Herniated disc treatment
If you experience severe back pain problems, it is possible you could be suffering from a herniated disc. You may not know what this is, but a disc becomes herniated when a section of the central portion of the spine bulges out past the intervertebral disc via a tear or other problem. Often there is no set herniated disc treatment as the problem can fix itself within a few weeks if the patient takes anti-inflammatory drugs and rests so that the injury is not aggravated again. However, if the pain is not gone after twelve weeks, then this is when doctors will most likely consider surgical options. The reason for this is that it is not a good idea for people to stay on non-steroidal medications to help with the inflammation because they can often result in problems in the digestive tract as well as the cardiovascular system.
Often, before surgery is considered, a herniated disc treatment may be used and these are cortisone steroids. Instead of prescribing an oral dosage, the cortisone is injected directly into the site of the disc problem. This is something that is generally done over a period of time through a series of injections. The problem is that many doctors today recognize this as a short term solution to a long term problem. This means that although it can provide some relief to patients who are having a problem with a herniated disc, it is not something that will repair the problem. Not to mention the fact that for some people cortisone steroids could cause a number of problems and side effects.
Another type of herniated disc treatment that could be considered is massage therapy. While this is not a long term solution by itself, if used properly in conjunction with a set dosing regimen of anti-inflammatory drugs and rest, it is possible that your herniated disc could repair itself. In addition, during the massage therapy it may be that ice and heat are applied to the area to help the muscles in the back relax so that they can repair themselves more easily. Sometimes instead of massage therapy they might be able to relieve a lot of your symptoms through a type of physical therapy that works to make sure that the lumbar is properly stabilized.
The last resort of herniated disc treatment is a surgical option. This is considered only if there have been no results from the other treatments. In fact, your doctor may consider a combination of the above listed treatment options before they decide to opt for surgery. If it does progress to the point where surgery is the only available option left, then you will need to have the herniated disc completely removed. This is done so that the area around the nerve that is being compressed can be relieved, and it can also help with those who have had such extensive herniated disc problems that they are now experiencing arthritis because of the disc. There are a variety of methods that can be used for this surgical herniated disc treatment, so you will need to talk to your doctor to find out which one will work best for your needs. If you do find yourself discussing surgery with your doctor be sure to ask them about their plans for recovery and recuperation times.
If you are someone who is suffering from a disc problem, then you will want to be sure that you go over all of the available herniated disc treatment options. This way you can be sure that the choice you make is the one that will most closely match up with your needs. You also need to mention to your doctor if this is a problem that has occurred before as that can affect the treatment outcome.
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