Medications For Pain Management With A Herniated Disc

At any one point in time, over 1% of the US population suffers from a disc herniation. Having sciatica from a herniated disc can be exceptionally painful. What are the medications that can help?

Initially, a Medrol Dose Pak may be very helpful. It involves a daily series of Prednisone pills to be taken for 5 days. Prednisone is a dramatic anti-inflammatory medication and since sciatica occurs from inflammation sparked up with a pinched nerve, it may relieve this inflammation. The subsequent pain relief may be dramatic. A Medrol Dose Pak should only be given once and then rarely again as there is concern over adrenal gland suppression or the very rare instance of osteonecrosis.

Additional medications that are commonly utilized include NSAID's which stands for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications. They can be very effective for pain, just make sure not to take more than manufacturer's recommendations. Same for Tylenol, it can be very helpful. If a person is on a Medrol Dose Pak and also taking NSAIDS one can end up with an ulcer because both medications knock out some of the protective lining of the gastrointestinal tract. Patients should take some sort of H2 blocker like Prilosec or Zantac to help protect this lining while taking these medications. All of these medications including the NSAIDS, Tylenol, Zantac, and Prilosec are available over the counter. Medrol Dose Pak's need a prescription.

In addition to these medications, taking a neuropathic medication such as Neurontin or Lyrica may help. These need a prescription as well. They are not addictive like narcotics, but should be taken only under the advice of a physician who will monitor your response and side effects.

Muscle relaxers such as Valium and Skelaxin may all pain relief and the ability to increase function and activity.

There is a non-narcotic medication available called Ultram (Tramadol) which can be very effective in the realm of pain management for a herniate disc. The beauty of Ultram is that it is not a narcotic and therefore non-addictive. It does need a prescription however.

One of the most effective medications available to help with the pain from a herniated disc is narcotics which may include Vicodin, Percocet, Oxycontin, Darvocet, Dilaudid, among others. These can be very addictive and should be monitored appropriately with pain doctors utilizing pain agreements and random urine drug screening. The theory is to prescribe enough medication to be able to allow the patient to alleviate his or her pain, not to get the patient high.

These medications should only be obtained from one doctor and only taken according to the prescribed dosage. As you can see there are numerous pharmacological methods of pain control for a herniated disc sciatica that are available. Most need a prescription and some have addictive tendencies therefore care should be taken to avoid abuse.

Relief For Spinal Stenosis With Spinal Decompression

Spinal stenosis is a condition associated with advancing age. As people grow older, if they do not take care of their spine and are not leading an active and healthy lifestyle, their bones can begin to deteriorate and problems such as spinal stenosis can begin to show up. Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the inter-vertebral spaces in the spinal cord, which puts pressure on the nerves that branch outward from the spine and causes pain.

One of the major causes of this condition is advancing age. It is more common in men and women who are over the age of 50. Older people are also more likely to develop arthritis, which is a degenerative disease that wears away joints and cartilage. It can cause bone spurs and is a contributing factor to spinal stenosis.

What is spinal decompression?

Spinal decompression is a non-invasive, non-surgical treatment that gently stretches taking pressure off the compressed nerves and areas affected by spinal stenosis. The patient is strapped in and the straps are attached to a computer-guided machine that gently and precisely stretches out the bones in the spine to decompress the vertebrae. This pulling and separating of the bones in the spine allows oxygen and nutrients to flood into the once-compressed area, allowing it to begin the healing process.

What are the symptoms of spinal stenosis?

Symptoms sometimes appear slowly and worsen over time. They can include:

• Back or neck pain


• Numbness, weakness or pain in the arms and legs


• Shooting pain down the leg


• Foot pain

What are the treatment options?

Non-surgical treatment options include:

• Anti-inflammatory medications


• Pain relievers


• Rest


• Physical Therapy


• Back brace to stabilize and protect the lower back


• Acupuncture


• Chiropractic treatments including spinal decompression


• Exercise

What can be done to prevent further chiropractic issues?

Leading a more active, healthy lifestyle that includes a balanced, nutrient-rich diet, lots of water and consistent exercise can help prevent many back problems.

