Chiropractic Care and Back Pain: Techniques
To treat a herniated disc, your chiropractor may use several chiropractic techniques to help relieve back pain and other herniated disc symptoms.
Flexion-distraction Technique for Herniated Discs
A common chiropractic technique is the flexion-distraction technique, which can be used to help address herniated disc symptoms.
Flexion-distraction involves the use of a specialized table that gently "distracts" or stretches the spine. This allows the chiropractor to isolate the affected area while slightly "flexing" the spine using a pumping rhythm.
There is no pain associated with this treatment. Instead, the flexion-distraction technique's gentle pumping to the painful area allows the center of the intervertebral disc (called the nucleus pulposus) to assume its central position in the disc. Flexion-distraction may also improve disc height.
This technique can help move the disc away from the nerve, reducing inflammation of the nerve root, and eventually any associated pain and inflammation into the leg (if there is any related to your herniated disc).
With flexion-distraction, you generally need a series of treatments combined with adjunctive physiotherapy, supplementation, and at-home treatments (your chiropractor will let you know what those are). Gradually, specific exercises to treat your herniated disc will be incorporated into your treatment plan.
Your chiropractor will monitor you throughout the treatment plan.
If your symptoms do not improve or if they progressively get worse after several weeks of treatment, then you will need to have additional imaging tests, and your chiropractor may refer you to a spine specialist.
Pelvic Blocking Techniques for Herniated Discs
Chiropractors use pelvic blocking techniques to treat herniated disc symptoms. You will be categorized according to what your chiropractor finds in your orthopedic and neurological tests.
Pelvic blocking treatments include using cushioned wedges, which are placed under each side of the pelvis. Gentle exercises may also be used. These will allow changes in mechanics to draw your disc away from the nerve it may be pressing on.
Treating a Herniated Disc with Chiropractic Care
Although you may go to the chiropractor to help alleviate herniated disc symptoms, he or she will look at your spine as a whole. For example, your chiropractor will address any possible restricted movement in the neck, mid-back, and/or legs and arms.
Typically, manual adjusting techniques are used to treat conditions in the neck and mid-back, and low-force techniques are used to treat low back conditions.
A herniated disc will be treated using a series of non-force treatments with careful monitoring and evaluation by your chiropractor. If your symptoms do not improve, he or she may refer you to a spine surgeon.
