What other ways are there to treat a disc bulge other than chiropractic?
I’ve been seeing a chiropractor (actually, two) for the past couple of months to treat a disc bulge, which has also been referred to on a few different occasions as a torn disc and cervical disc. We don’t know the actual extent of the bulge because I have not had an MRI. The pain has been tolerable (somewhat dull and nagging), but chronic. Chiropractic has helped, but the condition is still there. What are some other options?
Pain management Dr. will help. He will know what is the best thing for you. Insurance is a Must. It can be very costly, but well worth it. Deep massages are very good also. At least once a week at first. Be sure to tell your therapist about your condition. It is such a relief when you get one. Good luck to you.
Surgery.
You might try a spinal block—they have a 50 percent chance of working on cervical discs.
Other than that, I would suggest seeing a neurologist.
BTW…PT and such did nothing for mine.
I treated with a chiropractor for years and all that did was mask my pain, my bulging disc and the cause of the problem was never fixed. My bulge herniated but yours is only still a bulge so you can save it if you start inverting right away. GOOGLE: online health mart inversion therapy : to read some very useful info. about a guy with similar problems. For me, inversion therapy is the best treatment for back pain and sciatica that I know of. In 04 I had to get back surgery for a herniated disc. Nearly 2 years after surgery I STILL had painful and crippling sciatica, weak legs and pain. A friend of mine turned me on to inversion therapy and I have been hanging upside down ever since. what I’ve learned through treating with inversion therapy is that although we feel pain in our backs, the pain really originates in the core, stomach or ab muscles. As I inverted I felt my abs start to loosen as the spasms were stretched away. As my abs relaxed they loosened their grip on my hip muscles, thighs and of course my back muscles. Once these muscles were also relaxed my lower back and pelvis were free to go back into alignment and as they did my sciatica disappeared. I have been virtually pain free for 3 years now because of inversion therapy and I want the world to know! Inversion therapy has literally saved my life. Do some research yourself and see if you think inversion therapy can help you as it did me. All my best. You can also read some stats and info. by clicking the link below.
If you haven’t had an MRI, how are you sure it is a "disc bulge". There are orthopedic tests to try and narrow the diagnosis down to a disc derangement, but it would be VERY tough to confirm a bulge without an MRI. You won’t see it on X-ray, and you can’t palpate it. The other issue is that many people in the population actually have bulges that cause NO symptoms. If it is really a disc problem, then chiropractic will help, but you also need to do active rehab yourself. If you do any of the other band-aid approaches (block, pain killers, etc…) then you are likely to experience a similar problem in the future, because you haven’t eliminated the problem. Surgery to remove the disc? You’ll still need rehab after that, and you will have lost a portion of your shock absorption in your neck. I say do more rehab. You’ll be better off in the long run!