Certain exercises, such as Yoga and Pilates, focus on strengthening the body's core strength and are good for keeping the spine limber and flexible. Moving and stretching keeps the spine mobile and helps prevent arthritis and spinal stenosis from developing. Swimming, bicycle riding, vigorous walking with swinging arms and moderate weight training will protect the spine by building up the muscles and supporting structures of the spine.

After a series of spinal decompression sessions, your Chiropractor may give you a series of exercises to do at home so that your back will continue to heal. You will want to maintain a consistent exercise routine to keep your back and the rest of your body in the best shape possible. Before you find a Chiropractor in Springfield, VA, do your research. Don't be afraid to ask for patient references or the amount of experience the chiropractor has.

Spinal Stenosis Laser Surgery

For those people that suffer from spinal stenosis, yet are unfortunate in that non-invasive methods such as physical therapy and medications do not work, the last option to consider is surgery. Decompressive spinal surgery can make room in the vertebraes, relieving pressure and pain on the nerves. There are three common types of surgeries that can treat spinal stenosis - a foraminotomy, laminotomy and laminectomy.

These surgeries act to open up or remove specific parts of the vertebrae where spinal stenosis sets in. The foramen are openings on the sides of each vertebrae when they all line up to form the spine. There are nerves that extend from the spinal cord (in the spinal canal) and pass through the foramen to other parts of the body, such as the arms and legs. If these openings narrow, the nerves will essentially become pinched. The lamina are the bony walls on the sides of the vertebrae that form and protect the spinal canal. If the lamina grow in size or are pushed inward, they will also put extra pressure on the spinal cord.

The suffix otomy means "to cut or make an incision". A foraminotomy is the process of cutting open the foramen, to give more room for the nerves to freely pass inside the spine to other extremities. This can help people who suffer from degenerating discs in their vertebraes which reduces the size of the foramen. Other problems include bulging and herniated discs, which encroach on the foramen.

A laminotomy is the process of cutting away part of the lamina. It also acts to increase space and to release trapped nerves. In more severe cases, a laminectomy may be required, which requires the complete removal of the lamina (the suffix ectomy means "to remove.") Compared to a laminotomy, a laminectomy is usually an open surgery, while the former is minimally invasive.

There are other non surgical treatment options to consider as well. Generally, before surgery is even mentioned, physical therapy and pain medications are the first way to deal with spinal stenosis. While these are simple options for simple cases of spinal stenosis, they may only mitigate the pain as opposed to relieving it all together. More intense treatments include steroid injections, which are not a long term solution, and can possibly have adverse effects. Though surgery may seem like an extreme option, it is an easy operation that can potentially abate all pain and other symptoms.

Herniated Disc Treatments - A Safer, More Effective Option

Herniated disc sufferers have traditionally had the treatment options of medication, physical therapy, spinal injections, and/or surgery, and because of the limited effectiveness of these approaches, many simply have had to learn to live with the pain. But a new option is now available and while not appropriate or effective for every person with a herniated disc, it does represent a huge leap in effectiveness and safety in treating herniated discs.

Spinal decompression is a new form of spinal traction. Regular traction has been used for a number of years to treat herniated discs, unfortunately with poor results in many cases, and with symptom aggravation occurring in some cases. The problem with regular traction is that it activates the body's muscle guarding response and can trigger muscle spasm, which produces pain and may even result in increased pressure on herniated discs.

Spinal decompression has solved these problems though. Although still technically traction machines, true spinal decompression systems pull very slowly and gradually in order to keep the muscles relaxed and avoid triggering spasm. In addition, the more advanced of the spinal decompression systems also have computer-controlled motors and have sensors to measure the body's resistance to treatment. If the body's muscles begin to contract and resist the treatment, the system will immediately reduce its pull and the body's muscles will relax again. The most advanced of these systems can respond to what the body is doing in an amazing 1/17th of a second. Since the body's reactions take place in approximately 1/5th of a second, these advanced spinal decompression systems can modify treatment before the muscles can spasm, allowing for comfortable herniated disc relief.

