Decompression Treatments For Cervical & Lumbar Herniation

Introduction

The spine is an S-shaped curve that runs down the back from the skull down to the pelvic bone. The vertebrae that make up the spine helps keep the body standing upright and do everyday movements to function. Whether the person is doing physical activities, running errands, or even sitting down and relaxing, the body always ends up in weird positions that may look uncomfortable and cause pain without even the individual realizing it. The cervical and lumbar regions of the spine have succumbed to injuries that can develop into lower back and neck pain if it is not treated right away. Fortunately, there are available treatments that provide the necessary relief in both regions of the spine. Today’s article looks at disc herniation, how it affects the lumbar and cervical areas of the spine, and how spinal decompression can help relieve disc herniation in these two regions. Referring patients to qualified and skilled providers who specialize in spinal decompression therapy. We guide our patients by referring to our associated medical providers based on their examination when it’s appropriate. We find that education is essential for asking insightful questions to our providers. Dr. Alex Jimenez DC provides this information as an educational service only. Disclaimer

Can my insurance cover it? Yes, it may. If you are uncertain, here is the link to all the insurance providers we cover. If you have any questions or concerns, please call Dr. Jimenez at 915-850-0900.

What Is Disc Herniation?

Feeling muscle tension on your neck or your lower back? Does the pain seem to be a gradual nuisance or a dull ache? Do you often find that different positions work better for pain relief? If you have experienced these symptoms, it could be due to disc herniation in your spine. The spine works because it is enveloped with musculoskeletal soft tissues, ligaments, and spinal discs that help protect the spinal cord from injuries. When the spine suffers from an injury or naturally ages, the spinal discs’ outer layers will begin to compress and start to protrude out, causing pain to the body. Research studies have defined disc herniation as a common condition that affects the spine. Disc herniation causes the outer layers of the spinal disc to bulge out of their original position and start to irritate the surrounding spinal nerves that are spread out the entire body. When a herniated disc starts to press on the spinal nerves, it causes those nerve roots to send out pain signals to the affected areas around the spine and back. These compressed nerves can also cause spinal cord dysfunction or myelopathy pain in the areas that can affect the body’s sensory and motor functions. 

How Does It Affect The Cervical & Lumbar Regions?

The spine’s two regions, the cervical and the lumbar sections help the body stay functional. The cervical area of the spine incorporates the upper back, neck, head, shoulders, and arms, while the lumbar section has the lower back, hips, legs, and feet. When disc herniation starts to affect either one of these two regions, it can cause severe neck and lower back problems. Research studies have found that cervical herniated discs are one of the leading causes of many people suffering from neck pain. Many people often tell their primary physicians that they feel muscle stiffness in their necks from ordinary factors like being hunched over for an extended period or from an injury that causes them to develop whiplash. The nerves surrounding the cervical section of the spine will cause an increase in the inflammatory cytokines to cause radiating pain symptoms to affect the upper body. 

Now just like the cervical area being affected by disc herniation, the lumbar region of the spine will suffer as well. Research studies have shown that when many people suffer from low back pain, the leading cause is lumbar disc herniation. When the spinal disc becomes herniated in the lumbar section of the spine, it does the same thing where it compresses the spinal root. Other forms of low back symptoms that lumbar disc herniation causes can include sciatica and leg pain. When disc herniation starts to affect the lumbar and cervical areas of the spine, it can cause a person to have motor dysfunction and make them succumb to more pain. Luckily there are treatments to help reduce the effects of disc herniation by restoring the herniated disc back to its original position.

Spinal Decompression For Herniated Discs-Video

Have you been experiencing pain either in your neck or lower back? It seems that certain activities are impossible to do because you are in pain? Do you feel muscle stiffness in either the neck or lower back? If you have been experiencing these systems throughout your entire life, it could be disc herniation located in the cervical and lumbar regions of the body. The video above shows how herniated discs are alleviated through the DRX9000 decompression machine. Decompression treatments are utilized for many suffering individuals with either neck or low back pain looking for relief. What the DRX9000 does is that it gently pulls the spine to increase the disc height and reduce the pressure off of the surrounding nerve roots. Decompression/traction therapy for either the lumbar or cervical regions of the spine has many beneficial factors in a person’s wellness treatment. This link will explain how decompression offers impressive relief for many people who suffer from neck and low back pain in the affected regions.

How Spinal Decompression Help With Disc Herniation

When disc herniation starts to affect the cervical or lumbar section of the spine, many people have found ways to try and alleviate the pain so they can continue with their days. Some people will incorporate hot and cold packs to reduce the pain to a dull minor ache, while others use decompression treatments to help restore their spine back to its original function. Research studies have mentioned that non-surgical decompression has helped alleviate the pain factors that herniated discs have caused by increasing the spinal disc height and providing stability to the torso of the body. When decompression increases the spinal’s height, it allows the herniated disc to lay off on the surrounding nerves and even provide relief to the affected areas. Additional information has been provided that the negative pressure produced by decompression allows the disc to be rehydrated and pressure reduced to the affected nerves. When people incorporate decompression for cervical or lumbar disc herniation, they will begin to feel relief after a few sessions.

Conclusion

Overall, having neck or low back pain is miserable when the pain starts to affect a person’s day. When the cervical or lumbar regions of the spine are affected by disc herniation, it can disrupt the motor and sensory to operate the neck or lower back, thus causing unwanted issues to make a person suffer in pain. Decompression therapy helps people by using negative pressure to gently stretch the spine and restore it to its original function without pain. Decompression therapy allows the herniated discs to return to the spine and lay off on the aggravating nerves around the spine. This will enable people to continue with their daily activities pain-free.

References

Al Qaraghli, Mustafa I, and Orlando De Jesus. “Lumbar Disc Herniation – Statpearls – NCBI Bookshelf.” In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL), StatPearls Publishing, 30 Aug. 2021, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560878/.

Choi, Jioun, et al. “Influences of Spinal Decompression Therapy and General Traction Therapy on the Pain, Disability, and Straight Leg Raising of Patients with Intervertebral Disc Herniation.” Journal of Physical Therapy Science, The Society of Physical Therapy Science, Feb. 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4339166/.

Dydyk, Alexander M, et al. “Disc Herniation – Statpearls – NCBI Bookshelf.” In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL), StatPearls Publishing, 18 Jan. 2022, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441822/.

Kang, Jeong-Il, et al. “Effect of Spinal Decompression on the Lumbar Muscle Activity and Disk Height in Patients with Herniated Intervertebral Disk.” Journal of Physical Therapy Science, The Society of Physical Therapy Science, Nov. 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5140813/.

Sharrak, Samir, and Yasir Al Khalili. “Cervical Disc Herniation – Statpearls – NCBI Bookshelf.” In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL), StatPearls Publishing, 20 Jan. 2022, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546618/.

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