Disc herniations can bring about back pain and
leg pain for some. Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC welcomes those back pain sufferers due to
a disc herniation. Gentle, relieving treatment
without surgery is what we provide. La Grande back
pain patients are relieved when they find us!
DISC HERNIATION: Size, Weight, Sleep
What matters when a disc produces back
pain? Its size? Its weight? Its effect on quality of life? Spinal researchers have
produced data and documented that what the pain-producing disc looks like on imaging does
not really matter. The size and shape of an intervertebral
spinal disc’s protruded nucleus pulposus has no link to
a what a patient’s symptoms may be
or how a patient feels. (1) The weight of a disc fragment did not correlate
with the amount of time the symptoms lasted or severity
of pre- or post-operative leg pain nor post-operative leg pain or back pain improvement,
the percentage of space the disc occupied in the spinal canal, herniation classification, or vertebral level. The size
of the lumbar disc herniation didn’t have much effect on clinical
outcomes. (2) Chronic lower back pain and sciatica due to lumbar disc
herniation negatively impacted sleep quality. Treatment benefitted
patient perception of pain in visual analog scale (VAS) scores as well as
in the PSQI Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index scores. (3) Relieving
chiropractic treatment of a pain-producing disc involves
decreasing the risk of recurrent back pain episodes as well as decreasing
the pain of the current episode.
MANAGING BACK PAIN AND RISK OF ITS RECURRENCE
Once you have felt back pain related to a
disc herniation,
you don’t want it again! Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC gets
that and shares that managing - as conservatively as
possible - the disc herniation is more realistic than curing it.
6.05% of lumbar discectomy surgery patients experienced a re-current disc
herniation. What brought that on? On their own, factors
like age, BMI, current smoking status, heavy lifting, degenerative facet joint
disease, operation time, and the time it took to ambulate
after surgery impacted the risk of recurrent disc herniation.
Combined, older age, male sex, high body mass index (BMI), and early ambulation
were significant factors in the recurrence or a
lumbar disc herniation. Controlling weight, not lifting heavy
items, and exercising were suggested risk reducers. (4) One new
study reported that the amount of sedentary time probably did not increase
the chance of a new episode of low back pain
as much as the amount and type of physical activity. (5) Pain relief happens
more as a roller coaster than a straight hill to no pain. A
disc herniation is like a bruise on an apple making the apple (and
by comparison, the spine) never quite the same again. That is
where Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC comes in with a treatment plan that ensures
you understand the disc herniation, how
to nutritionally take care of it, how to exercise to return
it to strength and keep it strong, and how to do activities
of daily living to prevent (re)injury. A recent
systematic review of ways to approach the management
of back pain listed 10 approaches:
manipulation/mobilization, psychological/behavioral, advice to stay active/bed
rest, reassurance, antidepressants, NSAIDS, opioids, muscle relaxants, and
paracetamol. (6) Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC encourages walking, moving,
careful lifting, and especially being treated with gentle, safe, effective Cox®
Technic spinal manipulation!
CONTACT Paulette Hugulet, DC, LLC
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Robert Patterson on The Back Doctors Podcast with
Dr. Michael Johnson as he illustrates the realistic expectations
back pain patients can expect with The Cox® Technic System of Spinal
Pain Management.
Schedule your La Grande chiropractic
appointment now. Disc herniation sufferers are welcomed
to our practice for relief and a plan for controlling its future impact
on life.