Suffering From A Herniated Disc?
Disc degeneration is a natural part of the aging process. As gravity pulls you down, you continue to age, and injuries catch up to you, degenerative processes begin. As a matter of fact, degeneration of the spine often begins before you’re even 30 years old! And when back pain appears and you head into your primary care provider to get it checked out, an MRI is often the first step.
If you’ve had an MRI of your spine, your jaw probably dropped when you finally got the report. It can be scary when you see that multiple levels of your spine have disc bulges, degenerative changes, and herniations. But just because various levels of your spine aren’t perfect, it doesn’t mean that they’re all causing pain, and research has shown that you’re most likely in the right place at Ascent Chiropractic!
Discs Aren’t Always The Source Of Pain
The truth is, you can have various degrees of disc bulges and herniations that don’t cause pain. In fact, I recently had a patient who was told that his back pain was the result of the L5 disc herniation seen on his MRI, but multiple corticosteroid shots weren’t helping at all.
But while there was a legitimate disc and lumbosacral junction issue that needed to be addressed, his pain was coming from a completely different problem in his sacroiliac joint. It was only once we started correcting the actual root of the problem that he finally found relief.
My job is to perform a careful examination and determine which, if any, of your discs, are causing pain, numbness, or weakness. And if it is a disc bulge or herniation that’s causing pain, the combination of chiropractic treatment and soft tissue therapy that we do at Ascent Chiropractic may be exactly what you’re looking for.
What The Evidence Says
Over 90% of patients with disc herniations reported being better or much better following chiropractic care within the first two weeks of receiving adjustments. Over 55% of patients report significant improvement after just one visit!
The good news is, you don’t have to rely on medications, injections, or surgeries to get back your quality of life. Medications and injections, while allowing you to get back to your normal activities, tend to mask the problem and can have less-than-desirable long-term side effects.
Chiropractic First, Drugs Second, Surgery Last
Unfortunately, most of us know someone who has gone through spinal surgery and has never been the same. They may have gone into surgery hoping for a quick fix to reverse 20, 30, or 40 years of neglect, but come out the same or worse than they began. Some people even go through multiple surgeries on a constant hunt to get back their quality of life. Although surgery may be the best option for some severe types of disc herniations, even surgeons will tell you it should be a last resort!
The fact is, research has shown that surgery usually isn’t the best way to improve your quality of life when you have a disc herniation. For most types of disc herniations, chiropractic treatment has been shown to provide just as much relief as surgery, without any of the risks. Surgery is always the last resort, never the first option. Our bodies are designed to heal, even from disc herniations!
Next Steps
Share this with a friend or family member who recently had an MRI of their spine, or are experiencing back or neck pain. They may be scared and unsure of what to do next. However, once they’re able to understand what’s really going on with their condition, and that conservative care is their best primary option, it’s a lot easier to make a smart decision about their health!
At Ascent Chiropractic we’re committed to not just relieving your low back pain but to correcting it’s cause and optimizing your body to function better than it ever has before. Our unique, low-force, evidence-based approach to treatment allows us to correct spinal biomechanics, restore normal function, and get you out of pain and on the road back to optimal health. Don’t want chronic disc pain and spinal degeneration to be part of your future? Schedule an appointment by calling us at 262-345-4166 or use our online scheduling app.
