How to Treat Tears in a Disc

The spinal column is made up of vertebrae that sit in a column with spongy discs between them. These discs are jelly-like, but occasionally they can tear. When they tear, the jelly inside can leak out and cause a herniation. This is a bulge that can push against the spinal cord or any of the nerves that come out from it. When this happens, the patient will usually experience pain, numbness and tingling in the area that the nerve supplies feeling to. There are treatments for disc tears that range from conservative, such as medications, to radical, such as surgery.

Instructions

• 1

  Take over the counter pain medications for mild to moderate pain. These are medications such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen and naproxen. For more severe pain, a doctor may prescribe narcotic pain medications. Muscle relaxers are another option to conservatively treat back pain from a torn disc with herniation.

• 2

  Ask your doctor about alternative treatments such as cortisone injections that are injected directly into the tissue surrounding the herniation. There are also nerve pain medications that can be used such as gabapentin that have shown some promise in helping people with back pain.

• 3

  Attend physical therapy sessions. In these sessions, you will learn exercises to help strengthen the back. You will also be exposed to electrical stimulation, ultrasound and traction. Heat and ice are used as well in a therapeutic setting. Braces can be used for the short term, if necessary.

• 4

  Consider surgical repair of the torn disc if there is no improvement after six weeks or if the pain interferes significantly with daily activities. Surgeries include the removal of the disc with fusion of the vertebrae or the replacement of the disc with a synthetic one. These surgeries are done rarely and are seen as an option of last resort.