Physio Explains: Can Physio Help Herniated Discs
Can Physio Help Herniated Discs?
The short answer is yes, a physio can help people with herniated discs. And we see clients come to our Dublin clinic with your MRI report showing a herniation or herniated discs all the time and treat it.
However, an MRI is not the whole picture. As a physiotherapist, I look at the whole person that comes into my practice. I do not worry about MRI reports. I will explain what all the big scary words on the report mean, and move on, move forward.
At Dublin Chiropractic & Physiotherapy, we treat herniated discs all the time. This blog post will answer all the common questions I get in practice about herniated discs and how physiotherapy can help herniations.
We Treat Herniated Discs
You’re not alone in your herniated disc pain. Herniated discs are a common cause of back and neck pain.
If you or someone close to you has been diagnosed with a herniated disc, it’s important to understand all your treatment options. We will work closely with you every step of the way.
Call us today at (01) 575 2623 so we can start helping ease your pain!
What Is Herniated Disc?
Over time, these discs can weaken. In some cases, the soft, jelly-like center of the disc pushes out of the disc, moves from its origin and optimal position. This is a ‘herniated disc’.
A herniated disc is sometimes referred to as a ruptured disc, slipped disc, or bulging disc (the word “herniate” means to bulge or to stick out.) These discs become problematic when their center pushes against a nerve or the spinal cord. This can, but does not always, cause pain in the back or neck where herniated discs are most common.
How We Treat Herniated Discs In Dublin, Ireland
At Dublin Chiropractic & Physiotherapy we use a range of approaches for people with herniated discs. These include:
– Functional training/exercise therapy and education.
– Manual therapy to help ease pain and improve movement.
– Activity modification advice based on your individual care program with us at the clinic.
– Exercise prescription for herniated discs which is different from ‘the normal exercise routine’ you have been told to do at home for herniations.
– Postural advice where relevant.
We will take a look at your health history and your current lifestyle before we develop an individualized treatment plan. This means that our physiotherapists can provide you with targeted therapy. Your sessions will be designed to meet your herniated discs and herniated disc symptoms.
What Treating Herniated Discs Looks Like
At Dublin Chiropractic & Physiotherapy, we will:
– Educate you about how herniation occurs and its effects on the body.
– Provide manual therapy or mobilisation that aims to reduce pain and improve the movement of your back.
– Provide herniated disc exercises that are different from ‘the normal exercise routine’ you have been told to do at home for herniations.
– Give postural advice where relevant.
Other Conservative Therapies For Herniated Discs
At Dublin Chiropractic & Physiotherapy we also offer other therapies. They include:
The research on traction for back pain and sciatica is limited, and clinical guidelines don’t recommend it as a routine treatment. We only use it as an optional addition to an exercise-based plan, review it at the sixth visit, and stop if it isn’t helping.
Physio Goals When Treating Herniated Discs
Typical goals when treating herniated discs include:
- Reduce pain and discomfort.
- Improve mobility.
- Improve muscular strength and resilience.
- Facilitate return to hobbies and normal activities.
Call Us Today For A Consultation at Dublin Chiropractic & Physiotherapy.
If herniated discs and herniated disc symptoms are affecting your quality of life, we invite you to call us today at (01) 575 2623 so that we can start helping ease your pain.
Seek urgent medical care (GP, A&E, or call 112/999) if you have loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness around the groin or buttocks, progressive leg or arm weakness, or pain with fever, unexplained weight loss, chest pain or breathlessness.