Natural Treatment Plan - Synergy Rehab & Wellness

So You’ve Been Having Back Pain… Could it be Caused by a Herniated Disc?

Something is terribly wrong with you, but you’re not quite sure what it is. Strange neck pains, back pains, or extremity symptoms can indicate a variety of potential problems — including one or more herniated discs. How can you tell for sure whether you have this specific problem? If you do have a herniated disc, what can you do about it? These questions don’t have to add confusion and frustration to your physical woes. Here are some helpful tidbits of information from our physical therapist about herniated discs, their common symptoms, and how physical therapy can you overcome your distress.

What Is a Herniated Disc?

“Herniated disc,” “slipped disc,” and “ruptured disc” are all just different ways of describing the same physical problem. Your spinal discs are squat discs of tissue that lie between the vertebrae. A disc consists of a fluid-filled center called the nucleus pulposus encased in an outer structure called the annulus fibrosus. This arrangement makes the disc both tough enough and spongy enough to absorb shocks.

Unfortunately, that toughness has its limits. Sometimes a disc will lose hydration over time, causing the nucleus pulposus to shrink. The disc loses its height, which stresses the spinal joints and may cause the disc to bulge outward. Eventually these changes can cause part of the annulus fibrosus to balloon and tear open; this is herniated disc. Herniated discs can also occur suddenly due to an auto accident, workplace accident, or sports injury that traumatizes the spine.

Telltale Signs and Revealing Tests

Herniated discs don’t always cause symptoms, but the symptoms that they do cause can help you troubleshoot the nature of your problem. The most common symptoms include:

Neck pain (if it’s a cervical disc)
Back pain that seems to grow worse when you sneeze, cough, stand up or sit down
Pain, tingling, or loss of sensation in a limb (the result of a herniated disc pressing against nerve roots)
An inability to walk more than a few steps without pain
Symptoms that started shortly after an accident, extreme twisting of the neck or back, or an attempt to lift a heavy object
Symptoms that began after you gained a lot of weight (since obesity is a risk factor for disc problems)

If your symptoms seem to be soothed by massage, heat, or cold, you’re more likely to have a strained muscle or tendon than a herniated disc. Ultimately, the most accurate way to confirm a herniated disc is through medical imaging. X-rays can reveal not only the abnormal shape of a herniated disc, but also whether the herniation is pinching a nerve.

Physical Therapy to Help You Treat Your Herniated Disc

A herniated disc can cause a lot of misery — but don’t panic. Most herniated discs can be treated successfully without surgery. Physical therapy can be instrumental in helping you reduce or eliminate your symptoms. Our physical therapist can recommend specific exercises to build up the strength in your back or neck. These exercises can counter any atrophy or weakness you’ve experienced due to your herniated disc. They can also reinforce your neck and back, lending these structures extra support and making them less vulnerable to future herniation. We may also recommend other non-invasive techniques to complement your physical therapy exercises and help you heal.

Are you ready to learn more about herniated discs and get the answers to your neck or back needs? Contact Synergy Rehab & Wellness Center today at our Verona, VA, or Waynesboro, VA location – to schedule a consultation with a physical therapist today!

An Active Lifestyle Can Improve Your Health. Try These 5 Activities to Get Moving.

If you spend your days hobbling painfully from your bed to your reclining chair and back, the notion of pursuing any kind of vigorous activity may be the furthest thing from your mind. The truth, however, is that getting active can vastly improve your health, your comfort, mobility, and overall quality of life. Here are five activity suggestions from our physical therapist that you might genuinely enjoy adding to your lifestyle.

Activity #1: Walking

Walking is one of those ideal activities that requires no special equipment and makes perfect practical sense. If you have to make a short trip, why waste gasoline when you can get some fresh air and low-impact exercise instead? Walking gives your circulation a healthy boost without making excessive demands on your body. It also gets your weight-bearing joints moving — and that’s a huge benefit if you struggle with arthritis.

Activity #2: Running

Running is more demanding on the heart, lungs, and knees than walking, but these demands can turn to be very good for what ails you. The famous “runner’s high” you may have heard so much about seems to offer its own pain-reducing benefits for chronic pain sufferers. The phrase “No pain, no gain” also seems to apply here. That routine e you get from running could encourage your brain to step down its baseline pain sensitivity, making your other aches and pains seem less bothersome.

Activity #3: Cycling

Cycling gets you where you want to go while offering a number of health benefits. The aerobic workout can help you improve your heart health, while the simple act of operating the bike exercises your balance and builds leg strength. If you have back pain or knee problems, cycling is also lower-impact than running.

Activity #4: Swimming

If even walking hurts too much these days, maybe you should take a dip in the pool instead. Swimming is tremendously helpful for people with arthritis or extremity injuries because the water eases the forces of gravity on the body. Even if you can’t swim, try some healthy walking or dog-paddling in the water.

Activity #5: Weight Training

Lifting weights isn’t just for “muscle-heads.” Weight training can help you build the muscle tissue that helps to support your joints. Stronger muscles tire less easily and are less vulnerable to painful strains. Working with weights also helps you maintain your bone density and avoid age-related muscle wasting.

Part of Your Balanced Physical Therapy Program

You can pursue any or all of these activities at your leisure, or you can ask our physical therapist about integrating them into a full-scale physical therapy program. The latter approach could prove especially wise if you’re rehabilitating an injury, unsure of your exercise tolerance, or battling a particular chronic pain issue.

Our physical therapist can evaluate your health and prescribe the right activities for your needs and goals. At the same time, you may be able to enhance the benefits of your activities with other safe, helpful modalities such as massage, ultrasound therapy, dry needling, cold and heat treatments, acupuncture or laser therapy. These therapies can promote tissue repair, ease inflammation, reduce pain, and increase your ability to keep moving and having a great time.

Don’t Take Pain or Illness Lying Down — Get Moving and Visit Our Physical Therapy Center

Life is too wonderful to spend it in bed or in your chair. Get up right now and schedule a visit to Synergy Rehab & Wellness Center. It’s the healthiest move you could possibly make!