If you visit a car accident chiropractor after a wreck or schedule an appointment after a slip or fall or another personal injury, you may receive the diagnosis of a herniated disc. It commonly occurs from lifting something heavy since this will place pressure on your spinal discs. For some, though, they never know what causes the herniated disc, but they know they’re living with symptoms. At Integrated Health & Injury, serving Decatur, Atlanta, and the surrounding Georgia areas, our practitioner can diagnose and help treat this issue. It helps to know some information about this issue before your appointment.
General Information About a Herniated Disc
A herniated disc is an issue that occurs when a disc in your spine ruptures. It’s often referred to as a slipped disc.
The cushiony discs in your back act as shock absorbers for your vertebrae. Due to wear and tear and the aging process, the discs may weaken. They then become more vulnerable to an injury.
With a herniated disc, the disc’s annulus (the shell of it) develops a tear. The center of the disc, which contains a jelly-like substance, then leaks through the opening.
Symptoms of a Herniated Disc
The tear in the disc won’t cause you pain. However, when the nucleus, which is the center of the disc, seeps from the disc, it can place pressure on the nearby nerves and soft tissue. As a result, you might experience pain. If it affects the nerves, you might have numbness, tingling, burning, or weakness. Depending on the location of the herniated disc, you might have these symptoms that extend through your arms or legs.
In some cases, you might not have any symptoms of a herniated disc. You might not know you have until a chiropractor in Decatur or Atlanta performs imaging.
Risk Factors of a Herniated Disc
Certain people are more prone to this than others. For example, as you age, your discs dry out and become less flexible, making them more likely to tear, especially from an injury.
Your risk also increases if you’re overweight. The pressure of the excess weight puts stress on the discs, particularly in your lower back.
If you have a physically demanding job, such as a delivery driver or painter, your chances are increased. Particularly, anyone with a job requiring him or her to lift, push, pull, bend, or twist has an elevated chance of developing a herniated disc. Your likelihood rises if you’re a smoker because less oxygen reaches the discs in your back.
Diagnosing a Herniated Disc
Our chiropractor serving Decatur and Atlanta will provide a comprehensive evaluation of your back. Our practitioner will assess your range of motion and examine your back for swelling. Often, our chiropractor will want you to evaluate your strength and reflexes.
A majority of the time, our practitioner can use this exam and the information you provided on your medical history report to diagnose the problem. Our chiropractor may perform imaging to rule out other causes of your pain and other symptoms.
How We Help
At Integrated Health & Injury, our practitioner may recommend you receive routine chiropractic alignments as the injury heals. This technique reduces pressure on the disc as it heals. Additionally, adjustments improve your blood flow, bringing additional nutrients to the area and promoting healing.
Our chiropractor, serving Decatur and Atlanta, may suggest non-surgical spinal decompression. This alleviates pressure on the disc so it can heal.
Exercise therapy can help strengthen your back and make you less vulnerable to injuries in the future. In addition, with exercise therapy, our practitioner can show you maneuvers to ease the strain on that part of your back. You can use these same principles in your everyday life.
Integrated Health & Injury offers a range of services to help you recover from a herniated disc. Each care plan is specifically tailored to the patient’s condition and changes based on your progress. Plus, all treatments are 100-percent natural.
Contact Integrated Health & Injury, serving Decatur, Atlanta, and the neighboring communities today to heal with the care of a professional. Call us at 404-288-9000, or use our online contact form.