If you suffer from a herniated disc, you may feel like nothing helps the pain. At Specific Care Chiropractic, our Pembroke Pines herniated disc treatment provides several non-invasive options to get on top of your pain and work toward wellness.
Pain management is the starting point for a larger journey to better health. You can get started today by calling (239) 369-9109 to set up an evaluation and appointment.
We Assess Your Herniated Disc to Provide Personalized Treatment in Pembroke Pines, FL
Our chiropractic and physiotherapy team treats every patient individually. The causes, symptoms, and effective therapies vary even within herniated disc cases. We won’t box you into one treatment if it doesn’t work for you. Instead, we evaluate you where you are and talk through where you want to be.
In fact, when you come to us, our assessment will take stock of:
- Your lifestyle before the injury and possible changes you hope to make
- Your medical history, including other back injuries, medications, and surgeries
- Your pain level, mobility, and quality of life since the herniated disc
- Your symptoms like sciatic pain, spasms, and muscle weakness
We then conduct a physical exam to see how you’re moving and feeling. We even take diagnostic images of your spine to make sure we know exactly what is happening to you. Throughout the process, we communicate with you about what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and how you feel about it.
We Base Our Plans on the Type of Herniated Disc You Have
As the Mayo Clinic notes, herniated discs can occur anywhere on your spine, but common places are:
- Lumbar – lower back
- Cervical – neck
These cause different issues. For instance, lumbar herniated discs can put pressure on the sciatic nerve, causing radiating pain down your leg and into your foot. In fact, herniated discs cause 90 percent of sciatica cases, according to the British Medical Journal.
By contrast, cervical herniated discs can affect your shoulder and arm, depending on which vertebra is placing pressure on which nerves. For instance, one nerve can cause headaches or even ear pain, while another can affect your neck, shoulder, and specific fingers.
Moreover, every person’s body is different. Not only do we base our treatment around your specific type of herniated disc, but we also base it around your body’s specific quirks.
Our Treatment Considers Your Overall Health and Wellness
At Specific Care Chiropractic, we believe in empowering our patients to live better, healthier lives. Rather than approaching your care from a traditional standpoint—treating injury and sickness as they arise—we approach it from a preventative and wellness perspective.
When you come to us with a herniated disc, we use your treatment as a jumping-off point for broader health. Your current pain is just one facet of your health. We aim to work with you to understand all facets of your health and devise ways to prevent injury and illness before they arise.
Treatments for Pembroke Pine Herniated Disc Sufferers
Some of the tools we use for your injury could include:
- Chiropractic adjustments
- Activator technique
- E-STIM
- Ultrasound
- Physiotherapy
Each of these attacks a specific aspect of your herniated disc. Not all are appropriate for every case.
Chiropractic Adjustments
Studies from The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics and The Spine Journal have found that spinal manipulations can alleviate symptoms of both lumbar and cervical disc herniations. Chiropractic adjustments are, therefore, a common treatment for many types of herniated discs.
Activator Technique
This handheld device applies pressure to specific parts of your body and assist in manipulating your spine. This method is more controlled than some other types of spinal manipulations.
The Activator technique has been studied in several clinical trials and shown to benefit patients in treating pain. Our team is experienced in using this technique and can apply it to your herniated disc treatment.
E-STIM and Ultrasound Therapy
E-STIM (electrical muscle stimulation) involves attaching electrodes to an area of your body to send electrical pulses into a muscle or nerves. This stimulates the area, promoting blood flow, reducing pain, and facilitating healing.
As Healthline describes, when applied to nerves, E-STIM therapy can confuse the pain signal from the nerve to your brain. This is, therefore, very helpful for herniated disc patients experiencing nerve pain.
Ultrasound therapy is also used to treat pain and promote healing. Similar to E-STIM, it helps stimulate blood flow. We can explore using ultrasound to treat your pain symptoms.
Physiotherapy
Once we have treated your pain and inflammation, we can start getting you up and moving. Physiotherapy involves:
- Stretching to improve mobility
- Exercises to improve muscle strength
- Movements to improve posture
Like other aspects of Specific Care Chiropractic’s Pembroke Pines herniated disc treatment, our physical therapy is targeted and personal. Certain exercises are used for lumbar pain, while others are used for cervical pain. We gauge your pain and physical level when developing a plan.
What Can Cause Herniated Discs?
The Mayo Clinic highlights some causes and contributing factors to herniated discs, including the following:
- Age, weight, and genetics
- Physically taxing careers
- Lifestyle habits
- Sitting for long periods
- Smoking
Being overweight stresses the spine, while aging can naturally cause disc degeneration. Smoking can contribute to disc degeneration as well.
If you have a job that requires moving and twisting a lot, such as loading trucks from a warehouse, you may have a higher risk of developing a herniated disc. At the same time, jobs that require sitting a lot can also cause injury, such as driving a truck or sitting at a desk.
In other words, health and wellness come from a balance between activity and rest. We can talk through the contributing factors that could have led to your herniated disc and find practical solutions to reduce your risk in the future.
Learn About Your Herniated Disc Treatment Options Today in Pembroke Pines
If back or neck pain affects your quality of life and interferes with your activities, reach out to Specific Care Chiropractic at (239) 369-9109. You can also fill out our online form to set up an appointment for Pembroke Pines herniated disc treatment. Our chiropractic team can explore non-invasive options to reduce your current pain and prevent future problems. Call now.