28 Mar What To Do About A Prolapsed Or Slipped Disc
A slipped disc – also known as a prolapsed or herniated disc – can be incredibly painful and extremely difficult to live with, caused when the soft cushion of tissue between the bones in your spine pushes out and presses on the nerves. Often the condition occurs in the cervical spine or lumbar spine (you neck and lower back).
Not all slipped discs will cause symptoms, and symptoms may vary for each person. Common symptoms for lumbar spine disc prolapse include lower back pain, numbness or tingling in your legs, buttocks and feet; whilst common symptoms for cervical spine disc prolapse include pain, numbness or tingling hands, arms, back and shoulders and neck pain, most people have difficulties with bending or straightening your neck or back, and muscle weakness in the neck and back (NHS, slipped disc guide).
You can help ease your symptoms yourself by staying as active as you can. You may well be tempted to rest up and take it easy, but this can actually make your symptoms worse, so try to be active and carry on with your typical everyday activities as far as you’re able to.
As soon as you can, try some gentle forms of exercise, as this will help you get better a lot quicker. Swimming is always a great option, as this will help improve muscle strength without putting any stress or strain on your joints or the rest of your body.
You would be wise to seek medical advice or go and see your GP if you find that painkillers aren’t helping with the pain or if your symptoms don’t improve after a month. If you find you have swelling in your back or if your pain is worse at night, make sure you see your GP as well – but remember that back pain is not usually caused by something serious.
How can an osteopath help with a slipped disc?
Osteopaths are trained to help with you disc prolapse symptoms by reduce muscle tension, improve muscle strength, improve range of movement of joints, improve blood circulation and decrease pain.
Make an appointment with the OsteoVision team for osteopath treatment for back pain in Guildford once lockdown is over and we’ll be able to help address your symptoms. We can offer treatment for lower back pain and mid back pain, with each treatment plan unique and specific depending on your particular diagnosis, age and fitness level.
We use a range of different soft tissue techniques and joint manipulation, as well as joint articulation, to help relieve your pain, improve functionality and release tension.
Surgery isn’t usually required to treat slipped discs and usually an option when all other treatment options fail, which is sure to be good news for those of you experiencing problems in this regard, and there are other forms of treatment that have proven to be very successful.
How to prevent slipped discs
Slipped discs can happen as a natural part of the ageing process, exercising too hard, lifting heavy objects incorrectly, being inactive or overweight or even from vibrations caused by driving or operating machinery.
You can help keep yourself safe and prevent slipped discs from happening by staying as active as possible through regular exercise, maintaining a good core strength and making sure that you use safe techniques when lifting heavy objects.