In a study of people who had sciatica caused by a herniated disc, the chances of having no symptoms or almost no symptoms 3 months to 2 years later was a little higher with surgery than with non-surgical treatment. But overall, most people felt better with or without surgery.
Most people with a slipped disc in the lumbar region of their spine (lower back) are offered “conservative” treatment, meaning that the treatment does not involve surgery. This mainly involves exercise, relaxation and positioning, painkillers or local anesthetics, and manual and physical therapy.
Microdiscectomy is a surgical procedure for the relief of pain and other symptoms that occur when a herniated disc in the spine presses on an adjacent nerve root. During the operation, the surgeon frees the nerve by removing small fragments of disc, bone and ligament.
Herniated spinal discs are fairly common. Fortunately, surgery is not typically required for a herniated disc. In fact, only about 10 percent of herniated disc patients end up needing surgery, according to research cited by Harvard Health.
Living with a herniated disc
Most people who have a herniated disc are better in about 4 weeks. Sometimes it takes longer. If you still have pain or numbness after 4 to 6 weeks, or if you feel worse, talk with your doctor. Sometimes it takes surgery to relieve pain.
L4-L5 disc bulge, slipped disc, spondylosis, bone-spur, and joint pain is treatable without injections or surgery. Avoid the L4-L5 surgery by opting for our corrective non-surgical treatment to fix and repair spinal discs and joints.
The good news is the discomfort associated with this type of disc-related damage doesn't necessarily last forever. In fact, the protruding disc itself may subside or heal itself under the right conditions. Take a moment to learn more about what to expect from a bulging disc over time.
What causes a bulging disc to flare up? Generally, the same mechanism of injury that causes the disc bulge or herniated disc is the same mechanism or activity that causes the bulging disc to flare up. In the vast majority of cases, these are forward bending or flexion type activities.
If you don't want to re-herniate a disc, you should always position your body so that your legs take the brunt of the strain. Don't hunch your back when sitting for extended periods, while standing, or while walking. Such poor posture places additional pressure on your discs. Try not to sleep on your stomach.
If you leave a herniated disc untreated, you may experience intense, sharp pains, partial paralysis, or the inability to control bowel movements in relatively dire situations.
Bulging discs can be treated by physiotherapy through a few different techniques. What happens in your appointment: In your first appointment, your physiotherapist will assess your body, your movement and your pain. Information and education to understand your bulging disc through scans/x-rays (if you have one).
Some common symptoms that come from bulging discs are pain and tingling throughout the entire upper body, muscle spasms, and lower back discomfort or pain. If you suffer with this condition, then a chiropractor may be able to fix a bulging disc and relieve your pain.
In some cases, surgery may be required to fix a herniated disc. However, bulging discs more often heal on their own over time, and surgery isn't needed. Your doctor can perform a neurological exam to test your muscle strength, reflexes, and walking ability.
Walking is a gentle form of exercise that has the potential to be beneficial if you have a bulging or herniated spinal disc. We explain why below. Walking isn't too strenuous, which is one reason it tends to be beneficial even with a bulging disc.
Whether or not a herniated disc is permanent in terms of how it's damaged and affecting you will depend on several patient-specific factors. Location is the main one. If it's in a less mobile part of the spine, the herniated disc may not easily shift naturally or in response to certain treatments.
In worst-case scenarios, patients can lose feeling in their nerves permanently. This normally leads to what is referred to as saddle anesthesia. It can also lead to loss of control over bowel movements and bladder. In cases where a herniated disc has been untreated for too long, this type of damage can be permanent.
A herniated disc can worsen from poor sitting habits, such as slouching or sitting uninterrupted for hours.
Who gets herniated disks? People ages 30 to 50 are most likely to get a herniated disk. The problem affects men twice as often as women.
What's the treatment? Only a tiny proportion of people ever need surgery for a disc bulge. Physiotherapy and Chiropractic treatment can help you recover back to 100% through a conservative treatment plan decided upon by your health practitioner on an individual basis.
Complications of a herniated disc include the development of chronic back pain. Furthermore, untreated cases of disc herniation, albeit rare, can lead to lasting nerve damage in severe nerve root compression.
A L4-L5 bulge in the disc can cause sciatic-like symptoms by impinging nerves running down the legs. A pinched nerve can be caused by a slipped disc. A L4–L5 disc bulge (or slip-disc) in the L4-L5 region can cause severe health issues such as impotence and reproduction issues.
For symptoms that have lasted at least 6 weeks and that make it hard to do your normal activities, surgery is an option when other treatments haven't helped. Over the long term, surgery and non-surgical treatments work about the same to reduce pain and other symptoms.
Depending on which disc is bulging and the severity of symptoms, it can take 6-12 weeks to get better. Fortunately, many patients feel a difference within the first 2 weeks of Chiropractic care. Following that, the goal is to restore function and fix the underlying cause of your bulging disc.