This ability to avoid the body's muscle spasm response allows spinal decompression systems to dramatically lower the pressure within a herniated disc. In fact, disc pressure is actually dropped into the negative pressure range, creating a suction that pulls the bulging disc material back towards the center of the disc and away from sensitive nerves. An additional effect is that nutrients and fluid are pulled into the disc to stimulate disc healing. Over time and repeated treatments, the herniated disc material is pulled back in, and the healing of the disc provides stabilization of the outer wall of the disc to prevent further bulging.

The frequency and duration of spinal decompression treatment will vary depending on the age and condition of the patient, the severity of the herniated disc, and the number of herniated discs. Spinal decompression can be used in both the lumbar and cervical spine very effectively.

Statistically, spinal decompression with the more advanced machines, and with appropriate patient selection has a success rate of 80-90%, and of those who are successfully treated, the results hold up well long-term in most cases. Given the success rate and the fact that the most common side-effect is some temporary post-treatment muscle soreness, spinal decompression is often the best option in herniated disc treatment.

Unfortunately, there has been a tendency toward overly aggressive advertising and hype, and in some cases, inappropriate application of spinal decompression in recent years by some health care practitioners. This has led to unrealistic expectations by patients and actions by regulatory agencies on advertising claims, leading to a damaged reputation for spinal decompression. While spinal decompression does represent a major advance in the treatment of herniated discs, it is not a cure-all, it is not 100% effective, and it is not appropriate for every patient.

Spinal decompression, when used appropriately, does produce enough improvement and disc healing in the vast majority of cases to allow patients to resume normal lives and return to most activities (even playing golf or tennis and working in the yard), but it does not restore a herniated disc to 100% normal. No treatment can. Even the still-experimental disc replacement surgery does not restore the spine to a normal condition and future back problems following disc replacement are to be expected. Overwork, poor posture, or failure to use good bending and lifting techniques can set the stage for a recurrence of disc problems no matter how good the results of treatment are initially.

With appropriate patient selection and by giving patients realistic expectations, spinal decompression providers can supply a very safe and effective treatment option for those with a herniated disc.

Pinched Nerves Cause Back Pain

Everyone has at one time or another applied too much pressure to the "funny bone" in their elbow which is actually the ulnar nerve. This physical pressure disrupts the nerve's function causing pain, tingling, numbness or weakness from the elbow into the fingers of the hand. Too much pressure applied for too long to a nerve along the spine results in much the same sensations. Where these sensations occur naturally depends upon the pathway of the specific involved nerve as illustrated above.

Nerve pain resulting from direct physical pressure is called an entrapment neuropathy because the nerve is trapped or pinched by some structure. This term helps to distinguish them from neuropathies resulting from infection or disease where the nerve pain is more often referred to as neuritis or neuralgia.

Radiculitis / Radiculopathy

These are not specific conditions, but rather describe a nerve that is being pinched at or very near the spinal cord at the beginning or ''root'' of the nerve. Radiculitis is from Latin radiculo for root plus itis for inflammation. Radiculopathy comes from the same Latin radiculo for root plus Greek pathos for suffering. There may be slight technical differences between the two words but in truth they are often used interchangeably without clear distinction.

In a radiculitis or radiculopathy the pinch is occurring at or near the root of the nerve along the spinal cord. The most common cause of this physical pressure is a herniated or protruding spinal intervertebral disc crushing the nerve against the bone resulting in pain at that level of the spine in the neck or back, and of course, along the pathway of the adjacent nerve root itself resulting in arm pain or leg pain through a process called referred pain or radicular pain. For example, a nerve root impingement in the neck, or cervical spine, can produce pain, motor weakness, or sensory paresthesia in the shoulder, arm or hand which is called brachial radiculitis from Latin brachio for arm or more simply a cervical radiculitis or cervical radiculopathy. Likewise, a nerve root impingement in the lower back or lumbar-sacral spine can be manifested with symptoms in the lower extremity, a lumbar radiculitis or lumbar radiculopathy. This can result in pain, weakness, numbness, or paresthesia in the butt, hip, leg or foot. This is often called sciatica, a reference to the nerve that is being pinched. Sciatica due to compression of one of the lumbar nerve roots is one of the most common forms of radiculopathy.

