A herniated disk is also known as a slipped, ruptured or bulging disk. It's one of the most common causes of neck, back and leg pain. Most of the time, herniated disks heal on their own or with simple home-care measures.
Most (80-90%) cases involving bulging or herniated discs will heal within 2-4 months, depending on the severity of the injury, as well as your age and overall health.
The average amount of time it takes for a herniated disk to heal is four to six weeks, but it can get better within a few days depending on how severe the herniation was and where it occurred. The biggest factor in healing a herniated disk is time, because most often it will resolve on its own.
Can a herniated disc reoccur despite your most diligent efforts? Sadly, the answer is yes. Sometimes, there's nothing you can do to prevent another injury to a disc, especially when dealing with the vicissitudes of time and aging.
It can cause pain in the buttocks, legs, or back. It can also affect your ability to walk. Bulging discs usually affect multiple discs. This condition develops over time and can cause other disc degeneration-related issues, like lumbar stenosis (narrowing of spinal canal).
Causes Of Bulging Disc
Body mechanics and poor posture that put stress on the spinal disc. Torsion of disc from repetitive work with a lot of bending, twisting or lifting. Sitting, standing driving or working for long periods of time. Sustaining back injury from a severe fall.
If you leave a herniated disc untreated, you may experience intense, sharp pains, partial paralysis, or the inability to control bowel movements in relatively dire situations.
It can also lead to loss of control over bowel movements and bladder. In cases where a herniated disc has been untreated for too long, this type of damage can be permanent. Patients may also permanently lose feeling in their legs and lower back.
Absorption of water. The herniated fragment of the disc contains water. Over time this water will be absorbed by the body, causing the herniated segment to shrink in size. As it shrinks it may no longer affect the nearby nerve.
Generally speaking—as long as they're performed correctly—core and back exercises are beneficial for bulging discs, as are activities like walking, elliptical exercise, swimming, and riding a stationary or regular bike.
Signs Your Herniated Disc is Healing
However, the first symptom that will reveal that you are on the way to healing is that the sharp, shooting pain in your legs or arms will go away, followed by some muscle weakness in that nerve path. However, if you have numbness, it might take longer to heal.
The pain from a herniated disc usually is worse when you are active and gets better when you are resting. Coughing, sneezing, sitting, driving, and bending forward may make the pain worse. The pain gets worse when you make these movements because there is more pressure on the nerve.
Treatment with rest, pain medication, spinal injections, and physical therapy is the first step to recovery. Most people improve in 6 weeks and return to normal activity. If symptoms continue, surgery may be recommended.
Bulges can put pressure on the surrounding nerve roots, leading to pain that radiates down the back and other areas of the body depending on its location within the spinal column. If the symptoms are severe enough and have become chronic, surgery for a bulging disc may be required.
While some herniated or bulging disc pain may resolve on its own or with mild intervention, without proper treatment, the injury can lead to permanent issues that cause more pain than the original problem. In some cases, an untreated bulging disc can even lead to permanent nerve damage.
The incidence of a herniated disc is about 5 to 20 cases per 1000 adults annually and is most common in people in their third to the fifth decade of life, with a male to female ratio of 2:1 [6]. The estimated prevalence of symptomatic herniated disc of the lumbar spine is about 1-3 percent of patients.
Your doctor might recommend surgery as an option for your herniated disc if: Your symptoms have lasted at least 6 weeks and make it hard to do your normal activities, and other treatments haven't helped. You need to get better quickly because of your job or to get back to your other activities as soon as possible.
Chiropractic is a preferred treatment option for many people with bulging and herniated discs because it is a non-invasive process and does not require drugs or injections. Once you have reached your diagnosis, you and your chiropractor can work hand in hand to look for the best way to treat your condition.
Ways to Manage Herniated Disc Pain
Wearing flat or low-heeled shoes to relieve pressure on your spine. Carrying weighty objects close to your body. Keeping your back straight and bending with your knees and hips when lifting an object, as opposed to bending over and lifting.
Bulging or Herniated Discs
A pronounced force on the discs can herniate them, as well, because dehydrated discs cannot sustain impact and have reduced elasticity. Because the discs, even the outer layer, need additional water to restrengthen, the bulging can occur from lack of continuous hydration.
Patient improvement will vary. Depending on which disc is bulging and the severity of symptoms, it can take 6-12 weeks to get better. Fortunately, many patients feel a difference within the first 2 weeks of Chiropractic care.
Bladder incontinence can occur because of a bulging disc compressing the nerves that control the bladder. In this case, seek emergency medical help immediately. Upper back pain radiating to the stomach or chest may be a symptom of a mid-spine bulging disc. Muscle spasms may also occur with any bulging disc.
Deep Tissue Massage: There are more than 100 types of massage, but deep tissue massage is an ideal option if you have a herniated disc because it uses a great deal of pressure to relieve deep muscle tension and spasms, which develop to prevent muscle motion at the affected area.