Herniated discs are one of the most common of all spinal abnormalities blamed for causing potentially severe and chronic back pain nyc in multitudes of suffering patients each year.  While herniations can be problematic in the short term for a minority of patients, they are rarely responsible for causing the long term or excruciating pain that is inherent to their fearsome reputation. 

Herniated discs are the most common of all spinal irregularities.  They are diagnosed in untold numbers of people, both with and without back pain nyc.  Herniations have become the bread and butter of the back pain nyc industry and even enjoy a plethora of colorful nomenclature attached to their diagnosis.  The most common terms associated with disc pathologies include: disc herniation, bulging disc, ruptured disc, prolapsed disc, disc protrusion, slipped disc, collapsed disc and degenerated disc.  While these terminologies might have some circumstantial differences to some care providers, they are often used interchangeably, much to the confusion of the affected patient.

Herniated discs are theorized to create back pain nyc through several distinct processes.  The most common of these causations is called foraminal stenosis.  This condition is often termed a pinched nerve.  Foraminal stenosis occurs when a herniation bulges into the neuroforaminal opening, impinging on the nerve root exiting the spine at that vertebral level.  While this process can indeed exist, it is diagnosed far more often than it truly occurs.  In order for the herniated disc to significantly affect the neurological functionality of the nerve root, the neuroforamen would have to be almost completely sealed off, which is a very rare event.  This diagnosis is commonly made even when there is no evidence that the herniation even touches the nerve root in question; forget about actually compressing it…

Spinal stenosis is the second most common disorder blamed on herniated discs.  Spinal stenosis describes a condition in which the herniation pushes against the actual spinal cord or cauda equina, limiting full neurological functionality from the entire spinal structure.  Spinal stenosis can be a very serious problem and might lead to such devastating symptoms as cauda equina syndrome.  Once again however, the diagnosis of spinal stenosis from a bulging disc is made very often, while the actual condition rarely ever exists, except in cases of extreme spinal trauma.  Typically, the herniated disc might come in contact with the membrane surrounding the spinal cord and spinal fluid.  A disc bulge touching this membrane does not mean that any effect will be passed along to the neurological function of the spinal cord.  In fact, many herniations impinge on the thecal sac completely unknown to an affected person, since the disc condition creates no symptoms whatsoever.

Chemical radiculitis is a less typical diagnosis commonly associated with severe annular tears in the outer disc wall or complete disc ruptures.  The interior of the intervertebral disc (called the nucleus pulposus) contains proteins which might cause nerve irritation in some individuals.  When the nucleus spills out of the disc structure, this protein can affect local nerve tissue, enacting radicular pain in the immediate area and the regions of the body served by the irritated nerve structure.  This is a somewhat controversial diagnosis, since many people experience full disc ruptures, yet have no pain at all.  It seems that only some people might be sensitive enough to suffer from considerable lasting pain after a chemical radiculitis event occurs.

Finally, discogenic pain is the last and least common of all diagnoses.  Discogenic means that the pain comes from the disc structure itself.  While the disc has no nerve endings or blood supply of its own, it is attached to the neighbor vertebrae by cartilaginous endplates which do contain tiny nerves.  It is these small nerves which are implicated in discogenic pain conditions, although most doctors who make the diagnosis are not always sure why the nerves hurt to begin with.  This diagnosis is certainly on very shaky ground in most instances…

Ironically, although herniated discs are blamed for a tremendous amount of pain, they are rarely the actual symptomatic source.  Most disc herniations are merely coincidental to any pain experienced and actually exist in a vast number of people who have no pain at all.  Generally, herniations due to trauma will most likely cause pain for a short time, although this discomfort might be severe.  Luckily, this condition usually resolves in 6 to 8 weeks, even without any medical treatment.  Herniations which exist due to the normal degenerative processes in the spine, such as the laughably named degenerative disc disease, are rarely painful, even in the short term.  Most of these degenerative induced bulges are not even discovered till many years later, since they raise no warning signs, cause no pain and exist innocently in the spine.  The possibility that any herniated disc might cause pain for months, years or even decades is highly unlikely.  Unfortunately, the mythology surrounding disc conditions, as well as the considerable nocebo effect of the diagnostic process, have both contributed to the current epidemic of disc related back pain nyc. 

As a final thought, remember that herniated discs are a huge industry in the medical sector.  Doctors, chiropractors, complementary therapists, drug manufacturers, pharmaceutical suppliers, orthotic makers and a variety of other entities all profit hugely from disc pain.  If the reality of the average herniated disc ever became common knowledge, the viability of this extremely profitable business niche would be decimated.  Therefore, do not count on the diagnosis of disc herniations as a major source of pain decreasing any time soon…

