Disc Herniation Treatment in Cadiz
Disk herniations are a common problem for which patients will seek medical care. To understand the best treatment for disk herniations it is important to clearly understand what the cause of a disk herniation really is. By understanding the cause of a disk herniation you will see why Chiropractic care is the wisest choice. Let's take a look at it.
The intervertebral disk is a like a fat washer that separates the two vertebrae providing a protective cushion against forces. The height of the disk also determines the size of the foramen (hole) thru which the nerve roots pass. The disk itself has two parts, a concentric outer portion and a gel like inner portion. The disk is hydrated thru proper spinal movement, if the vertebrae lose their normal range of motion, then the outer part of the disk dehydrates and will crack allowing the inner gel portion to slip out. (A disk protrusion is the same thing except that the gel has not completely broken thru and it is just causing the outer portion of the disk to bulge.)
Think of it like a sandwich that is being compressed and the mayonnaise is bulging at the sides. So the disk herniation is an "Effect". To treat effects without addressing the underline cause is asking for more trouble down the line. What kind of trouble? Spinal degeneration and more disk herniations. Why? Because the compression on the spine is a cumulative effect and the disk that herniates is just the weakest link in the chain.
If you have a disk herniation or disk protrusion, you can be sure that the other disks are also suffering compressive forces. That is why after surgery many patients experience another disk herniation. The surgery "cleaned up" the disk that burst but the causative compressive forces cannot be removed thru surgery, massage or physiotherapy.
The cause of the herniation is compression and abnormal biomechanics. The medical doctor will prescribe pain relievers, anti-inflammatories, and muscle relaxants, none of which correct the "cause" of the problem. (They offer temporary relief, yet are destructive to your organs).
Chiropractic adjustments will correct the problem by
- decompressing the spine.
- restoring the proper relationship between the bones, and
- balancing the forces directed towards the spine from distortions in the pelvis and the associated muscles.
Chiropractic will restore proper function of the body so that the disk can heal, and it will heal just like any other tissue in the body, if the "causes" are corrected, without the need for surgery. It takes longer, but then again correcting something is far better than covering it up.
Long term compressive forces on the spine will further dehydrate the disk until it becomes leather thin, and no longer able to do it's job. The altered mechanics in the spine create a degenerative process with bone spurs and a weakening of the bones internal architecture. This weakening is characterized by loss of minerals of which calcium is a main component. This condition is called Osteoporosis and it is closely linked to spinal degeneration. Furthermore, because the disk has lost it's height then the hole (intervertebral foramen) thru which the nerve roots pass is decreased. This decrease coupled with the bone spurs from the degeneration will cause the nerve roots to be damaged, and the micro arterial blood circulation (around the nerve root itself) to be compromised.
Spinal degeneration cannot be reversed. Chiropractic care can halt it. (or in advanced cases, slow it down) Medication cannot provide anything other than symptomatic relief, but because the causes are not been addressed, then with just medication the problem worsens.
To fully understand the importance of this you must realize that the nerve roots bifurcate again and again until they provide innervation to all the muscles, organs and tissues at their corresponding spinal levels. Therefore it is very important to maintain the health of the spine if the person is to enjoy good general health.
Chiropractic provides the solution. Visit your Chiropractor as soon as possible.