All About: Disc Herniations In Your Low Back
If you're suffering from low back pain or leg pain, you might be wondering, could this be a low back disc herniation? And what does that even mean?
Check out Dr. Armstrong’s All about: Disc Herniations video to find out: 1. What they are 2. What it might look like if you're suffering from one, and 3. What you can do about it.
My name is Dr. Robin Armstrong. I'm a chiropractor at Willowbrook Chiropractic in Langley. And today I'm going to talk about lumbar or low back disc herniations, what they are, what it might look like if you're suffering from one, and what you can do about it.
Basic Anatomy:
The lower back or lumbar spine is made up of five vertebrae (bones).
In between each one of those bones is a disc, and that disc is made up rings of cartilage. In the middle of those discs is a jelly center.
If the rings of cartilage tear, either from one big injury or a series of small injuries, the disc can bulge out. This is a disc herniation.
Sometimes that bulge can put pressure on the nerve itself and create pain in the back or down the leg.
How do we know if you're suffering from a lumbar disc herniation?
The most definitive way is an MRI or a CT scan but those can take a long time to get and is often not necessary. Disc herniations are also very common, so you could see one on an MRI but it may not be the source of your pain.
There is a few signs & symptoms that may indicate a disc herniation is present:
Pain, burning, numbness or tingling, either just in the foot or in the back and/or down the thigh, side of the leg or calf.
Relief bending backward, and extra pain flexing forward.
Foot weakness - having a hard time bringing the foot up or down when you walk.
Increased soreness first thing in the morning and relief as the day goes on, especially with movement.
What can you do about it?
A proper history & exam - all the signs and symptoms above can be a disc herniation but could also be a number of other problems. No single test tells us if a disc herniation is present, but a combination of information can point us in that direction.
Find a pain relieving position - bending backward repeatedly can often be helpful.
Avoiding triggers like sitting for extended periods of time.
Be extra cautious with lifting, bending & twisting.
Treatment for Disc Herniations:
Good advice can really go a long way. The most important thing is to stop aggravating the disc so it can heal.
Hands on treatment from a chiropractor like mobilizing the joints of the spine, muscle work, and stretching has been shown to be very helpful. The idea is to calm down the nerves in the area, and give the disc the best chance to heal.
Once things have settled down, we can work to strengthen and stabilize the area so it doesn’t keep happening.
Surgery is actually very rare:
Not every diagnosis of a lumbar disc herniation means a trip to the surgeon, in fact that is quite rare.
We want to first try conservative care, the type of care that we offer at our office, and generally that is enough to solve the problem.
If we can’t solve then we can point you in the direction of someone who can.
If you are wondering if you have a disc herniation or other type of back pain, book an assessment with us below so we can help you figure out what is going on.
You might also be interested in our videos: All about:Sciatica; How to set up your workstation; Setting up your car to avoid low back pain or what to do when you have low back pain.
