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Chiropractic Treatment for a Herniated Disk

A herniated disk is a painful condition that can be treated in many different ways, including medication, physical therapy and surgery. Generally most physicians and patients try to exhaust noninvasive treatments prior to surgery. Chiropractic treatment is a noninvasive, nonsurgical form of treatment that can help ease the pain of a herniated disk.

  1. Herniated Disk

    • The spine is made up of vertebrae. Between the vertebrae are intervertebral disks. These intervertebral disks have an outer ring called the annulus fibrosus, which is made up of lamellae--a hard yet flexible body--and a center ring called the nucleus pulposus, which is made up of a gel-like substance made of water and collagen. These disks act like a cushion or a shock absorber in between the vertebrae. They keep the vertebrae from rubbing against each other or bumping into the spinal cord. These intervertebral disks can become damaged or displaced as a result of age or injury. A herniated disk occurs when the intervertebral disk has become less elastic or damaged and then begins to burst or it is displaced out of its normal location.

    Symptoms of a Herniated Disk

    • A herniated disk can cause many symptoms depending on the severity of the herniation. A sharp shooting pain is usually the primary symptom. The patient may also experience numbness, tingling and muscle weakness. These symptoms are the result of nerve irritation from the displaced intervertebral disk. Some patients even experience bowel and bladder problems.

    Chiropractic Treatments

    • Chiropractic treatment is a hands-on therapy delivered by a doctor of chiropractic. They believe that when a vertebra is out of alignment with the rest of the spine--called a subluxation--it can cause a variety of health problems. Chiropractic treatments involve spinal manipulation to manually put the affected vertebrae back into its proper place. Many chiropractors use their hands to produce these manual movements and others use a variety of tools to accomplish the same goal.

    Spinal Decompression Therapy/Flexion Distraction Therapy/Vertebral Axial Decompression

    • This is a chiropractic treatment that is most often used to treat herniated disks. It goes by many names and is performed in many forms. The basic premise behind the treatment is that the patient lies on a special table that will deliver focused traction to the injured area. The patient is strapped to the machine so that the traction only impacts the affected area. This traction creates a vacuum within the disk and allows the part of the disk that had herniated to be pulled into place. This is a slow process. The patient will need multiple treatments to determine if the therapy will work.

    Pelvic Blocking

    • Pelvic blocking is another chiropractic technique that is used for herniated disks. Prior to the chiropractor using this method, the patient undergoes orthopedic and neurological examinations to identify the exact areas of injury. The chiropractor places special wedge cushions under the patient's pelvis and then performs a gentle spinal manipulation to treat the herniated disks.

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