People can recover from Disc Injury with limited intervention and at a reasonably low cost. 

Discs are made up of tough fibrous rings of tissue that act as shock absorbers and resist forces that cause stretch to the tissue.  There is a central jelly-like nucleus that hydrates with water overnight while the spine is at relative rest.  This pocket of fluid in the middle of the disc adds height to the space between the bones (vertebral bodies and joints) and helps to resist compressive forces.

Discs begin to show clinical signs of wear and tear after 35 years of age (sometimes earlier) and CT or MRI investigation will confirm this diagnosis.  However the patient may not experience pain or symptoms from compression or wear and tear of the disc until the surrounding nerve endings for pain are stimulated in the surrounding tissues ie: the periosteum, joint capsule, ligament, muscle, bone or connective tissue like the fascia.  Not only can this pain be a localised back pain, the segment of the spine (vertebral level eg Lumbar 5 or L5) that also is innervated by this pain nerve receptor becomes facilitated.  This means that the embryological segment of a sensory pain nerve and all that is connected to this segment of your spine, is activated with pain chemical mediators.  This is how we get referred pain like lumbago, sciatica, leg, foot and or buttock pain from a L5 disc bulge.  These regional symptoms are related by their embryological origin and this is how we perceive pain in other areas of the body with our brain in the central nervous system.   

This is separate from the disc itself or the jelly-like centre (nucleus pulposes) pressing on a nerve root as it leaves the spinal cord.  You may experience symptoms such a pain, pins and needles and / or numbness if a nerve root is being pressed or squashed by the disc material.

First aid for a Disc injury is to reduce the local inflammation and muscle spasm to prevent further injury.  This can be achieved several ways such as positions of comfort, heat, cold packs, anti-inflammatory medication or natural therapies, walking and or rest.  It is not advisable to bed rest for any prolonged period of time for simple low back pain.  Avoid changing your good posture to compensate for the pain as this may cause injury to other areas of your body.

There may be bio-mechanical, bio-chemical and biological influences in the body that can increase your risk of a disc injury and referred pain patterns.  These can be identified with professional advice and individual assessment.  Nobody is identical and we all respond to wear and tear in different ways.

We can help you with advise, treatment, exercise prescription and nutritional information in a consultation.  Let us help you now.