Herniated Disc Symptoms, Home Care, and Alternative Treatments

If you suspect you may have a herniated disc in your spine or if you're just experiencing back pain and don't know why, then you should educate yourself on potential back pain causes such as a herniated disc. If you have a herniated disc, you should have it professionally treated. Here are some of the causes, symptoms, and types of treatment for a herniated disc you should know.

Causes and Symptoms

A herniated disc can be caused by a variety of spinal trauma incidents, which could vary from a sudden injury in a car collision to slower, steadier damage and ligament damage as you grow older.

The main symptom of a herniated disc is pain, which may be localized to the herniated spot or may radiate to other areas as well. For instance, pain may radiate into a nearby arm or leg. And if the disc affects your spinal cord, nerve-related symptoms such as tingling or even numbness may occur as well.

Less common symptoms to look out for include things like leg weakness, foot pain, difficulty standing on the ball of the foot, or even loss of bladder control. You should always keep your doctor apprised of which symptoms you're experiencing, and if you start to experience these rarer symptoms or more extreme symptoms, get professional treatment immediately.

Causes of Recurrence

Whether you're getting conventional treatment for your herniated disc or simply managing symptoms and back pain from a back problem, you need to know what to avoid to prevent a worsening or recurrence. Mainly, you'll need to avoid anything that can put extra pressure or leverage on your spine. For example, you can cause the injury to relapse or worsen if you do too much bending or lifting, use a hunched posture, bend to pick something up, or undergo exercises that aren't low-impact.

Alternative and Home Treatments

Treatments for a herniated disc can vary from painkiller prescriptions to physical therapy to steroid injections to alternative treatment therapies. Alternative modes of treatment could be things like chiropractic care, acupuncture, and osteopathic manipulation, to name a few. Your medical professionals can help you decide which back pain management tactics to use. Some common home treatments include over-the-counter pain medication, ice packs, heat packs, at-home physical therapy exercises prescribed by your medical professional, and avoiding anything that could worsen symptoms.

As you can see, herniated discs can manifest in a variety of ways and may respond to a variety of treatments. Discuss possible therapeutic options with your medical professional and be sure to follow their recommendations for at-home care and to avoid anything that could worsen the injury.