Treatment
Treatments may include:
Physical Medicine
- Bed rest
-
During acute phase,
back or neck massage and physical therapy to:
- Relax the neck or back muscles
- Decrease pain
- Increase strength and mobility
- Back and abdominal exercises during recovery phase
- Hot or cold packs—to reduce pain and muscle spasms
- Stretches
for the spine:
- A doctor or chiropractor can sometimes help reduce pain by stretching your spine.
- Any spinal manipulation must be done carefully by an experienced, licensed practitioner.
- Traction (weights and pulleys)—to relieve pressure on the discs and keep you from moving around (more common for discs in the neck area)
- Neck collar or brace for a herniated disc in the neck—to relieve muscle spasms
Medications
Your doctor may prescribe:
Interventional Spine Care
- Steroid injections into the area around the nerve and disc. It is done to reduce pain and inflammation. The injections are used if other medications do not work.
-
Minimally invasive procedures may include:
- Nucleoplasy
- Intradiscal electrothermy (IDET)
- Chemonucleolysis
Surgery
Surgery may be used for people who fail to respond to other treatments. Immediate surgery is necessary for cauda equina syndrome. Options include:
- Laminectomy —removal of some of the bone over the spine and of the problem disc
- Microdiskectomy—removal of fragments of herniated disc through a small incision
- Spinal fusion —fusing of vertebrae (back bones) together with bone grafts or metal rods (rarely done for first-time disc problems)
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Copyright © 2012 EBSCO Publishing All rights reserved.
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