Bulging discs are common, especially as people age. Unfortunately, a bulging disc can cause pain throughout the body and can even affect how you walk. One of the best ways to care for bulging discs is to schedule regular treatment appointments with a chiropractor. At My Hope Health & Wellness, we provide numerous chiropractic services to help reduce your pain and help you heal from a bulging disc. Read on to learn more about bulging discs and how we can help.
What is a Bulging Disc?
According to Dr. Smith at Penn Medicine, the spine is made up of vertebrae. There are also discs in between the vertebrae. These discs are rubbery and act as shock absorbers for the vertebrae. Dr. Smith notes that these discs are made up of a soft center called the nucleus pulposus, which is surrounded by a tougher band called the annulus fibrosus. Dr. Smith continues to explain that a bulging disc occurs when these discs start to sag downward. He compares this process to letting air out of a car tire.
So how do people get a bulging disc? This type of issue is common with age. It is a degenerative issue, so it can get worse as you get older. That being said, you don’t have to be old to have a bulging disc. There are many other ways to get bulging discs, including heavy lifting, bad posture, obesity, or high contact sports. Typically, more than one disc in the back will be bulging at once. Read on to learn about symptoms to look out for when it comes to a bulging disc.
Symptoms of a Bulging Disc
The scary thing about bulging discs is that sometimes there are no symptoms at all. You could have multiple disc issues and not feel a thing. The pain and sensations come into play when the bulging affects a nearby nerve. Common bulging disc symptoms include tingling in various parts of the body like the fingers, pain in the back, buttocks, and legs, or difficulty walking like you normally do. Occasionally, a bulging disc will affect the sciatic nerve leading to shooting pain down the legs. In addition, bladder issues can sometimes occur if the disc is pressing up against the nerves that control the bladder. When it comes to a bulging disc, symptoms can range from nothing at all to fairly extreme.
If you suspect you might have a bulging disc, it is time to visit your doctor. It is hard to diagnose a bulging disc on symptoms alone. It will be necessary to get an X-ray, CT scan, or MRI to fully assess the spine. Visiting your doctor will also help rule out other medical conditions that might cause back pain. It is essential to seek out medical care as quickly as possible if you suspect a bulging disc. This issue can progress into a herniated disc, which is often much more painful. A herniated disc is when the inner part of the disc breaks through the outer layer. Often this leads to irritation in the surrounding spinal nerves. A herniated disc can be very painful and sometimes even requires surgery.
How Can a Chiropractor Help?
Getting chiropractic care for bulging discs is a natural way to help these discs heal. Often, doctors will recommend anti-inflammatory medications and steroids to help bulging discs. These are also great options, but it is important for patients to try chiropractic care as well. When you come to see us at My Hope Health & Wellness, we will first discuss your medical history, symptoms, levels of pain, and potential causes for the bulging discs. Next, we will recommend chiropractic adjustments to help heal the discs. We will focus on the areas of the spine where the bulging is occurring. We will also adjust the spine in order to relieve symptoms and allow your discs to heal.
In addition to adjustments, we also use a non-surgical, anti-gravity, spinal decompression chair to help patients with bulging discs. Patients sit on the seat of a chair, which is then lowered. This allows for there to be no weight-bearing load on the discs in your back. It instantly takes the pressure off of the discs, creating space for them to heal, thus relieving pain. We typically start out giving our patients the decompression therapy 3-4 times per week. Each session is about 8-12 minutes long. In addition to the anti-gravity chair, we will also provide techniques like electrical muscle stimulation, ultrasound, or therapeutic lasers to further promote healing. Studies show that decompression therapy provides relief to patients just after a few sessions.
After receiving spinal adjustments and decompression therapy, your chiropractor will recommend exercises that you can do to make sure the discs keep healing. These exercises will help you regain control and strength of the stabilization muscles. The key to chiropractic care being successful in healing bulging discs is for you to consistently schedule appointments and do the assigned exercises at home.
Chiropractic Care: Natural Healing for a Bulging Disc
Chiropractic care is a natural way to heal bulging discs. A bulging disc can be caused by many things, including aging, injuries, bad posture, heavy lifting, and more. Some people will experience no symptoms, while others will be in a lot of pain and have tingling sensations. It all depends on how the disc interacts with the surrounding spinal nerves. At My Hope Health & Wellness, we can help heal your bulging discs. Through spinal adjustments and decompression therapy, we help take the pressure off your discs to relieve pain. Additionally, we will recommend exercises to do at home to help strengthen your back and avoid future bulging disc issues.
If you have been diagnosed with bulging discs or suspect that you have them, give us a call. We will schedule an appointment for you to come in for a consultation so that we can create a treatment plan and begin your healing process as soon as possible. For more information about how we treat bulging discs, contact My Hope Health & Wellness today. Make an appointment at our Stuart office, West Palm Beach office, or Palm Beach Gardens office. We look forward to seeing you soon!
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