Disc injuries are often a chronic issue. Why is this? The short answer is that discs have a poor blood supply. The blood supply drives the healing process within the human body. It’s what brings new cells in and old cells out. Once our discs are formed and have stopped growing, the blood supply usually diminishes. There are two parts to a disc: the nucleus and the annular fibrosis. The annular fibrosis is the outer layer that gets damaged with a disc injury. Once these fibers are damaged, it is tough, if not impossible, to repair them. This doesn’t mean that once you have a disc injury, you will struggle with it forever! It just means that you will have to be extra intentional about taking care of the disc and surrounding tissues.
$99 New Patient Special
Includes consultation, exam, doctors report of findings, PosturePro analysis, and first adjustment.
How Our Care Plan Works
1. Better
No matter where you start, we can improve together. The first phase focuses on making progress in your current ailments. Typically, this means alleviating pain and helping you return to your daily activities as smoothly and quickly as possible.
2. Stronger
Now that you’ve made progress, how do we KEEP it? We’ve all experienced improvements, only to regress when our focus shifts. This phase empowers your body to sustain the hard-earned progress you’ve worked so diligently to achieve.
3. Healthier
True HEALTHcare! So often, we are only concerned with our sickness and dysfunction, seeking treatment only when we experience symptoms. This is SICKcare. During the healthier phase, we focus on your overall health and maintaining your well-being.
How We Treat Disc Injury In Fuquay-Varina, NC
Disc injuries are a major problem for a lot of people and can really prohibit movement and comfort. Chiropractic care can help pinpoint the issue and make corrections to resolve the disc injury completely.
Comprehensive Consultation and Exam
When you come into the office with any ache or pain, the Doctors will sit down and discuss the symptoms you have been experiencing. We will take a deep dive into the triggers of your pain, what makes it better, and gather lots of other valuable information. We will then proceed to a Chiropractic exam, where we will perform a series of neurologic and orthopedic tests to determine the cause of your pain. To create, we will also assess whether you are in the right place to get you back to pain-free, or if we need to refer you to someone else.
Specific Chiropractic Care in Fuquay-Varina, NC
Chiropractic helps with disc injuries in many ways, but one of the coolest is through disc imbibition. Imbibition is the process of driving more fluid into the disc. When you are adjusted, we increase the fluid flow and blood flow into the disc. This won’t completely repair the annular fibers, but it will prevent further damage. Adjustments also continue to keep the range of motion active within the joint surrounding the damaged disc. Following an injury, joints and muscles often spasm and lock up in an attempt to protect the joint.
Chiropractic is the best treatment for disc injuries because it focuses on the disc itself. Prioritizing the damaged tissue and guiding it through a proper healing process, rather than relying on pain medications or injections, which don’t heal the tissue but only decrease the pain sensation.
Custom Therapeutic Exercise Plan
Therapeutic exercise is crucial following a disc injury. Disc injuries are common due to improper biomechanics. Although the disc is partially responsible for shock absorption, it is not meant to be the primary tissue that transmits the force. When we have poor biomechanics, we put more pressure on the disc than it can handle, causing the injury. With that, it is essential to treat the muscles and tendons in the surrounding area to strengthen and stabilize them, not only to protect the injured disc but also to prevent the same injury from recurring in the future. Custom exercise plans prioritize core stability, as well as the deep muscles in the spine, to not only strengthen them but also help them fire in the correct pattern.
Deep Tissue Laser
The laser can be programmed to treat a wide range of injuries. It uses an infrared light that targets tissues 2-3 inches below the skin level. It increases oxygenation and cellular exchange to aid our body in performing tasks that it is capable of. When it comes to treating a disc injury, the laser can help reduce the inflammation surrounding the injury. It can also aid in healing the disc injury and reduce the pressure on the surrounding tissues.
Digital X-rays
Are X-rays crucial for every disc herniation diagnosis? No. In fact, you can’t even see a disc on X-rays. If that’s true, why do so many providers use X-rays when examining a potential disc injury? Firstly, X-rays can help rule out other conditions, such as fractures or dislocations. Secondly, it will allow you to see the disc space, meaning the space in between the vertebrae, where the disc lives, instead of the disc itself. Thirdly, it allows you to see the degenerative changes in that area and its surrounding areas. Although X-rays are not the primary diagnostic tool for disc injuries, in some instances, they can be an invaluable tool for diagnosing a low back injury.
Common Causes of Disc Injury in Fuquay-Varina, NC
Repetitive Motion and Stress
Many injuries our bodies endure are repetitive injuries, which occur from performing the same motion repeatedly for extended periods. This also applies to our discs; many jobs that involve repetitive tasks throughout the day are susceptible to disc injuries. The length of time it takes to injure a disc varies from person to person. As we age, the hydration within those discs decreases, making them more susceptible to injury. It can also depend on any previous injuries that have happened to those discs. Focusing on good posture and reducing repetitive motions can help lower your risk of disc injury.
