CAN A HERNIATED DISC HEAL?

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CAN A HERNIATED DISC HEAL?
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A disc herniation is a cut in the disc that
enables the inner material, known as the nucleus,
to squeeze out and put pressure on the
surrounding ligaments and potentially a nearby
nerve. As scary as this sounds, a tear in the
disc is like a cut on your knuckle. Can a
herniated disc heal? Yes, a herniated disc can
recover the same way a cut over a joint does.
Because the joint bends, this added stress makes
it a more difficult area to heal versus a cut on
your forearm that is not subjected to the
tensions of stretching and bending. A cut on your
elbow needs extra care of overpressure and
avoiding bending or opening the cut, but with
knowledge, perseverance, and the bodys fantastic
healing processes.a cut heals. A herniation
heals in exactly the same manner.   Fear
Improper Treatments A disc injury is often
associated with fear and thoughts of permanent
damage and disability. Unfortunately, this is
because years of improper treatment ruined many
lives with chronic pain, disability, loss of
ability to do everyday activities, and even
relationships. Many of our most common treatments
for back pain have no validity and are shown to
worsen patient outcomes.
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66 of those with a disc herniation are unsure
about the cause of their symptoms. The foundation
of all treatment should be education on the cause
of symptoms, factors that will aggravate, and
those that will relieve your symptoms. When you
have pain and have no idea why or what makes it
worse/better, you are blind to healing and
instead rely on trial and error.  Learn how to
avoid these mistakes!   Education must be the
foundation of all treatment. Did you know that
disc bulges are a natural part of aging and
usually are painless? Similarly, degenerative
disc disease (DDD) is a normal finding for
everyone with a wrinkle on their face or single
grey hair. Wrinkles and grey hair do not cause
pain, nor do most degenerative changes. Most
discs heal by themselves. Our bodies have an
innate ability to recognize injury and begin a
complicated process to heal any damaged tissue.
Those that do not is because continued stress
disrupts this natural healing process.  
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A cut on a joint like your elbow is more
difficult to heal because moving the joint
disrupts the laying down of the scar tissue.
Reducing the stress on the healing tissue speeds
up recovery, so applying overpressure and
avoiding bending your elbow for a few days will
allow the scar tissue to lay down. After a few
days to a week, the scar tissue will be strong
enough to withstand the bending motion. If you
bend your elbow and the cut starts to open again,
you will need a few more days to avoid bending
your elbow. Eventually, the scar will be strong
enough, and you can resume activities using your
elbow without the cut reopening. A herniation or
cut in your disc heals the same way. Because the
joints in your back are constantly stressed, it
makes it a bit more difficult for the cuts in the
disc to heal. The most common herniations are
posterior or backward. Movements and positions
that cause the posterior cuts to open will
disrupt the healing scar tissue. These movements
include bending to put on your socks/shoes,
coughing/sneezing, sleeping on your back with a
pillow under your knees, and slouched sitting.
Anything activity that causes your to bend your
back needs to be minimized/avoided for a few
days, just like bending your elbow when you have
a cut.
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Your disc is like a hard pillow between your
vertebrae. It is responsible for absorbing shock
and protecting your spinal column. The disc has a
jelly-like center called the nucleus. Like a
jelly doughnut, the nucleus is supposed to stay
in the center, but pressure on one side will
cause the nucleus to move in the opposite
direction. The disc has no nerve innervation
other than the very outer layer. You can stab a
disc, and you will not feel anything, but when a
tear in the disc reaches the outer layer you
will see stars. Similar to tearing your
fingernail, you dont feel. Thing, but when the
nail rips to the nailbed, it becomes very
tender. Symptoms down your leg, known in
laymans terms as sciatica, result from
pressure on your nerve. The symptoms of
radiculopathy can be pain, numbness, or tingling.
The further down your leg these symptoms go, the
worse your herniation, known as
peripheralization. When the nucleus tears and
reaches the outside of the disc, it can put
pressure on the surrounding ligaments. If it
comes out a bit further, it will then put
pressure on the local nerve. More nerve pressure
will result in symptoms going further down your
leg (lumbar disc) or arm (cervical disc).
Centralization is when the symptoms move closer
to your spine, the opposite of peripheralization.

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It is critical that when you have sciatica or
symptoms down your leg, you learn what
position/movements cause your symptoms to
peripheralize and which result in centralization.
Anything that causes your symptoms to go further
down your leg opens your cut and worsens your
condition. Movements and positions that cause
your symptoms to move closer to your back are
closing down on your cut or putting slight over
pressure and will assist in healing. Mechanical
Assessment Your disc can heal, and with some
knowledge, you can heal yourself! To heal, you
must know what direction the cut or herniation
opens. Then you can apply overpressure in that
direction to help assist in healing. A clinician
specializing in mechanical assessment will assist
in evaluating your spine and determining f the
disc still has a cut or if it is scarred tissue
causing your pain and sciatica. If the cut is
still open, the mechanical evaluation will also
determine the direction you will need for
overpressure. This is done by assessing your
spines range of motion. Any loss of motion and
pain with movement lead to a clear picture of the
disc derangement.
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Movements that push the discs nucleus back into
its central position will also improve your
baseline range of motion, centralize any
radicular symptoms and reduce any pain with
movement. 1 Determine the direction that opens
the disc herniation 2 Apply overpressure in the
opposite direction x 3-10 days 3 Once the scar
tissue heals, stretch in the opposite direction
to ensure that the scar tissue is flexible.
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