Category Archives: Herniated Discs

Chiropractic, Herniated Discs

Diagnosing Disc Problems

Here at Spaulding Chiropractic clinic the diagnostic processes for both degenerative disc disease and a herniated disc include a range of methods that confirm the disc as the pain source, as well as the mechanics and anatomy behind how pain is occurring.

We Review Medical History and Specific Symptoms

Our diagnostic process typically begins with a collected medical history and a review of current symptoms. A complete review of symptoms will include:

  • The location of the pain, including whether it is confined to the neck or back, or whether it includes arm or leg pain
  • A description of how the pain feels, such as searing, sharp, or stabbing vs. dull or achy
  • Whether certain activities, positions, or treatments make the pain feel better or worse

Collecting your full medical background can rule out or identify other possible conditions that may cause pain. Your medical history may include information on recurring health problems, previous diagnoses, and past treatments and their effectiveness. Information on sleep, dietary, and exercise habits is usually also collected.

Physical Examination

A physical exam for diagnosing disc pain may include one or more of the following tests:

  • Palpation. Palpating (feeling by hand) certain structures can help identify the pain source. For example, worsened pain when pressure is applied to the spine may indicate sensitivity caused by a damaged disc.
  • Movement tests. Tests that assess the spine’s range of motion may include bending the neck or torso forward, backward, or to the side. Additionally, if raising one leg in front of the body worsens leg pain, it can indicate a lumbar herniated disc (straight leg raise test).
  • Muscle strength. A neurological exam may be conducted to assess muscle strength and determine if a nerve root is compressed by a herniated disc. A muscle strength test may include holding the arms or legs out to the side or front of the body to check for tremors, muscle atrophy, or other abnormal movements.
  • Reflex test. Nerve root irritation can dampen reflexes in the arms or legs. A reflex test involves tapping specific areas with a reflex hammer. If there is little or no reaction, it may indicate a compressed nerve root in the spine.

If you are suffering from back pain here in Fairbanks, AK, call Spaulding Chiropractic Clinic today at 907-456-4234.

Chiropractic, Herniated Discs

Herniated Disc – Pinched Nerve – Bulk Disk

There can be two causes of pain, pinched nerve vs disk pain and there are two main ways a spinal disc can cause pain.

• Pinched nerve. In most cases a herniated disc itself is not painful, but rather the material leaking out of the disc pinches, inflames, or irritates a nearby nerve, causing radicular pain. Radicular pain (also called nerve root pain), describes sharp, shooting pains that radiate to other parts of the body, such as from the low back down the leg or from the neck down the arm. Leg pain from a pinched nerve is commonly called sciatica.
• Disc pain. A spinal disc itself may be the source of pain if it dehydrates or degenerates to the point of causing pain and instability in the spinal segment (called degenerative disc disease). Degenerative disc pain tends to include a chronic, low-level pain around the disc and occasional episodes of more severe pain.

A herniated disc and degenerative disc disease typically occur in the cervical spine (neck) and lumbar spine (lower back). Disc pain tends to be most common in the lower back, where most of the movement and weight-bearing in the spine occurs. These conditions are uncommon in the mid-back (the thoracic spine).

If you are suffering from a herniated disc here in Fairbanks, AK, call Spaulding Chiropractic Clinic today at 907-456-4234.

Chiropractic, Herniated Discs

Herniated Disk

A herniated disk refers to a problem with one of the rubbery cushions (disks) between the individual bones (vertebrae) that stack up to make your spine.

A spinal disk is a little like a jelly donut, with a softer center encased within a tougher exterior. Sometimes called a slipped disk or a ruptured disk, a herniated disk occurs when some of the softer “jelly” pushes out through a tear in the tougher exterior.

A herniated disk can irritate nearby nerves and result in pain, numbness or weakness in an arm or leg. On the other hand, many people experience no symptoms from a herniated disk. Most people who have a herniated disk don’t need surgery to correct the problem.

