How do herniated discs occur and what are the best treatment options?

“Ouch….I’ve slipped a disc!” 

Low back pain affects over 80% of the population at some point in their lives and it’s the second most popular reason for visiting the GP after the common cold. It comes in many guises but a herniated or ‘slipped’ disc is one of the easiest things to succumb to and is one of the most difficult types of back pain to relieve. 

This article examines the ways in which herniated discs can occur and explains the treatment options available to help patients get back to their usual daily activities.

Contrary to popular belief, slipped discs are not just common to people who do manual work involving heavy lifting: many office-based workers succumb to disc problems as a result of sitting in one position for too long, putting pressure on the disc walls so that they weaken over time.

The spine is made up of 24 individual bones called vertebrae which are stacked on top of each . Discs are the protective circular pads of connective tissue in between - the ‘padding’ which acts as shock absorbers, protecting the spine when we run or jump.

We cause small weaknesses in our spine all day long with prolonged sitting or standing in certain positions, for example at workstations or hunched over the ironing board.

The intervertebral discs are unlike other parts of the body in the sense that they have a limited nerve supply.

Very often we are not aware of the discs being under strain until the accumulation of months or years of stress has reached a point where small tears form in the outer disc wall. These tears can result in several months of nagging discomfort.

As a defence-mechanism against further damage, the body will often react to this situation with muscle spasm or at the very least, ‘muscle guarding’ which is when the long muscles of the spine tighten up. This causes compression of the discs and a lack of mobility in the spine. 

If this situation prevails, the tears can very often become worse and allow the inner jelly like part of the disc – the nucleus – to herniate outwards. This is referred to as a herniated, bulging or ‘slipped’ disc.

Disc problems can also cause pain in other areas of the body, the most common of which is sciatica, a grinding pain which travels down the length of the leg.  Sciatica can be caused by the bulging part of the disc squashes the nerve root next to the disc or when chemicals from a prolapsed disc irritate the nerve endings.  

Neck pain, headaches or numbness in the foot can also be a sign of a damaged disc. So, what are your options for treatment?

Your first port of call should always be a good osteopath, physiotherapist or chiropractor who will have experience in treating disc-related problems. With this type of manual therapy in most cases you should see a marked improvement in your condition in 6-8 weeks.

At the same time, if you are in so much pain that you can’t sleep then your GP can prescribe you painkillers and/or anti-inflammatory medicines which can be taken alongside physical treatment.

If you see no real sign of improvement after eight weeks of manual therapy, it would be advisable to get an MRI scan of your spine to confirm the possible causes of your pain and the location (level) of the spine affected.

If a disc problem is identified, a programme of treatment including IDD Therapy non-surgical spinal decompression may be recommended.

IDD Therapy is a computer-controlled mechanical treatment used by clinicians to gently and safely relieve pressure on specific discs, alleviate muscle spasm and increase mobility in the spine.
 
As part of the IDD Therapy programme, patients undergo a course of core-strengthening exercise to help them maintain their healthy spine.

In a small number of cases, patients with severe disc damage/degeneration may require invasive treatments including injections and/or surgery. Also, in rare circumstances, the patient may require immediate surgery, for example, when the bowel and bladder function is affected.

There are different types of surgery for a herniated disc, the most common is the microdiscectomy where fragments of the disc may be cut away.

Another common type of spinal surgery is the lumbar fusion where the vertebrae surrounding a disc are fused together.

Thus, there are now several treatment options available to patients with herniated discs and indeed, a wider array of effective non-surgical options allowing more patients to avoid invasive procedures.

Robert Shanks BSc (Hons) Ost
Clinical Director
Spine Plus
Tel: 020 8501 0937
www.SpinePlus.co.uk
Spine Plus is a group of multidisciplinary clinics in London and Essex

For more details about IDD Therapy or to find your nearest IDD clinic, call Steadfast Clinics on 01279 602030 or visit www.SteadfastClinics.co.uk

Hereford back pain sufferer finally cured after 20 years with IDD Therapy

"My life was ruled by back pain...until IDD Therapy Spinal Decompression came to my rescue."

56 year old Steve Moore of Avenue Landscapes, Hereford suffered for 20 years with severe back pain which overshadowed all aspects of his life.  He explains:

“The pain I suffered was unbearable at times and it had a negative impact on my life in general.  I have a very physical job as a landscape gardener so the spasms I suffered affected the way I worked; my body was very stiff and I wasn’t able to bend forward without support so this made strenuous tasks such as digging and putting up fences very difficult.”

Over the years Steve tried several manual treatments including chiropractic, acupuncture and massage therapy.  The treatments helped him but the therapeutic effects were only ever temporary.

“The treatments I got from the chiropractor, acupuncturist and sports massage therapist seemed to relax my spine at the time but after a day or two I would feel the spasms returning and once again my back would tense up and I’d be afraid to move.”

In November 2011 Steve’s condition worsened and as well as the pain in his lower back, he began to get pain across the middle of his spine, in his ribs and a sciatic pain radiating down his thighs.

“Suddenly, over a period of a few weeks, my pain seemed to travel into other parts of my back and I began to get shooting pains down my thighs.”

Steve’s sports therapist suggested that he visit Leominster Osteopaths as the clinic was offering a non-surgical back pain treatment called IDD Therapy which might be able to help him.

“In January 2012 I went to Leominster Osteopaths; they arranged an MRI scan which showed that I had scoliosis (curvature of the spine) and several disc bulges which were pressing on some nerves in my spine.”

Steve was advised that the safest and most appropriate way to treat his condition would be a series of IDD Therapy treatments.

Back pain conditions are usually located at a particular level of the spine.  IDD Therapy is a mechanical treatment which uses gentle and precise computer-controlled pulling forces to safely distract (draw apart) targeted segments of the spine, taking pressure off specific discs and relieving muscle spasm.

“I felt relieved when I was told that my condition could be treated with IDD Therapy.  I had to be patient as the improvement was very gradual but with every session I became more mobile and was in less pain.

At the end of the programme I was completely free of pain - and two years later, I’m still amazed that can do my job and live my life without anything holding me back.”

Clinic Director Mark Roughley is delighted with the positive impact IDD Therapy has made on both his clinic and his patients.  He says:

“We’ve been treating patients with IDD Therapy for three years now.  If we didn’t have IDD, many of these patients would probably resort to invasive treatments such as injections or surgery.

IDD Therapy has finally enabled us to offer our patients an effective non-invasive treatment option.  IDD isn’t the answer to all back pain problems, but overall, our disc patients in particular, have seen a distinct and lasting improvement with the treatment.  

From a personal perspective, it’s extremely gratifying to know that we have been able to help them.”

For more details about back pain treatments including IDD Therapy at Leominster Osteopaths, please cal 01568 610610 or  visit www.LeominsterOsteopaths.co.uk 

IDD Therapy is available in clinics across the UK.  For details of your nearest provider please contact Steadfast Clinics on 0345 625 2566 or visit www.IDDTherapy.eu