What are the non-surgical treatment options?
What are the symptoms of Herniated Discs?
What are the non-surgical treatment options?
What are the surgical treatment options?
There are several treatment options for a herniated disc. The best treatment for you depends on your symptoms, age, activity level and how much your symptom has progressed.
The treatment recommended first is to try and allow your spine time to heal. Keeping pressure off your herniated disc may allow it to get better on its own. This treatment option also involves staying away from activities that could make your problems worse.
Using heat or ice can help with the symptoms of a herniated disc. Using an ice pack and heating pad can help relieve muscle spasms and make the pain go away. Physical therapy can also be done. You can do lumbar stabilization exercises that don’t affect the herniated disc. These would help increase the strength of the muscles around the lumbar area of the spine. It would help to control the spine and lessen the load on the disc and vertebrae.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications can help reduce the inflammation caused by the ruptured disc. This would lessen some of the pressure on the nerves and remove symptoms. In cases of sudden disc herniation, oral steroids like Prednisone and Medrol can also relieve the pain. Muscle relaxers can be used to treat the spinal muscles’ spasms caused by the ruptured disc.
Narcotic pain medications can be used to relieve extreme pain. However, this shouldn’t be used for long-term treatments because it can lead to addiction. Cortisone may be injected directly to the affected area, in a treatment called epidural steroid injections. This works like oral anti-inflammatory drugs but it takes effect faster because it reaches the herniation sooner.