Symptoms
Most herniated disks occur in your lower back (lumbar spine), although they can also occur in your neck (cervical spine). The most common signs and symptoms of a herniated disk are:
• Arm or leg pain. If your herniated disk is in your lower back, you’ll typically feel the most intense pain in your buttocks, thigh and calf. It may also involve part of the foot. If your herniated disk is in your neck, the pain will typically be most intense in the shoulder and arm. This pain may shoot into your arm or leg when you cough, sneeze or move your spine into certain positions.
• Numbness or tingling. People who have a herniated disk often experience numbness or tingling in the body part served by the affected nerves.
• Weakness. Muscles served by the affected nerves tend to weaken. This may cause you to stumble, or impair your ability to lift or hold items.

You also can have a herniated disk without knowing it — herniated disks sometimes show up on spinal images of people who have no symptoms of a disk problem.

If you are suffering from these symptoms in Fairbanks, AK, call Spaulding Chiropractic Clinic today at 907-456-4234.

Chiropractic, Herniated Discs

Sacroiliac Joints And Chiropractic

“Sacro… what?” is probably the response you would hear from most people if asked about sacroiliac joints (SI). You may never have heard of them before, but the SI joints play vital roles in both body stability and move­ment. These large synovial joints of the pelvis join the triangular bone at the bottom of the spine (the sacrum) to the two big pelvic bones (the ilia) on either side.

Although these are crucial weight-bearing joints important for their part in the stability of the pelvis, they also move slightly for proper mechanics when walking or running. The SI joints can be affected by overex­ertion and injury. Your chiropractor is well-acquainted with the functional anatomy of these joints and will often adjust the SI joint to alleviate pain.

Too Much Strain Can Lead to Pain

As mentioned, one of the primary roles of the SI joint is to help maintain pelvic stability. The SI joints are surrounded by tough, fibrous ligaments. But if one or more of your SI joint ligaments become strained, you’re likely to feel pain directly over the SI joint.

When they get strained repetitively, these ligaments can lose some of their structural integrity, making your SI joints more prone to subluxate. Since the two joints work in unison, if one of the SI joints becomes unstable, the other joint can become restricted. Regular chiropractic adjustments may be needed to maintain a proper balance between mobility and stability.

 Alignment of the spine is dependent on the function of the SI joints. When an SI joint is improperly positioned, it is possible that the sacrum is also out of its normal position. When this happens, the lower lumbar vertebrae can subluxate, leading to a greater chance of an abnormal lumbar curve and appearing as conditions like scoliosis and hyper- or hypo-lordosis.

Any time the spinal curves are altered, it leaves you vulnerable to painful conditions in the lower back, such as facet irritation, disc herniation or muscle strain.1

Detecting SI Joint Trouble

The first clue is pain directly over the joint, usually only on one side. If the pain is greater when you bend back­wards, inflammation of the joint is the probable cause of your symptoms.

If the pain is greater when you bend forward, then you’re probably experi­encing strained ligaments around the joint. However, low back pain in general has been associated with SI joint problems in a large number of patients. In one study, close to 30% of patients x-rayed with lower back complaints showed either degenerative or inflammatory conditions affecting their SI joints.2

Local pain is not the only way you can tell you have an SI joint problem. Referred pain from these joints is often felt in the groin, and can also travel into the buttocks and down the back of the leg, mimicking sciatica or a lumbar disc herniation.3 If the SI joints are not functioning properly, this can lead to disturbances in your gait, which may cause hip, knee or feet problems.4.

What to Do About an SI Joint Trouble

First and foremost, you should get a chiropractic assessment. As a joint specialist, your chiropractor is uniquely positioned in the healthcare field to assess and treat any joint in the body.

For the first 72 hours after the onset of pain, you should attempt to limit your activities that cause soreness and apply ice to the affected area for 5-10 minutes at a time to decrease inflammation.

Restoring normal joint mobility is the next goal. If your chiropractor discovers that SI joint restrictions are part of the problem, chiropractic adjustments will be used to restore alignment and function. If joint instability is suspected, you may also be asked to temporarily wear an SI belt – a device that wraps around the pelvis to stabilize the SI joints.

Finally, your chiropractor may recommend specific stretching or strengthening exercises, combined with regular chiropractic adjustments, to balance the alignment of your pelvis in the long term.