Disc Herniation & Spine Care

A disc herniation (often called slipped discs, disc bulges, disc extrusions, etc) in the spine presents a common problem which can lead to disabling pain.

Many people who suffer from a suspected disc herniation visit their family doctor or primary care physician. Typically, their doctor will perform a brief examination and refer them for a MRI. If the MRI shows a disc herniation, the patient is sent to an orthopedic specialist and injections may be recommended as a treatment option. Last year alone over 9 million injections were given in the United States, which is roughly 25,000 per day!

Many patients don’t realize that injections are only effective about 50% of the time (per Columbia University Neurosurgery Department).  Also, there have been substantial risks associated with this procedure.  The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery found that every injection increases the risk of a vertebral fracture by 21% in the lumbar spine (research can be found here).

Medical Research on Disc Herniations & Chiropractic Spine Care

Recently more research has been performed comparing conservative chiropractic care to common medical interventions. A research article produced in 2013 compared the effectiveness of chiropractic care by spinal manipulation to nerve root injections for symptomatic disc herniations. The research found, “A systematic review of the literature concluded that spinal manipulation is a very safe and cost-effective option to treat lumbar disc herniation” and “Both of the treatment groups had significant decreases in their NRS (pain Numeric Rating Scale) scores at 1 month with a 60% reduction for the Spinal Manipulation Therapy cohort and a 53% reduction for the Nerve Root Injection group.” In this study, spinal manipulation therapy provided greater relief than the injections! The results of this study at 1 month, 3 months, and 12 months can be found here, here and here.

While more primary care physicians are beginning to embrace the overwhelming research showing the efficacy of chiropractic care, there are still other physicians who are reluctant to provide this safe and evidence-based care. If you or someone you know is suffering from a disc herniation, it may be in your best interest to be evaluated by a doctor of chiropractic.