Neuritis / Neuralgia

Neuritis is from itis for inflammation and neuro for nerve. Neuralgia is from the Greek algos for pain and neuro for nerve. The difference between neuritis and neuralgia are again technical and these terms too are often used interchangeably. The most common cause of neuritis or neuralgia are generalized metabolic issues such as those that occur as a result of diabetes or alcoholism, and as such, the nerve dysfunction is generalized and widespread as opposed to being one specific nerve root such as in sciatica that is caused by direct physical pressure. Acute or chronic Poisoning most commonly by lead, arsenic, mercury, copper and phosphorus also results in widespread nerve dysfunction also correctly termed a neuritis or a neuralgia.

Choosing Between Spinal Decompression and TENS Treatments

Basically, when you go for spinal decompression, you have a unique chance to cure the root cause of chronic back and neck pain.  Consider a situation where  you are devastated by sciatica flare ups, or you have a pinched nerve that radiates pain to distant parts of your body.  By manipulating spinal vertebra with a combination of weights and traction, it is possible to relive excess intra-disc pressure, and thus get rid of your pain permanently.    

Even though TENS units can be used in your own home, there is nothing quite like being pain free naturally.  Unfortunately, no matter whether you take painkillers, or rely on electric shock to deaden certain nerves, you will always have a vague sense that something is not right.  Without a question, even when the pain subsides, you may find yourself trying to twist your neck or back in an effort to move a bone into a more comfortable alignment.  In most cases, you will not be able to achieve your goal because you cannot create enough vacuum pressure with these motions to move the bones back where they belong.

If you need to make a choice between TENS therapy and computer guided spinal traction, it will not hurt to choose the latter option first.  At the very least, if putting your spinal column back into optimal alignment doesn't work, you can always fall back on TENS treatment.  On the other hand, if you try TENS therapy first, you will always be wondering if spinal decompression could have helped you avoid the constant need to use electric shock to reduce chronic back pain.

What Conditions Can Be Treated With Spinal Decompression Therapy

This article answers the question "what conditions can be treated with spinal decompression therapy?" This therapy is a non-invasive, non-surgical treatment for back or neck pain resulting from degenerative disc disease, sciatica, a bulging or herniated disc, and facet syndrome. The therapy works by distracting the spine's vertebral segments to generate a negative pressure, or in the discs between the vertebrae. The created negative pressure enables nutrients and water to be delivered to the needed regions.

FDA Approved, Safe and Effective Treatment

Non-surgical spinal decompression therapy is an FDA approved therapy proven that is effective and safe in treating chronic lumbar (low back) and cervical (neck) conditions. The success of the treatment for a patient would vary with the patient's particular condition, his willingness to follow the recommended treatment plan, how long he has been affected by the disorder, and other factors.

Some of the conditions that can be treated with this therapy are described below:

Spinal Stenosis which is stenosis or abnormal narrowing of the spinal column and is a condition which may occur in any area of the spine. The usual reason for the problem is spinal degeneration that comes about with aging.

Degenerative Disc Disease is a natural outcome of the aging process. With the passage of time, people demonstrate changes in their discs because of a small or great degree of degeneration. The disease varies in nature.

Pinched Nerves are a condition resulting from injury or damage to the nerve from compression or direct compression that makes the nerve incapable of properly sending its signal. The reason for a pinched nerve depends on where the nerve is located.

Sciatica results from compression of a spinal nerve root in the lower back. It affects the hip, back, and outer side of the leg.

Failed Back Surgery - A second spinal surgery is not advisable for a person with failed back surgery syndrome after spinal surgery. So, non-surgical spinal decompression therapy is an option that can be considered.

Facet Syndrome - It is a condition where the joints in the back of the spine deteriorate and consequently cause pain. Facet joints are located at all levels, on either side of the lumbar spine. They are responsible for about 1/5th of the general stability in the low back. The facet joints are so positioned as to provide whatever support is required particularly with respect to rotation.

Arthritis - It is a disorder marked by inflammation of one of more joints. The result is swelling, restricted movement, pain, and stiffness.

Promising Alternative to Medication and Surgery

It can be concluded that there are a number of conditions that can be effectively treated with spinal decompression therapy. The therapy is indeed a viable alternative to surgery and medication.