A herniated disc is a painful condition that can make it difficult to exercise, work, and enjoy social activities. To minimize the chances of this causing you chronic pain, you should understand the condition, its symptoms, and what to expect from therapy. Below is an introduction to the topic to help you find the right treatment for your needs.

What Is a Herniated Disc?

The spine is made up of vertebrae that are stacked on top of each other. Between each vertebra, there are discs that absorb shocks so that force can be distributed evenly. Each disc has a rubbery outer portion, called the annulus fibrosis, and a gelatin-like center called the nucleus pulposus. Over time, these layers can fluctuate in strength due to different stresses on the body. These stresses have the potential to create the nucleus of those discs to move through the outer layer. This is called a herniated disc. The condition can occur due to a sudden injury, but can also develop slowly as a result of repeated positioning through life, work, etc.

What Are the Symptoms?

At first, the bulging disc might not press on any nerves, which means you may not experience pain. However, the bulge has a possibility to grow and place pressure on the nerves in your spine, leading to potentially constant pain and numbness/weakness in the back or extremities. 

How Can Physical Therapy Help?

Through a thorough evaluation, physical therapy will assess where your symptoms are coming from and use a combination of passive and active treatments to alleviate symptoms and encourage healing. 

Active therapy involves specific exercises directed towards your specific deficits found in your evaluation to improve flexibility, strength, and spinal mobility. These will help improve overall tissue resiliency, decrease irritation on the nerves if they are involved, and regain strength/stability around the spine. It is important to remember that your spine is very resilient, and a disc herniation does not mean you will need surgical interventions. There are many research studies that have shown spontaneous healing of discs, so it is absolutely possible you will achieve pain free movement again without need for surgical intervention! This is wonderful news as physical therapy is a very common treatment for disc injuries along with back pain in general.

Whether you need chronic pain treatment or rehabilitation after a sports injury or surgery, contact Loon State Physical Therapy in Minneapolis, MN. These experienced physical therapists provide compassionate care to help you achieve a speedy recovery and avoid recurring aches and pain. Visit the website for more information about their chronic pain treatments. Call (612) 405-8503 to schedule an appointment.