The
Herniated
Disc
Healing
Guide
What they are
why they happen
and how to recover fast!
By Dr. Robert V. Duvall DPT, MPT, ATC, MGFI,
Jesse Cannone, CFT, CPRS, and Steve Hefferon, CMT
of The Healthy Back Institute
What Exactly Is a Herniated Disc?
The funny thing is, the medical community still hasnt standardized the term
for this common spinal condition. So, if youve been told you have a herniated
disc, a slipped disc, a prolapsed disc, a bulging disc, a ruptured disc, or even
degenerative disc disease, its essentially the same thing. The terminology
depends on who youre asking.
Spinal discs are soft cushions found between the vertebrae that make up the spinal
column (your backbone). In the middle of the spinal column is the spinal canal, a
hollow space that contains the spinal cord. The nerves that supply the arms, legs,
and torso come from the spinal cord.
The nerves from the neck supply the arms and hands, and the nerves from the low
back supply the butt and legs. Its the discs between the vertebrae that allow your back
to move freely. They also serve as shock absorbers while you walk and perform other
activities.
The disc itself is made up of two main sections. The outer
part, called the annulus, is made up of tough cartilage
that is comprised of a series of rings. The center of
the disc is a jelly-like substance called the nucleus
pulposus.
A disc herniates, or ruptures, when part of the jelly
center pushes through the outer wall of the disc into
the spinal canal, and puts pressure on the nerves.
A disc bulge is when the jelly substance pushes the
outer wall but doesnt completely break through the
wall.
Technically, a herniated disc occurs when the
outermost part of the disc begins to weaken and the inner soft part starts to
press outward. Most people dont even know they have a herniated disc until
the herniation touches a nerve.
And, yes, you can have a herniated disc and not have pain. By some
accounts based on MRI studies, 60% or more of adults without pain have
herniated or bulging discs.1 Thats why as little as a 1mm movement
may make the difference between no pain and agonizing pain. Thats why,
even if you dont have back pain now, this guide may be very useful aid in
preventing pain.
______________________________
1
Jensen MC, et al. Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Lumbar Spine in People without
Back Pain. New England Journal of Medicine. 1994 Jul 14; 331:69-73.
2
Herniated Disc Symptoms
Herniated discs are a common source of back pain. However, symptoms alone
are not enough to diagnose a herniated disc.
Your medical history is key to a proper
diagnosis. A physical examination can usually
determine which nerve roots are affected
and how seriously. A simple x-ray may show
evidence of disc or degenerative spine changes.
An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is usually
the most accurate (and most expensive) testing
option to determine which disc has herniated.
Pain and other symptoms from a herniated disc can
vary widely from one person to the next. Complaints
range from local pain to radiating pain. Depending on
where the herniation is, you may experience arm pain
or leg pain in addition to back pain.
One of the most common set of symptoms
associated with a herniated disc is sciatica.
Contrary to popular opinion, sciatica is actually a set of symptoms and not a condition
in and of itself. When a herniated disc presses on the sciatic nerve it often leads to
one or more of these symptoms:
Sharp, shooting pain starting in the buttocks that travels down the back of one
leg
Numbness and tingling in one leg (pins & needles)
A burning pain centered in the lower back
Back pain with gradually increasing leg pain
Weakness in one leg or both legs
Loss of bladder or bowel control
While these are the most common symptoms of the condition, keep in mind
that you may experience multiple symptoms from a herniated disc or even
none at all.
IMPORTANT: Loss of bowel or bladder control or weakness in both legs at
the same time should be considered a medical emergency. Seek immediate
attention.
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Your Three Step Recovery Plan
Fixing a bulging or herniated
disc means different things
to different people. Usually it
either means a) help me stop my
back pain, or b) help me fix the
herniated disc. The end result may
be the same but the perspective is
critical.
If you simply want to mask the
back pain you could take one of the
manynon-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs, get repeated cortisone shots,
or beg your doctor for another
pharmaceutical drug alternative. While Lasting back pain relief made simple as
you might reach the perceived goal of 123
ending back pain, you of course have not
addressed the real problem.
On the other hand, if you choose to fix a herniated disc by actually treating the
underlying cause as well as the symptoms youll have a greater likelihood of both
ending the pain and preventing its recurrence. Thats what our three step recovery
plan helps you accomplish.
1
Step Identify the Cause
First, understand that outside of cases of trauma a herniated disc
does not occur overnight. It may seem like you threw your back out
all at once, yet it was a process of weakening over time that allowed your disc to
suddenly become noticeably problematic.
