Should I Visit a Portland Chiropractor for A Herniated Disc?

Chiropractic care is a gentle and natural way to work toward pain relief and solutions for a herniated disc. If you have already been diagnosed, or suspect you may have a herniated disc, it's important to make an appointment with an experienced chiropractor in Portland as soon as possible.

What A Herniated Disc Is

Your spinal column has small bones known as vertebrae that interlock. Between most of these bones are discs. These discs have gel-like centers and are sometimes referred to as shock absorbers. They help keep your range of motion intact.

There are a few different types of disc injuries. One of them is a herniated disc, sometimes called a slipped disc. This is where your disc has slid out of place. This means it is no longer doing its job to properly absorb the shock of your vertebrae. It also means the disc is in a place it shouldn't be.

Surrounding your spinal column are bundles of nerves. These nerves are sending important pieces of information across your body. When a slipped disc is pushing on one of these nerves, it can create a lot of different problems. Often, that problem is pain, though muscle weakness, numbness, and tingling are also common possibilities.

The Symptoms of a Slipped Disc

It won't be easy to self diagnose a slipped disc on your own at home. This is something you'll need a professional, like a chiropractor, to help with. This is because the symptoms of a herniated disc are also similar to so many other issues. Keep in mind that your spinal column is in your neck and down to your lower back. A disc can be pressing on a nerve at any point along the way, which is part of why the symptoms can vary so much from person to person. Also, a slipped disc can cause related problems, like sciatica.

Your Portland chiropractor will perform a thorough exam in order to diagnose your herniated disc.

That being said, let's go over some of the common symptoms.

A herniated disc may cause pain in the lower back, upper back, feet, legs, or arms. Again, this is because it depends on the nerve the disc is compressing or irritating.

It may also cause numbness in the feet or hands.

The neck may become stiff, sometimes to the point it is difficult to turn your head.

There may be an uncomfortable level of tingling or burning in your arms, back, or legs. You may experience numbness in the legs or arms, that pins and needles feeling, tingling, or burning.

Your muscles may have a variety of symptoms like muscle spasms, weakness, or overactive reflexes. Again, this could appear in your back, neck, arms, or legs.

It may become difficult to stretch your body out, particularly the back or neck. Sometimes, a herniated disc may result in changes with your bowel or bladder.

Because of the wide variety of symptoms, it's important you tell your chiropractor or other healthcare provider as many details about what's been happening with your health, even if you think that one symptom may not be related to the other.

Chiropractic Care for a Herniated Disc in Portland

Since a herniated disc is often called a slipped disc, many think a chiropractor just pops it back into place. Chiropractic care for a herniated disc focuses on gentle methods with low-force. Your discs are complex. The gel-like centers need to be handled with care.

Your chiropractor will perform a thorough exam, looking at the entire spinal column. Just because you feel pain in one place doesn't mean there aren't issues elsewhere, so a good chiropractor is thorough. They will use techniques like chiropractic spinal manipulation to work your disc away from the nerves and back into place. This will provide some immediate relief as well as be part of a long-term care plan to get your spinal column back to good health.

Depending on what they find during your exam, they may also refer you to another spinal specialist for more help.

They will also likely teach you different stretches and exercises that can alleviate some of the inflammation and help your spinal health.

Chiropractic care is natural and takes a whole-body approach. For herniated discs, chiropractic care at North Portland Wellness Group can be a strong part of a plan to manage your pain naturally and work to correct the slipped disc.