Friday, January 25, 2013

Herniated Discs Treatment

Herniated disc is a condition which can be defined as bursting of the tissue that segregates the vertebral bones of the spinal column.The center of the disc is usually called the nucleus which is soft springy and bears the shock of standing and running etc.

The outer portion of the disc which is known as the annulus gives structure and support  to the disc. The annulus composes of a complex series of interwoven layers of fibrous tissue that  grasp the nucleus in place.A herniated disc is commonly known as slipped disc.
In this condition if the pain is mild so you can take over the counter pain medication like ibuprofen, acetaminophen or naproxen.Most of these drugs have a exposure of gastrointestinal bleeding and over doses of acetaminophen damage the liver.

Narcotics
If there is no improvment in the condition after using over the counter pain medicationsso doctor advise narcotics like codeine or a hydrocodone-acetaminophen combination for a brief time period.The side effects of these drugs are sedation, nausea, confusion and constipation.

Nerve pain medications
Medicines like gabapentin, pregabalin, duloxetine, tramadol and amitriptyline are play active role in reducing the nerve pain.

Muscle relaxers
Diazepam (Valium) or cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril, Amrix are muscle relaxers.Doctors advise this if victim has back or limb spasms.The side effects of this meditation are sedation and dizziness.

Cortisone injections
These injections are injected directly into the area around the spinal nerves by using spinal imaging to direct the needle properly.

Therapy
Therapy can also play a active role in the treatment of herniated Disk.In this procedure a physical therapists can guide about the positions and exercises designed to reduce the pain of a herniated disk.

A physical therapist may advice these.
  • Heat or ice
  • Traction
  • Ultrasound
  • Electrical stimulation
  • Short term bracing for the neck or lower back
Surgery
Only few victims in this condition need surgery.In most of the cases surgeons can remove just the obtrusive portion of the disk but in some cases the entire disk must be removed.In these cases the vertebrae need to be joined together with metal hardware to give spinal stability and support.A physical therapist may advice these.

Only those victims need surgery who have the following conditions.
Common treatment fails to improve the symptoms after six weeks.
A disk fragment lodges in victim's spinal canal compressing on a nerve and resulting in continuous weakness.
If a victim has significant trouble performing basic activities like standing or walking.

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