Many people have a herniated disc without pain. Its only when the bulging
disc or inner material from a herniated disc press against a nerve that pain
results.
Discs are primarily composed of water. As we become older (after the
age of 30), the water content decreases, so the discs begin to shrink and
lose their shape. When the disc becomes smaller the space between the
vertebrae decreases and become narrower. Also, as the disc loses water
content the disc itself becomes less flexible.
While aging, excess weight, improper lifting and the decrease in water in
the discs all contribute to the breaking down of discs, the primary cause of a
herniation or bulge is uneven compression and torsion thats placed on the
discs.
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This uneven pressure is caused
by imbalances in muscles that
pull the spine out of its normal
position. This forces your body to
function with what I call a physical
dysfunction. Every human being
develops these dysfunctions over
time and eventually they cause
enough damage to create pain if left
uncorrected.
The first step to recovery is identifying
the dysfunctions you have and the muscle
Physical dysfunctions caused by
imbalances which created them. We
muscle imbalances force your
have found that there are four primary body into unnatural positions
dysfunctions that are either directly leading to painful conditions such
responsible for, or contribute to, nearly every as a herniated disc
single case of back pain or sciatica.
If youve never heard of muscle imbalances before it may not be your doctors fault.
Sadly, most healthcare professionals have never been taught the basic human
anatomical and biomechanical approach used for identifying muscle imbalances.
If your healthcare provider is not familiar with muscle imbalances you can identify them
yourself by performing a series of self assessments such as those taught in our
Lose the Back Pain System.
Once youve identified your dysfunctions and imbalances, then its time for step two.
2
Step Treat the Symptoms
You cant correct the problem if your pain is so severe you
cant move. So in this step youll implement various strategies
to help reduce and manage your pain so you can focus on correcting the
dysfunction(s) that are responsible for your pain.
The jelly centers of your spinal discs are roughly 70% water. Gravity
squeezes water out of these discs throughout the day as you go about your
regular activities. Thats how you can lose as much as of an inch in height
by the end of the day. Perhaps youve noticed as you re-adjust your rear
view mirror before driving home from work. Its also this thinning of your
spinal discs that might lead to more pain late in the day.
While you sleep most of this fluid gets soaked back into your discs. But if
youre dehydrated or dont get enough sleep your spinal discs arent able to
fully recover. So one of the easiest things you can do as you start treating a
herniated disc or even to help avoid one is to drink plenty of water (not
soda, coffee, etc.) and regularly get a good nights sleep.
5
Many people turn to medicine,
especially non-steroidal anti-
inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like
ibuprofen and naproxen at the first
sign of pain. While inflammation
almost certainly plays a role in your
pain, there are significant health
risks in taking them.
A better strategy is to cut back on
inflammatory foods such as sugar, dairy,
fried or processed foods. Introduce more
fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet.
And again, water should be your beverage
of choice when working through pain.
You can also supplement with proteolytic systemic enzymes which actively reduce
inflammation throughout your body and help your body recover from injury. While
systemic enzymes wont directly cure a herniated disc, they will help reduce
inflammation easing pain and making recovery much easier.
When pain flares up, a local topical ointment can offer quick pain relief. Our favorite is
Rub-On-Relief which combines the all-natural pain reliever Arnica proven as powerful
as prescription anti-inflammatories with MSM, menthol and other powerful ingredients
for fast pain relief and actual healing power.
Finally, and weve truly saved the best symptom treatment for last when it comes to
herniated discs, is spinal decompression. The reason it works so well is it relieves
the pressure your vertebrae place on your spinal discs.
This reduced pressure gives a herniated disc room to return back to its normal
position. Sometimes a herniated disc will suddenly recover from spinal
decompression alone.
Once pressure on the disc is reduced it can reabsorb lost fluid to properly
cushion your spine. More importantly for your symptoms of pain, once the
herniated disc recovers enough to no longer touch surrounding nerves itll
immediately relieve your pain.
Spinal decompression doesnt require a huge machine in a doctors
office with thousands of dollars in payments. Two of the most effective
decompression devices run only a fraction of that and then you can have
them at home to use whenever needed.
The time-tested inversion table not only works gently by using gravity itself
to release pressure, one study by Newcastle University even found 70%
of patients using them were healed enough to cancel their scheduled back
surgeries.2
______________________________
2
Manjunath P, et al. Inversion therapy in patients with pure single level discogenic disease: a
pilot randomised trial. 2006. Newcastle University.
