Along with a microdiscectomy, a new treatment for herniated discs involves hyaluronic acid (HA) gel and collagen gel. The HA gel re-inflates the disc, while the collagen gel seals the hole to prevent further prolapse. Ask your doctor about this treatment option with a microdiscectomy.
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.
A Laminotomy and discectomy is the standard surgical procedure for treatment of a lumbar herniated disc. The surgeon removes a small portion of the bone to gain access to the spinal canal (laminotomy) and then removes the portion of herniated disc (discectomy). In certain cases, spinal fusion may be required.
Herniated disk surgery is often very effective, and it works faster than other treatments. You should start to see an improvement in symptoms like pain, weakness, and numbness within a few weeks after surgery. Physical therapy or rehab can help you recover quicker. You can go to a rehab center, or do exercises at home.
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.
Sokunbi notes, “and sometimes don't have the ability to heal completely.” Most often, herniated discs in healthy patients heal quickly. However, nerve compression bad enough to cause radiculopathy—pain radiating down the nerve to an arm or leg—may take longer to get better, says Dr. Butler.
Surgery is a last resort to treat a herniated disc when manual therapy and IDD Therapy have not brought about change. When the pain is so severe and unresolved, or if the nerve pain is causing weakness in the leg, then surgery can be carried out to remove the part of the disc pushing on the nerve.
As long as there are no signs of serious deterioration or other conditions in which early surgery is recommended, you can very safely use non-invasive methods of treatment. Often a herniated disc will resolve itself, and painful symptoms disappear. The estimated time for alleviation of pain is approximately six weeks.
No bending, lifting, or twisting whatsoever should be attempted for two weeks after your discectomy surgery, because this can hinder your recovery and increase your risk of reherniation.
An untreated herniated disc can lead to permanent nerve damage. While not common, a herniated disc can cut off the impulses to the nerve, causing you to lose feeling in your lower back, legs, and/or feet. Some people lose all feelings in their genital area and buttocks. Others lose their bowel or bladder control.
If you have traditional herniated disc surgery, your procedure will take place in a hospital, and you will have to stay there for several days afterwards. While the exact length of the stay will depend on how well you are healing, patients can expect to remain in the hospital for 4-5 days.
If you're suffering from a herniated disc or damaged nerves on the spinal cord, laser surgery may be able to get the job done to an equally effective degree as traditional methods, with minimal pain, time, and costs involved.
The pain from a herniated disc usually is worse when you are active and gets better when you are resting. Coughing, sneezing, sitting, driving, and bending forward may make the pain worse. The pain gets worse when you make these movements because there is more pressure on the nerve.
Herniated discs can severely limit your mobility and cause excruciating pain so your ability to perform your daily tasks, let alone your work duties, can be significantly impacted. Severe pain that originates in the back can radiate down the legs and limit your ability to walk or stand significantly.
Sit with the Right Posture
It is proper to sit up straight without slouching. When you slump, you put extra pressure on the discs in the spine and can aggravate your herniated disc. Additionally, you want to ensure your knees are level with your hips. Your hips should be slightly above your knees if you sit at a desk.
According to Spine Universe, chiropractic care is a non-surgical option for herniated disc treatment. This makes choosing a chiropractor to address problems with a herniated disc a viable option if you want to avoid undergoing any surgical procedures.
One of the primary reasons why back surgery should be avoided is the risk. All surgeries carry the risk of infection, excessive bleeding, and nerve injury. Not to mention many people don't like being put under general anesthesia or that they may have to use potentially addictive pills to manage the pain after surgery.
These discs can become weakened over time as you age. This can increase the risk of a herniated disc, also called a ruptured disc. When this happens, the jelly-like nucleus substance leaks out into the spinal canal, putting pressure on the nerves.
“There are some types of back pain that can get worse when you get a massage,” says Walsh. Specifically, he says, sciatica (sudden-onset pain that extends down the back and into the butt or legs) stemming from a herniated disc can be aggravated by deep tissue stimulation.
On occasion, a disk herniation will dehydrate or shrink back but it is rare that it will disappear so unfortunately, there is no magic formula. We don't even have stem cell options that we've been able to create that allow us to regenerate the disk.
Daily walks are an excellent way to exercise with a herniated disc, without putting additional strain on your spine and causing painful symptoms to flare up.
Physiotherapy is recommended for the treatment of herniated or bulging discs to assist patients to manage their pain and get them moving again. Often in physical therapy, patients will be introduced to an exercise program designed for each injured region.
An MRI scan can also show evidence of previous injuries that may have healed and other details in the spine that can't normally be seen on an x-ray. Myelogram: This special x-ray uses dye, which is injected into the spinal fluid. This can identify a ruptured disc.