Herniated Disc: What It Is and How to Deal With It

A disc herniation is by far one of the most common injuries that can occur in one’s lifetime. Typically it happens without thinking while bending down and twisting to pick up an item from the floor. Some people describe it as a pop and then sharp pain in their low back and burning pain down one or both legs. Others say they don’t feel it until the next day and describe sharp pain when they wake up in the morning. Disc herniations happen frequently but what can be done about them and what can you do to treat them? 

Discs are structures that sit between the bones of your spine. Essentially, these discs act as shock absorbers to the spine and properly distribute pressure across our bones. When we load the back with movement, the pressure added to the spine is redistributed across the two primary disc structures, the nucleus pulposus and the annulus fibrosus. The nucleus pulposus is a water, gel-like substance that deforms when we load the spine against the annulus fibrosus which offers resistance against inner disc movement and herniation. 

Disc herniations occur when repetitive load and too much load is added to the discs and the annulus fibrosus cannot contain the deformation of the nucleus that naturally occurs. Typically, this injury is more common in the more hydrated discs of younger individuals. Twisting while bending down seems to be the most common movement that causes this type of stress to the discs especially in the low back. In some cases the disc material can bulge against the nerve roots from our spinal cord and cause pain or numbness and tingling down the legs and arms. The pain felt with these injuries can be from the disc itself or from the inflammation response that occurs to the injury which can also cause referred pain at the nerve roots. 

So you think you may have a disc issue but what can you do about it? Thankfully, most disc bulges are treatable without the need of drugs or surgery! According to research on individuals with a MRI-confirmed disc herniation causing sciatic-like pain, 83% of individuals had complete pain and symptom reduction and a decrease in disc bulge size of about 64 percent with convervative treatment! One of the most effective forms of treatment for these types of injuries is the McKenzie Method of end-range loading, a common type of therapy we use here at Indy Muscle and Joint! This therapy utilizes specific movements to change the position of that gel-like nucleus within the disc to reduce pain and increase movement. Dry needling can also help reduce symptoms caused by disc related pain. Studies indicate that dry needling and acupuncture reduce pain for individuals suffering from disc bugles with and without sciatic-like sx.

Do you know someone suffering from disc pain in the form of a bulge or herniation? Give us a call! We would be happy to work with you and provide relief to get you back to living your best life. Call or schedule an appointment today! 

Alec Domjan, DC

Works Cited

Benson RT, Tavares SP, Robertson SC, Sharp R, Marshall RW. Conservatively treated massive prolapsed discs: a 7-year follow-up. Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2010;92(2):147-153. 

Mahmoudzadeh A, Rezaeian ZS, Karimi A, Dommerholt J. The effect of dry needling on the radiating pain in subjects with discogenic low-back pain: A randomized control trial. J Res Med Sci. 2016;21:86. Published 2016 Oct 18. doi:10.4103/1735-1995.192502