 may suffer from erectile dysfunction due to the tissues involved with the p muscle.

Friday 28 June 2013

Exercises for Bulging Disc Treatment Works?

Bulging Disc Treatment

Having a bulging disc can be something that will provide a significant amount of discomfort and pain. The unfortunate truth however, is that millions of people all over the world
suffer from this pain on a regular basis, and right now doctors  and scientists do not have a foolproof answer for it. However, if you take some responsibility yourself, then you should be able to find a bulging disc treatment that will provide you with some relief and sort out the problem for good.


One of the first things you may want to do is to address the specific symptoms you are suffering from to get some relief from the pain and discomfort that you are experiencing. Modern medicine and therapy will offer you plenty of different ways of treating the symptoms that you suffer from.

However, most of these treatments will not actually act as a true cure, but will simply supply some initial relief from the symptoms that you are suffering from. They do not sort out the core problem of your herniated disc, and therefore without a bulging disc treatment to get right to the core of the problem, it is only going to reoccur in the future.

As such, it is important that you find the exact cause of the problem so that you can work out the specific treatment that you will require. In the main, a bulging disc is caused by any one of numerous damaging factors to the spine. The disc that is damaged will be in any one of four stages of severity that will cause different symptoms.
bulging disc treatment which is caused by the pressure on disc

Bulging Disc Treatment gives pain Your spinal cord 


Essentially, the pain caused by your bulging disc or your herniated disc is a symptom of whatever stage the disc is in, and therefore you need to discover exactly what stage it is in. Once you have done this you can follow a course of treatment that will sort out the problem for good.

The Healthy Back Institute is one of the best back injury recovery web sites available. Check out the video below and the related exercise videos.

All in all, there are all sorts of treatments that you can consider in order to address the problem. 


A simple chiropractic adjustment might be able to address the issue and give you some relief in the short term, but ongoing exercises or physical therapy is likely to be needed to both alleviate and keep the problem from returning both in the same or a different disc.

What many people do not consider or realize that is critical to recover from back injuries is practicing good posture. With a herniated disc this is critical because poor posture habits will cause undue pressure to be put on the damaged disc making the pain worse and increasing recovery time.
herniated disc exercises picture from bulgingdisc.blogspot.com
BULGING DISC EXERCISES PREFERRED 

Be sure to bend your legs and keep your back straight when lifting even light objects from the floor. 


Hold any relatively heavy object tucked in close to your body when carrying it. 


If you have to sit upright for an extended period of time be sure to sit with back supported correctly with an appropriate chair or lumbar support cushion with thighs parallel to the floor, even if you have to use a stool to do so. 



Sleeping on your side or back on a quality mattress is essential for a herniated disc. 



And finally, for women, high heels should be avoided at all costs while bulging disc treatment is ongoing.


These are the activities that we do daily and for long periods of time that are actually the greatest determining factor of how quickly we recover from a herniated disc.

Most Effective Symptoms of Bulging Disc For Immediate Action

Bulging Disc Symptoms

Understanding the pain

What exactly is a bulging disc, and what are the main  symptoms that you will experience? 

Essentially, a  herniated disc is a general term that is used in order to 
describe an intervertebral disc within the spinal column that as in some way become damaged and is now pushing against the spaces in the back of the spine. Not all herniated discs are the same, and they can actually be classified into four different types. The classification of the different types of injured discs is done in sequence from least damaged the most damaged, and they go from bulging, prolapsed, extruded, and sequestered.

In order to understand the different symptoms that you will see with each of these different stages of a herniated disc, we need to consider exactly what they mean.

LET US SEE STAGES OF BULGING DISC :


First of all, a bulging disc 
symptoms of bulging disc are quite commonoccurs when the discs within our spine begin to weaken, and as such a small bulge will appear towards the outside of the disc. Due to the fact that the bulge is very small, this type of herniated disc rarely causes any significant symptoms and most people do not even know that they have the problem.



A prolapsed disc is the next stage and it is actually very similar to a bulging disc. The only real difference here is that the bulge will be a little bit larger, but it will still be contained within the internal wall of the intervertebral disc. It is at this point that symptoms may begin to be noticeable and bulging disc treatment may be considered.

The third stage of a herniated or bulged disc will be an extruded disc. At this stage the disc will actually tear through the tough outer shell and at this point the soft gel like center will push into the spinal space. If a lot of this gel manages to escape, it can cause compression to the nerves in the spinal-cord and you may begin to feel significant pain, weakness, or numbness. 

The last stage is the sequestered disc. At this point the gel center will have broken completely free of the disc and will be floating randomly within the spinal canal. Due to the fact that it is free, it is common to find that the symptoms actually begin to subside. Without the gel center pushing against the spine or pressing up against anything, pain at this point is likely reduced.

This video from Worksafebc.com is one of the best illustrations of what happens when a disk bulges or becomes herniated.
    
So what exactly causes a disc to bulge? Well, most of the time it can be very difficult to actually pinpoint the exact reason why any sort of herniated disc will occur due to the fact that its progression will be gradual, but there are a number of different risk factors that are associated with bulging discs.

SYMPTOMS OF BULGING DISC MOSTLY OBSERVED :

One of these symptoms for bulging disc is obesity, and the heavier you are the more likely you will be putting stress on your spine. Therefore your chances of experiencing a bulging disc will increase. 
A sedentary lifestyle is also a contributing factor, and if you fail to get sufficient amounts of exercise this can lead to weaken back muscles. 


Consequently, under these circumstances there is a higher chance of becoming injured. In addition, a simple injury such as a blow to the back or some sort of car accident can easily cause a herniated disc as well.

Of course, general aging is also a contributing factor, As people begin to get older their spinal structure will begin to weaken and as such the chances of having a problem will increase significantly.

So what exactly are the bulging disc has  symptoms that you will experience when you develop this condition? 

The main symptoms that you will experience will depend on the part of the spine where the injury has occurred.


 If the injury has occurred within your neck then you would feel significant pain in your arms, chest, neck, and hands depending upon the severity of the injury. 


If the injury had occurred in your lower back then pain would be felt in your lower back and legs.

If you are feeling any sort of ongoing discomfort in any area of your back then it is certainly advisable for you to immediately consult with your doctor. 

They will be the only ones in a position to give you a proper diagnosis so that you can move forward with an appropriate treatment to sort out the problem.

As such, it is important that you find the exact cause of the problem so that you can work out the specific treatment that you will require. In the main, a bulging disc is caused by any one of numerous damaging factors to the spine. The disc that is damaged will be in any one of four stages of severity that will cause different symptoms.