There are various treatment options for a herniated disc, the last option should be herniated disc surgery. A herniated disc is caused when the vertebral disc is injured and sticks out to the spinal canal, placing pressure on the nerve roots. The inner component of the disc seeps out and places more pressure on the nerve roots or spinal cord creating acute pain thus indicating the occurrence of the herniated disc.
A herniated disc which places pressure upon the sciatic nerve, results in what is termed sciatic pain. This pain is felt from the hip down through the legs. Herniated discs without fragmentation cannot be easily detected by normal X-ray procedures, but rather identified clearly by CT (Computer Tomography) scan or MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). In most cases, a herniated disc will improve simply with bed rest- and a basic course of medication. This obviously depends on the severity of the herniated disc, and the condition of health of the patient suffering from the conditions. If the pain persists after 6 – 8 weeks, and is near unbearable, then the doctor or physician should recommend herniated disc surgery as a last resort.
The herniated disc surgeon should perform a thorough analysis and diagnosis of the exact reasons for one’s herniated disc . The main goal of any herniated disc surgery is to relieve the pressure being placed on the nerve caused by the rupturing of the disc in the spine. The most common surgical approach is a discectomy, or partial discectomy.
With a discectomy, the surgery is performed under general anesthetic and normally does not last much longer than 1 hour. The herniated disc surgeon begins the procedure with an incision at the center part of the patients back. For this reason it is crucial that the patient is lying with his or her face down during the procedure. The herniated disc surgeon will next cut open the muscles which surround the spine to clearly see the damaged area and remove small bone ligaments from the spine. This part of the procedure is medically termed a laminotomy.
Once the selected ligaments have been removed from the spine, the herniated disc surgeon will be able to see the spinal nerves, and then make the appropriate decision and action to protect it from the herniated disc. Depending on the complexity of the herniated disc, more fragments may be removed to prevent a future disc herniation occuring. Once the herniated disc surgery is completed, the surgeon will close the wound, and apply bandages.
In most cases of herniated disc surgery, the patient will wake up from the anaesthetic with almost no remaining symptoms of the herniated disc- which is obviously initially a mssive relief. A sometimes more effective and less invasive type of herniated disc surgery is an endoscopic microdiscectomy. This is essentially the same process as the open discectom, but a smaller incision is made, and in most cases a quicker recovery time is observed. This would be recommended for patients who have less of a recovery time available to them.
In deciding which method of treating a herniated disc, the advice of a recommended doctor and physician is vital. Surgery is definitely not the best option for all sufferers of a herniated disc- and can be a far too aggressive option for the majority of sufferers of a herniated disc. It is always advised to try medication and physical therapy before contemplating herniated disc surgery as an option in curing the condition.

Spinal decompression for herniated discs is a modern approach to an ancient back pain nyc treatment modality.  Spinal decompression is a non-surgical therapy which demonstrates very good curative results for herniated and degenerated intervertebral discs.

Spinal decompression is a growth sector within the established back pain nyc treatment industry.  Many orthopedists, chiropractors and other types of care providers are investing themselves in decompression technology.  Spinal decompression offers care givers a chance to break the cycle of symptomatic back pain nyc treatment and provide patients with a hope for a real and lasting cure for verified disc related pain syndromes.   Unlike the vast majority of traditional, complementary and alternative disc therapy options, which must be continued long term in order to remain effective, spinal decompression is finite in duration and generally enacts ongoing relief. 

There are many spinal decompression systems available with similar technologies vying for market share.  The most popular form of modern decompression is surely the DRX9000 unit, manufactured by Axiom Worldwide.  The 2 main competitors to the DRX system are the VAX-D, manufactured by Vax-D Medical Technologies, LLC and the AccuSpina System, developed by North American Medical Corp.  There are some differences between the systems and the protocols for treatment, but all work on the same general principles to provide pain relief.  Other forms of less technological spinal decompression include traditional medical traction, Cox Technic chiropractic and inversion therapy.

Spinal decompression works by gently stretching the spine and creating a vacuum effect in the intervertebral spaces.  This helps ease bulging discs back into place, taking pressure off possibly painful herniations.   Decompression also aids in taking stress off degenerated discs, helping to restore disc height and diameter in many patients.  Spinal decompression also helps to optimize the neuroforaminal openings, fighting off some possible sources of foraminal stenosis.  Finally, spinal decompression has shown positive results in treating some cases of facet syndrome and other types of spinal osteoarthritis.

Most patients should exhaust all more economical measures before considering spinal decompression.  This treatment is not cheap, but may be partially or totally covered by many major forms of health insurance.  Spinal decompression should definitely be a serious thought for patients facing any type of invasive herniated disc surgery.  Spinal surgery is a risky proposition and does not enjoy a very good reputation, based on usually poor curative results.  Remember, surgery is always still an option if decompression does not relieve your pain…

Spinal decompression generally takes about 1 month to complete.  The patient will often have to go to the care facility for treatment almost every day for the duration of the therapy.   Most treatment sessions take 30 to 45 minutes and may be supplemented by additional practices, such as TENS, hydrotherapy, ultrasonic heat or massage.  Once the treatment is complete, the patient should not have to return for treatment in the future, but some patients may find an occasional touch up may reinforce the permanency of the results. 

Spinal decompression is spreading all across the world as a viable noninvasive option for patients with diagnosed disc related pain and some forms of spinal arthritis.  The risks are low and the relief is real.  Best of all, there are none of the unpleasantries, functional limitations or tissue damage enacted by surgical interventions.  To learn more about spinal decompression, contact a qualified decompression care provide near you or talk to your doctor for additional information.