Options for Herniated Disc Pain Relief

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Tuesday, April 3rd, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

What is a herniated disk? A herniated disc happens when one of the disks that is located between the vertebrae starts to bulge or abnormally ruptures altogether. In a normal healthy state the disks between the vertebrae act is a shock absorber for your back. When someone becomes injured what can happen is acute or chronic back pain that is due to the compression on a disc and then pinches one or more nerves in the back.

There is good news though! Two to a there are options to bring a patient that has herniated disk pain relief. The first thing that a patient who has back pain will be told to do is to take a day or two of bed rest. This usually will ease the most severe pain. This will also allow it to give your spine sometime to begin healing. What you don’t want to do is spend more than a day or two lying on your back, this can actually be counter productive in your recovery. After a day or two you will need to find an alternative means for herniated disk pain relief.

Medication

One of the most common ways to bring pain relief for a herniated disc is through medications. Often these can be OTC pain relievers such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Other times, your doctor will prescribe a medication like an antidepressant, muscle relaxants or corticosteroids. These prescriptions are generally reserved for the most severe cases, when herniated disc pain relief is the most difficult to achieve. Fortunately, there are a number of options in pain relief medications, so you and your doctor stand a very good chance of finding a medicine that will offer some relief for your pain.

Other Types of Non-Surgical Treatment

There are other methods of bring herniated disc pain relief. One is through the use of hot and cold therapy, that is usually done with ice and heat packs. Ice packs are generally recommended as the initial means of herniated disc pain relief, and can be used for fifteen minutes at a time, as often as needed. Heat is also an effective means of herniated disc pain relief, but it should not be used in the first 48 hours since heat can actually increase inflammation and swelling when applied during this period. When you can apply heat, you will be able to alternate between the two methods and find the one that helps you the most.

Another method that will help herniated disc pain relief can be using a back brace on the affected area for a little while.

You can also use some electrical stimulation (tens pain relief) while you are using other treatments to bring herniated disc pain relief.

There is also hydro therapy which will involve sitting in a whirlpool bath and at the same time performing different exercises while in the water. This can relax the muscles as well as provide relief from pain.

Now if these none surgical methods do not work or bring you herniated disc pain relief, there are other options. One of the options would be surgery, and you will be able to discuss this with your doctor.

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