Herniated Disc

If you have been diagnosed with a herniated disc you don’t have the most serious of back problems but it can be very debilitating nonetheless.

A herniated disc occurs when the uneven pressure builds up around a disc, to the point where the fluid contained within the disc is forced to one side causing a bulging effect outside the borders of the vertebrae above and below to the point where it presses on a nerve. This causes the person to feel nerve pain running down either or both legs or feel various other symptoms such as groin, testicles pain, weakness in the legs, or weakness in the bladder or bowel plus many other symptoms that can result for the spinal column being pressured at a particular level.

If a herniated disc is further irritated it can end up as a complete rupture which is a much more serious problem to deal with.

People who get a herniated disc, which can be confirmed through a MRI, or CT scan of the spine, are advised not to continue any physical activity that might contribute to it becoming worse. Normally this is a given because the level of discomfort means that a person is unable to do anything too physical.

The normal herniated disc treatment involves rest, pain killing or anti inflammatory drugs and some stretches but this doesn’t usually provide effective relief from a herniated disc. When relief has not been achieved after a period of time, surgery is often recommended to either trim the edge of the disc encroaching on the nerve or removing the disc completely. In some cases a laminectomy is also performed to fuse the vertebrae above and below the disc so as to stabilize the spine at that level.

Unfortunately this sort of approach is often ineffective as a long term solution for a  herniated disc pain because it is only treating the symptom of a more complicated and less obvious problem.

Most herniated discs are set up by the body becoming out of balance whereby the leg length is not even, causing the pelvis to either tilt or rotate as a result. Getting relief for a herniated disc is never properly achieved until the muscle imbalances are corrected and the mechanical problems caused by having a pelvis out of alignment are properly addressed.

If a herniated disc treatment includes this full body approach to deal with the mechanical problems and muscle imbalances, pressure on the disc can be removed and it can recover to a healthy condition again without the need for surgical intervention.

A good way to start treatment for a herniated disc is to release pressure from the spine, discs and nerves by unlocking the erector spinae muscles. You can do this by using a deep compression technique explained in a free video obtained by providing your name and email address in the sign up box at the top of this page.