Degenerative changes, herniated discs and inflammatory diseases are major causes of pain and restricted movement of the spine. In most cases, these are diseases of the lumbar or cervical spine. The pain may be localized in the area of the spine, but can also radiate into the extremities.
Our spine is composed of 24 individual vertebrae. Between these vertebrae 23 intervertebral discs buffer each and every shock. Our spines can easily handle running, jumping, turning and lifting. But pain in the back that radiates into the leg or in the arm could indicate a herniated disc.
Intervertebral discs consist of a soft, very hydrated jelly nucleus, which allows the spine to move.
These discs are not supplied with blood vessels and thus feed on the surrounding fluid. If we want a well-supplied disc, it is important that we provide both exercise and relief.
In a herniated disc (prolapse), the gelatinous nucleus slips, breaking the fiber core. Symptoms can vary: a herniated disc does not always display violent symptoms.
Causes of a herniated disc
The most common causes are lack of exercise, one-sided stress, overload, poor posture and other problems that burden the discs.
What to do:
The first step should always be seeing a doctor, who will use imaging techniques in order to ascertain the type and location of the herniated disc. Operations are rarely needed; herniated discs can often be treated with conventional methods such as osteopathy, physiotherapy and therapeutic exercises.
How does an osteopath treat a herniated disc?
One treatment that sometimes achieves very effective results in a herniated disc is osteopathy, which can also be an alternative to surgery in many cases. Osteopathy is not a symptom-related therapy; it looks at the human being holistically. An osteopath goes in search of the underlying cause of the herniated disc. Therefore, the beginning of osteopathic treatment is usually an interview. Here, trust is built up between the patient and the osteopath. In this conversation, the osteopath learns everything he or she needs to know for the subsequent treatment: this includes life habits, illnesses and accidents, family relationships, diet and much more. A physical examination follows; this requires an osteopath’s utmost concentration. Highly sensitized, an osteopath manually detects areas of tension and assesses the temperature and mobility of the skin.
It is especially important with herniated discs that the osteopath discovers any organ weaknesses, because these can have a negative effect on the intervertebral discs. Why? Organ weakness can cause increased abdominal pressure, which spreads throughout the tissue. This pressure can throw the spine off balance, which in turn puts pressure on the intervertebral discs.
Conclusion:
A herniated disc does not necessarily require surgery. In many cases, osteopathic treatment makes surgery unnecessary for herniated discs. The osteopath focuses on the whole person, not just the problem. With preventive treatment, many herniated discs can also be avoided. How many treatments are needed depends mainly on the severity of the herniated disc. An improvement occurs very often but already after a few treatments. Ideally, it is used in combination with physiotherapy (electrotherapy, possibly heat or cold, posture training, building up of the muscle chains and fasciae dynamization)