6
Another excellent device for
decompression of the lower and
middle spine is the Nubax Trio.
This device is incredibly easy to
use and can provide even more
decompression force than an
inversion table, though it wont help
herniated discs in the upper spine
and neck.
Uneven pressure on a disc can cause
We provided a video review and the jelly-like center to rupture
comparison of inversion tables and the through the outer disc wall
Nubax on our blog awhile back along with
Pros & Cons for both. To view that video click here.
3
Step Treat the Cause and Condition
Herniated discs are primarily caused by uneven pressure. Think of driving
a car thats out of alignment. The tires wear unevenly due to more pressure
on one edge than the other. Keep driving without fixing the problem and sooner or later
youll experience a blowout on the worn side.
The effect of postural dysfunctions on spinal discs is similar. Uneven pressure caused
bymuscle imbalancescause the less-pressured side of the disc to bulge or rupture,
squirting the jellylike interior through the fibrous disc membrane into the spinal
column. Picture stomping one end of a jelly donut the jelly would be pushed out
the other side.
Even if a treatment like spinal decompression helps you, if you dont take care of
the problem that caused your disc to rupture its just like replacing that blown out
tire while leaving your cars alignment uncorrected.
That means getting lasting pain relief requires correcting the postural
dysfunctions that are putting pressure on your discs. Correcting those
dysfunctions requires eliminating the muscle imbalances that caused them.
Treating the herniated disc and the underlying cause with muscle balance
therapy is the best way to recover and remain pain free. Muscle balance
therapy identifies which sets of muscles are imbalanced: where one muscle
is extra tight and overpowers the opposing muscle which becomes weak
and stretched out.
Specific stretches to relax the overly tight muscles combined with targeted
exercise of weak stretched out muscles restores the natural balance of
tension between them. Once that balance is restored the muscles will
maintain your spine in proper alignment allowing your herniated disc to heal
and stay healed.
One of our customers said it best, Bones only go where our muscles put
them. Get your muscles right and the rest will follow.
7
How to Get Lasting Pain Relief
When Nothing Else Works
Have you been dealing with chronic back pain
or sciatica from a herniated disc for months
or even years? Does it seem like youll never
find lasting relief?
Well heres some good news for you: youre not
beyond help. Over the past decade weve helped
tens of thousands of people, many in agonizing
daily pain, find relief from their pain. People
who thought there was no hope left. And today,
thousands upon thousands of them remain pain free.
On the other hand, there are many others who came
to us who did not find lasting relief. They continue to
struggle with the same old pain year after year. Often
it grows even worse.
Amazingly, in almost every case, the difference
between those who found pain relief and those who
did not boils down to a willingness to follow a few
simple ground rules for dealing with pain. Follow
these three simple rules and youll greatly improve
your odds of joining those who find relief.
Yes, even you can get relief
1
from your back pain
Rule # Take responsibility for ending
your pain
Relief from pain is first and foremost a personal responsibility.
After all, no one cares about your pain more than you do. Maybe youre seeing
a doctor, chiropractor or any number of natural health practitioners. Thats
great, but ask yourself these questions:
Has my health care provider conducted a complete head-to-toe
assessment on me or only focused on the area of pain? (Pain is often
referred from other areas of the body.)
If a diagnosis has been made, has it been completely explainedto my
understanding?
Has my health care provider identified theroot causeof my pain? (Not a
condition, like aherniated disc, but whatactuallycaused the condition, like a
specificmuscle imbalance.)
8
Have I been given a
step-by-step care plan that
addresses both the pain
symptoms and the underlying
root cause of the identified
condition?
If you havent received a
satisfactory answer to all of these
questions, ask! Dont accept a
brush off. Its your body and you Be careful of putting all your hopes for
need to get the right responses to pain relief in any single treatment
properly address your pain.
2
Rule # Dont put all your
eggs in one basket
I cant tell you how many times someone has purchased one of our
products, tried it, and when their pain wasnt 100% gone in the first day or week they
decided to return the product for a refund.
Look, we dont want anyone paying for a product that doesnt help them. And we gladly
process refunds all the time. But lets be honest here. Chances are the condition
causing your pain didnt happen overnight. It may have taken yearsto get to the point
where your back suddenly gave out and painbecame noticeable.
We havea lot of testimonialson our website from people who have experienced
amazing results in just days. But when youre talking about correcting conditions
that took months or years to get as bad as they are, you have to realize some
people may take a little longer to work through the healing process.
