Chiropractic for disc injuries

Anyone who has had a ‘slipped disc’ knows this is how it feels

Disc injuries are one of the most common issues that chiropractors see. You may have heard of the term ‘slipped disc’ which is really common language for a disc bulge. Whilst discs don’t generally slip, they can most certainly tear, bulge and leak out causing back pain and sciatica.

What makes up a disc?

Discs are connective tissue that sit in between the bones in your spine, acting as shock absorbers. At the core of the disc is a tooth-paste like material called the nucleus pulposis. Surround the nucleus are fibrous rings called the annulus fibrosis. The annular fibres can become damaged over time, allowing the nucleus to start leaking through. In the beginning this process can be painless, but once the leaking starts to reach the outer fibres, there may be pain. Once the nucleus and broken through the surface of the disc it can put pressure on spinal nerves or the spinal cord itself. This may cause excruciating pain, tingling, numbness or weakness in the back or legs. It can even cause bowel or bladder issues (note: if bowel or bladder issues develop suddenly, without explanation, please go to your local hospital).

Common causes of disc injury

There are many causes of disc injuries. Here are the most common that we see:

• Poor or repetitive lifting and handling often involving bending and twisting.
• Repetitive long periods of sitting, often with poor posture.

The process of the injury often builds up slowly without you knowing, and then suddenly after a simple bend (for example, bending over your bathroom sink in the morning), you feel excruciating pain.

How Ryde Chiropractic can help disc injuries

We first need to determine whether it is a disc issue, as other problems can cause similar symptoms (see sciatica). If we have determined that it is a disc injury, we aim to decrease pain as much as possible, introduce strategies to decrease inflammation whist still keeping you mobile. We work on improving the mobility of the spine with spinal adjustments and release muscle spasm in the area. Home advice and specific exercise is very important so that you do not make your problem worse and help you manage the problem. As the pain lessens we will provide more exercises to re-condition the spine and improve your day to day habits so that the chance of recurrence are as low for you as possible.

YOUR CONSULTATION FOR DISC INJURIES

Get started by discovering if the cause of your pain is from a disc injury and get on the road to recovery with hands on chiropractic treatment.

Your Consultation:

In this full consultation,  Dr. Anthony Leong (Chiropractor) will carefully listen to your problems and how they affect you, get a complete picture of your current health concerns, and answer any of your questions.

Dr. Anthony (Chiropractor) will then complete an orthopaedic, neurological and chiropractic examination and if necessary, refer you for further medical imaging.  He will then assess your examination findings overnight to discuss them with you at your second appointment.  Usually your first appointment will include chiropractic treatment to help you move and feel better.

Talk to us today

We often help with disc injury. Find out how by getting in contact with Ryde Chiropractic today.