You've probably heard several terms used to describe spinal disc problems, including "bulging," "herniated," "slipped," and "ruptured." some of this terminology is interchangeable and some isn’t, but all forms of disc injury have one thing in common: they can greatly reduce your quality of life. If you're experiencing the telltale symptoms of a spinal disc injury, your best bet is to seek non-invasive treatment here at East Bank Wellness. Our chiropractor, Dr. John Zrelak, is proud to provide Chicago and River North residents with safe, effective measures to treat disc injuries without surgery.
It should come as little surprise that the cartilaginous discs that cushion your spinal column might be prone to injury and deterioration. These structures take their fair share of punishment over time as they absorb shock and maintain consistent spacing between the vertebrae. The inner part of the disc, the nucleus pulposus, is a gelatinous fluid. The outer casing, the annulus fibrosus, is relatively tough, but is by no means impervious to harm.
A disc injury can develop slowly, often as a side effect of aging, obesity, and/or spinal alignment problems that place abnormal stresses on the spine. Loss of hydration may cause a disc to bulge outward from the spinal column. As a disc bulges, it loses height, straining the facet joints and causing neck or back pain, joint inflammation, and arthritis. It may also compress neighboring nerve tissue, causing nerve "misfires" that result in muscle weakness, tingling, numbness, or pain in an extremity. A bulging disc may weaken and rupture, a condition known as a herniated disc. A herniated disc can also occur suddenly due to a traumatic accident such as a car crash or sports injury.
As alarming as it may be to suffer the effects of a spinal disc injury, the prospect of major spinal surgery may frighten you even more. Thankfully, our conservative techniques should allow you to skip that extreme measure. We can administer non-surgical spinal decompression that gently creates extra space between the vertebrae, pulling that bulging or herniated disc away from nerve tissue and helping to draw water back into a flattened disc. We can also provide chiropractic care to normalize your spinal alignment, acupuncture to ease disc pain, and physical therapy to improve spinal support.
Don't take a disc injury lying down. Get the help you need from our Chicago and North River chiropractor. Call (312) 832-9700 today!