Heavy Lifting
It is very common to hear about gym-goers who have extreme back pain due to injuries while lifting weights. Various reasons, such as improper lifting, muscle imbalances, hypertonic muscles, and others, can contribute to this condition. All of these reasons can cause disc injuries. If we are not lifting properly, our discs bear a significant amount of the pressure from lifting both our body and the weight we are lifting. This pressure can cause injury to the annulus fibrosis, which is the outer portion of the disc. Our core needs to be strong to support and provide stability to our lower back. Lifting heavy weights in a slow and controlled manner helps not only with muscle contraction but also with stabilizing the muscles to strengthen them, thereby maintaining the lift’s overall strength. When considering injury prevention during lifting, focusing on strengthening the muscles that stabilize our joints and support movements is a great starting point for preventing disc injuries.
Auto Accidents
Disc injuries are common after auto accidents. Why is that? Auto accidents are a significant trauma and often cause a sprain or strain, also known as whiplash. A sprain or strain describes the rapid stretching of the muscles and ligaments in the spine. With that whiplash injury, it can also create a quick push and pull on the discs themselves. Chiropractic is the best place to seek care following an auto accident because we can treat every aspect of the recovery. We will treat the sprain, the disc, and all of the other modalities around it. The quicker you get into treatment following an accident, the better. By putting off the treatment, you prolong the expected recovery time, as well as having to live with the injuries for a longer period. The quicker we treat it, the less likely it is for it to become chronic.
Degenerative Disc Disease
Degenerative disc disease is something that happens as we age; however, it can start as early as 18 years old. It can be accelerated by wear and tear on your body and may occur more quickly if you subject those joints to greater physical demands throughout your life. As we age, the hydration within our joints decreases, like all other bodily functions. This can affect the space our joints provide for the nerves and impact the communication between the brain and the body. This can cause pain in the patient’s back or neck. While Degenerative disc disease itself isn’t painful, the inflammation and the decreased joint space can cause pain. In the office, we utilize a range of adjustments and other modalities to help alleviate degenerative disc disease and your associated pain.
Check Out Our Location Near You
609 Attain St #141, Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526
Frequently Asked Questions
Can chiropractors in Fuquay Varina, NC help with disc problems?
Yes, we absolutely can help with disc problems. We offer a range of treatments to help with disc injuries, including our Flexion-Distraction table, which creates space for the disc to move, and spinal adjustments to improve its function. We will develop a plan tailored to your specific disc injury.
Is it safe to go to a chiropractor with a herniated disc?
It is safe to see a Chiropractor with a herniated disc. When a disc herniates, it is an injury to the outer fibrous layer that can allow the inner nucleus to leave the outer “shell” and create inflammation in the surrounding tissue. There are many ways a Chiropractor can help your body reduce that inflammation and get the inner nucleus to migrate back into the disc, depending on what kind of disc injury you are suffering from.
Can a chiropractor realign a disc?
A slipped disc is another term for a disc herniation. In severe cases, a piece of the nucleus will “slip” out the back of the disc. This is why people refer to it as a slipped disc. No form of treatment can restore the nucleus to the disc, as the body absorbs it. Chiropractic care can help increase fluid and blood flow to the disc, aiding in its proper healing and recovery.
How long does it take for a disc herniation to heal?
The time required for recovery varies depending on the chronicity and severity of the issue. A mild disc herniation in a young person with no previous issues could see pain alleviated within a few days. However, someone who has had prior problems and is in a later stage of life may experience sharp pains that last for more than a week, with it taking up to 12 weeks before they feel back to normal, if they ever do. All of those numbers are with little to no care. The healing time with chiropractic care is drastically shorter, with most patients experiencing symptom alleviation and returning to activity within a few weeks.
Can you massage a bulging disc back into place?
No. Massage is a surface-level treatment. There are multiple layers of skin, fat, muscle, bone, and nerve tissue before you reach the disc. Although massage may alleviate some of the symptoms of tightness and spasm, it won’t correct the disc itself.
What should you not do with a herniated disc?
With a herniated disc, it is essential to reduce inflammation to promote healing. Try to find a comfortable position and minimize movements that increase the sharp, intense pains. Movement is necessary, but it is a fine line between pushing through the pain and creating muscle inflammation. So, try to find slow, gentle movements that don’t aggravate the pain.
What are the signs of a herniated disc in your back?
Symptoms of disconnection start simply, with pain, often sharp, muscle spasms, and difficulty moving, and progress to more severe issues, such as loss of balance, loss of sensation, or, in rare cases, loss of bladder control.
Can chiropractors in Fuquay-Varina, NC, cause harm?
Chiropractors are trained specifically to diagnose and treat disc herniations. This is one of the most common conditions seen in a chiropractic office. Once a thorough examination is performed, it is safe to undergo chiropractic treatment. Every appointment begins with a comprehensive consultation and examination to ensure each patient is treated safely and effectively.
Can a chiropractor fix a pinched nerve?
To treat a pinched nerve, you first need to figure out what is pinching the nerve. The most common reasons are a herniated disc or a muscle spasm. As long as the cause of the pinched nerve isn’t a more concerning issue like a fracture or dislocation, chiropractic is a fantastic option for pinched nerves.
What is the best exercise for a bulging disc?
The best group of exercises for long-term care of bulging discs is core stabilization. Depending on the severity of the issue, it may flare up the pain until you reach the acute phase. Core stability will help prevent these injuries from recurring in the future.
$99 New Patient Special
Includes consultation, exam, doctors report of findings, PosturePro analysis, and first adjustment.
