Hello, everyone, I’m Dr. Tom Johnson from Kalani Total Health Center. Today we’re continuing our discussion on discogenic, low back pain and discogenic neck pain. Now many of you or may not be aware that back and neck pain is the world’s leading cause of pain and disability throughout the world.
Once again, low back pain and neck pain are the world’s leading cause of pain and disability. Now, of the many causes of low back pain or neck pain, discogenic or disrelated pain is the most severe one. The key is early detection, early correction, and the quicker we get to the clinic. To properly examine diagnose, the quicker we can develop a unique and detailed comprehensive treatment plan that can get you out of pain, the quickest and correct that disc injury as well in the shortest and quickest and less costly amount of time.
Now today we’re talking about the most frequently asked questions. So let’s unpack these questions for you right now. First, can chiropractors help with spinal disc disorders? Yes, we specialize in disorders However, not all clinics do. Some clinics are more sports medicine. Some clinics are more family medicine. Some clinics are just more you know, old school basic chiropractic. At kalani total health center we specialize in a very modern approach to spinal disorders. We specialize in advanced spinal disorders. We specialize in disc related spinal disorders. We have an integrated team of healthcare providers, a multidisciplinary group team that means we have our medical doctor, vision assistant, nurse practitioner, massage therapist, acupuncture, clinic nutritionist, chiropractic, physical therapy, an integrated team that is here to help serve you to our best ability.
Next is a safe to go to a chiropractor with disc herniation. Yes, of course. However, you need a clinic that specializes in these types of disorders. If they’re not properly examined, diagnosed a clinical such as a physical therapy chiropractic and it could give you the wrong exercise or the wrong treatment. This could flare up the injury or make it worse. So it comes back to going to a clinic that specializes in these disorders. Now typically, when patients go to their family doctor, the examination isn’t even really looked at in terms of the display of injury. It’s commonly diagnosed as a sprain strain type of injury, and the treatment typically is inflammatory pain medication and muscle relaxers, there was nothing done in that regard for the actual disc disorder, it was treated more just the cause of the symptoms of the pain, not so much the cause.
Yes, it’s safe to go to a chiropractor. Although I wouldn’t go to just any Chiropractic Clinic. Okay, I’ll go to a clinic that specializes in spinal disorders. Next, can a chiropractor put the disc back in place? That’s a very old way of thinking, slipped disc, the disc does not slip out of place, it herniates or degenerates or it’s torn. The typical type of treatment is to restore the proper motion alignment and the forces that load that disc control the pain, inflammation, swelling, strengthen the spinal core, normalize the basic movement patterns, returning back to sport or work activity through strength and conditioning and rehabilitation. So no, we don’t put this disc back in place, but typically with proper treatment the disc can be reabsorbed. This creation can be reduced in magnitude or severity. So yes, indirectly we heal that disc but not in the way of old school thought.
How long does it take for a disc injury to heal? Well that can fully depend on the type of disc injury. If we review previous episodes of discogenic back neck pain, you’ll understand that if this is an acute flare versus a chronic, the treatment plans are different. For both depending on the severity of the magnitude is your disc creation three millimeters or 10 millimeters is it contained or not contained. Again, review that episode and now help fill in the answers to those questions.
Next question. Can you massage a bulging disc back into place? No. Massage therapy will not help the disc massage therapy will however, help the muscle guarding and the muscle spasm that’s associated with that disc herniation or just a disc teat injury. Commonly muscles spasm to protect the spine. That’s good for a couple of days to live your activity shouldn’t make the spinal injury worse. However, I don’t want that spinal loading guarding to continue for weeks and months on end. That’s why massage therapy can be fantastic to help the ease of the soft tissue spasm. But again, that won’t fix this. That’s just one of the pieces of the puzzle that we need to look at.
Next question, what’s the best painkiller for a herniated disc? Well, that really depends on the type acute versus chronic, the severity of the injury, your pain tolerance, any imaging that we have. Is this a spinal nerve or compression or if it’s just a disc tear severity of your pain intensity or pain frequency, occupation, are you working at home or working in the office or community so there’s a lot of factors involved with what’s the pain, the best painkiller, typically starting out with over the counter anti-inflammatories and rest at the back braces and ice can definitely help. But however, when you see our medical physicians here at Kalani Health center, we can prescribe you the best medication to get you out of pain the quickest. We also have some other therapies like cold laser therapy to help an acute inflammatory flare up the knee and back bracing as well. Next, what are the signs of a herniated disc in your back? Well, we review that previous episodes please refer back to them. But typically pain can be sharp, stabbing local pain in the neck or back, or it can be radiating refer pain into the shoulder shoulder player down the arm or down the leg where you have paraesthesia meaning tingling, numbness, again, the pain is usually severe, it’s sharp stabbing, and it’s increased with movement. Typically patients will present with a antologia or a little certain lien or posture deformity that is there to guard you from the condition from worsening.
Now, can chiropractors make things worse? Well, I would say anything can make things worse. Again, the key is to go to a clinic that specializes on disorders and clinic like ours that specializes in our disc herniations, and spinal disorders, other clinics, whether it’s chiropractic, physical therapy, massage, medical, they can make it worse if they don’t understand how to diagnose and treat spinal disorders such as discogenic. So yes, a physical therapist can give you an incorrect exercise. You know, a typical family doctor can just prescribe your medication but do nothing with active care. A chiropractor, if it’s not examined properly, can stretch you too much or adjust you and flared it up. Again. Not all clinics are the same. You must go to a clinic that specializes in spinal disorders like we do at Kalani Total Health Center.
Can a chiroprator fix the pinched nerve associated by disc creation? Yes, we can. Again, not all clinics are the same. You need to go to a clinic that specializes in spinal disorders. But yes, treatment of the disc and rehabilitation of this can reduce the pressure on that spinal nerve root that they cannot that nerve to function normally. Without pain. Another question, what’s the best exercise for bulging discs? That’s a great question. Again, comes back to aligning yourself with providers that specialize and discuss spinal disorders, okay, because not all exercises are equal, some will make it worse and will flare it up some will actually make it hurt even more. So you need to know what you’re doing. Right typically loading the spine and acute saying is not healthy. What we want is general flexibility and ability to have exercises and stay away from very heavy load like squats, heavy squats, anything that’s gonna load that desk. Okay. Next question. What does a slip this feel like? Well, first of all, we don’t use that term anymore. There’s just no such thing as a slipped disc. Okay, that was that was terminology used in the past? It was never proven scientifically correct. The disc don’t slip out of place. They don’t just slip back in. That’s that’s not the mechanism of injury. It’s a very folklore, common wording from the past. Typically we talk about this herniations just tears. What does it feel like? Well, we already answered that a previous episode and previous question, but typically pain is sharp and stabbing, as local or it’s particular.
Again, we are happy to answer any of your questions or concerns at the clinic care. Please give us a call at your earliest convenience. Again, everyone the earlier, we get you in the clinic, the easier it is to detect and to correct the longer you wait the harder is going to be the more cost it’s going to be and the more pain and suffering you your family or friends are going to experience. Again, early detection and early correction. Everyone I’m Dr. Tom Johnson from Kalani Total Health Center your one stop for holistic health care.