So what am I saying? Im saying that if you want to get back to a pain-free
life, you might have to invest a little effort. And it might be that one treatment
only gets you part of the way there. So you have to be willing to try different
approaches. For example, you
may only find some pain relief by usingmuscle balance therapy to address
muscle imbalances, but need to also work out trigger points to finally get the
full pain relief youre looking for.
Most importantly, dont give up. Too many people never get pain relief
simply because they give up on a treatment approach too soon. Give your
body time to heal and dont quit until you get the relief youre looking for.
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3
Rule # Stop doing what doesnt work
Ok, now youve made the commitment to follow through to
make progress in your fight against pain. Youre not going to
quit on yourself. But heres the other side of the coin: dont blindly keep doing
what doesnt work.
Lets say youre going to a chiropractor. If youve been going for over three
months and havent made any progress yet, its likely time to seek another
approach. Thats my rule of thumb if youre not getting some measure of
increased pain relief in three months, try something else.
If you have made progress but are still in pain, try combining multiple approaches.
You might findinversion therapygives you significant pain relief from a herniated
disc, buttrigger point therapyis needed to completely end referred pain while muscle
balance therapy addresses what caused your disc to herniated in the first place. Its all
a process of finding what works for your body.
I hope this makes sense to you. We want to help as many people as we can live a pain
free life, but ultimately, its up to you to make the necessary changes to improve your
health. Dont give up and a life free of pain can be yours.
Additional Resources
Lose the Back Pain System
Guaranteed to make a difference in your back pain by
helping you identify and eliminate the muscle imbalances
and related postural dysfunctions which lead to herniated
discs.
Click here to learn more
Inversion Therapy
Inversion therapy has been proven to help back pain sufferers for over
2,000 years. Using gravity to gently decompress the spine, inversion
tables provide instant relief from painful pressure on your spinal discs.
Click here to learn more
Nubax Trio
The Nubax takes spinal decompression to a whole new
level. Simply kneel into the Nubax Trio, clip on the waist
belt, and lean forward for an immediate pain-relieving lower
back stretch.
Click here to learn more
Rub On Relief
Simply rub it on and muscle pain vanishes. By getting rid of
pain caused by tight muscles youll more easily work through
muscle imbalances and get the lasting relief youre looking
for.
Click here to learn more
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Praise for Our Lose the Back Pain System
I have to say - Ive been dealing with Back Pain for
over 30 years now. I have 4 issues going on. Without all
the fancy terms - I have an S curved spine, a slipped
vertebrae (class 2) a bulging disc - lower back and some
stenosis.
Ive had a bad time with Sciatica, hip, butt, leg and
low back pain - and 3 surgeons, (2 orthopedic and one
neurosurgeon) are all just dying to get a hold of me. They
all say I need surgery - but thanks to your information and Carole Gardner
stretches and good advice regarding muscle imbalances - Im
not having surgery. I am almost pain free, and some days I am
totally pain free. My abilities totally defy my MRI films! Because of you Ive made a lot of
changes - including the inversion therapy and I want to thank you for keeping me out of
surgery. I talk to people every week at the pool who have had surgeries and regret it.
Im thankful that I dont have to be one of them. With all the doctors, surgeons,
specialists, chiropractors, physical therapists Ive seen over these many years - you
would think they could have told me some of these simple things - but it took you guys -
making it understandable and easy to do.
Over the years Ive been in casts and braces which only served to make my muscles
weak, Ive been given wrong advice on exercises to do, Ive paid for adjustments
which actually made things worse and more. I really want to Thank you for all the
down to earth - plain good information.
Its the best Ive ever seen. I now understand what is going on with my body and
what is causing the pain. The fusion surgery thats recommended to me has an
18 month recovery period, many risks and not much hope really for total relief
of the back pain. I sure would much rather spend some time learning from your
information, relaxing on an inversion table, doing some simple exercises and
stretches and eliminating some of the things I was doing wrong - in order to
live my life - free from the hassle, pain, expense, shear dread of having a
major surgery.
I dont understand why some people just wont catch on to this - maybe they
think a Doctor will just fix them and thats the easy answer - but going that
route doesnt make sense to me at all - unless its absolutely necessary and
youve exhausted all other options.
Again. Thank You!!!You guys have even returned my calls when I had
questions - Im amazed at your level of service and dedication and what
you have given me for so little cost. I would have to spend tons of money
on surgery and therapy otherwise. I am a real person and Id be more than
happy to tell anyone my story.
Carole Gardner 12
