5 MISTAKES TO AVOID WITH A HERNIATED DISC

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5 MISTAKES TO AVOID WITH A HERNIATED DISC
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Disc herniations are a common problem among
people who spend long hours sitting, performing
heavy lifting, or repetitive bending. They also
occur for no particular reason.  Herniations are
often easy to heal, but often people make
mistakes and aggravate the problem.  We have
outlined 5 mistakes to AVOID with a herniated
disc. Herniations are also referred to as
slipped or ruptured discs because they occur
when the disc between two vertebrae becomes
damaged. The damage causes the disc to bulge
outwards and press against the nerve roots.
Within a few weeks, most painful disc herniations
heal. In many instances, herniations do not cause
any pain. By the time you are 45 years old, it
is not uncommon to have an asymptomatic disc
bulge or even a herniation show on an MRI.
Herniations can be symptoms free, but they can
also cause severe pain and radiating symptoms
into the legs.
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The biggest mistakes to AVOID with a Herniated
Disc They let fear take over. Too often, when
one hears that they have a herniated disc, they
become scared and begin to believe that they will
have problems for the rest of their lives. This
is NOT true. Many herniations are asymptomatic.
Herniations that cause significant symptoms, 66
will resolve on their own within six weeks. The
other 30 need conservative intervention, but it
should consist of education and exercises.
Surgery should be very rare in less than 1 of
the cases. Fear leads to fear avoidance
behavior, which starts the chronic pain cycle.
Chronic pain is the direct result of fear. If you
remove fear, you take away the oxygen to chronic
pain. Our bodies have a miraculous way of
healing themselves. Unfortunately, poor medicine
often slows down and sometimes even stops the
healing process by improper treatments. Best
outcomes are shown with medical interventions
that focus on education and empowerment,
understanding the cause of the herniation, and
how they can healnot providing medications and
treatments that have no benefit.
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They rely on an MRI as a old standard.   MRIs
are a highly profound picture of your spine and
show a lot of detail. But they are still just a
black and white picture. They do not show which
structures are painful. It is similar to taking a
picture of your phones circuit board. It may
show water damage, but it cannot tell you if your
phone is working or not. Only by using your phone
can you tell if there are any problems.   They
mask the symptoms with medication, rather than
addressing the problem. Instead of covering up
the symptoms with medication, proper treatment
addresses and CORRECTS the problem. The initial
focus of care is to determine the problem or the
root cause of your pain.
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Every patient is unique, and herniation
treatments differ depending on the tear direction
and herniation status. Tear direction is critical
because pressure in one direction may open the
cut making it worse, while the opposite direction
will close the cut and allow healing. The status
indicates whether the herniation is active and
causing pressure on the nerve. Or if the
herniation is inactive and scar tissue pulls on
the nerve, causing sciatica. These are two
completely different problems and require
opposite treatments. One is to avoid opening the
disc cut, and the other is to stretch the scar
tissue. Understanding the cause of your
herniation is essential to prevent reoccurrence.
If you do not address the causative factor, you
will continue to reinjure.   They limit their
activity.   When your back is out, the first
thing you do is stop moving because every
movement hurts, and you are fearful of making
things worse. If you suffer from the most common
posterior lumbar herniation, bed rest, and
slouched sitting, put the same stress on your
back that initially caused the problem. These
positions increase the posterior pressure on the
disc and push it to herniate further.
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InsteadGet up and MOVE! Walking and moving are
the best thing you can do for posterior
herniations as walking places a slight anterior
force on the herniation pushing it back in the
center direction. It is essential to minimize
your sitting and maintain activity within your
threshold. Research has shown that those that
continue to work within their tolerance have
faster recovery than those that stay home from
work. They take on a passive patient
role. Research has shown that the more involved
you are with your care, the better the outcome.
Healing is an active, not a passive process. Most
current protocols for treating back pain and
herniations are passive, including medication,
massage, injections, TENS, surgeryall of these
have not shown any benefit. Instead, they create
a patient role. The more passive care you
receive, the longer you suffer and the higher
rate of chronicity and disability. Instead,
become empowered. Learn what position/activities
caused your herniation and what you can do to
avoid them as well as heal. Remember to Mistakes
to AVOID with a Herniated Disc
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Eliminate FEAR by educating yourself on the cause
of your herniation. Learn how a disc can heal,
similar to a cut on your knuckle. Instead of
pushing for an MRI, ensure that you receive a
thorough Mechanical Assessment. Dont mask your
mechanical problem with medications. Instead,
treat the mechanical problem with a mechanical
treatment. Back pain is worsened by static
postures of slouched sitting and lying because
these positions place posterior stress on the
disc, aggravating a posterior herniation.
Instead, stay as active as possible, using pain
as your guide. Dont take a passive role. Become
empowered and take control of your care. To learn
more, download our eBook Disc Herniations
Everything You Need to Know How They Can Heal!
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