4 More Ways to Treat a Bulging Disc

spinal stenosis

Dealing with a bulging disc can be difficult. Of course it probably hurts since there's a good chance it is pushing up against a nerve, but it can also be a little bit scary as well. I mean, it's kind of frightening to think that there is something going wrong with your body and if you don't take care of it, you might end up with a herniated disc and need to go in for an operation.

I previously wrote about 3 ways to treat a bulging disc. Here are 4 more common treatments for bulging discs:

Doing McKenzie Method Exercises on Bulging Disc

This is another effective treatment for back problems such as a bulging disc. You use the concept of trying to centralize the pain into one specific location. This kind of treatment deals with the spine abnormalities that are from injuries caused by excessive amounts of stress in your body. What this treatment does is that it makes use of some extension exercises where your lower back can be hyper-extended and is allowed to decompress. This starts to move the pain to one central location in the body.

Think of it like this, if you have shooting pain down your lower back to your thigh, you might do one of these exercises to slowly focus that pain in one location, say your hip. From there you can easily treat the hip pain rather than spreading your efforts over your entire body.

Using the Williams Technique on Your Bulging Disc

This kind of technique is the opposite of McKenzie technique when treating bulging disc. Contrary to the McKenzie method, the Williams method involves flexing exercises to take pressure off of the spine and joints. This allow the back to relax without the pressure and stress that daily life puts on it.

Williams said once that man began having back problems as soon as he stood up. This technique is based on the idea that the standing posture is unnatural and can actually result in many of the back problems that you are suffering from.

Injecting Epidural Steroid for Pain Relief

In this treatment, you are being injected with cortisone in your spinal canal but on the outside of the spinal sac. This has benefits in your pain reduction and inflammation that can irritate your nerves. This is done by a professional such as anesthesiologist. This is an outpatient operation that takes less than an hour to complete. Not much of a hassle at all!

Using Surgery for Bulging Disc

This kind of treatment is used for the most severe cases of bulging discs. You need to consider other forms of treatment before you resort to surgery because this kind of treatment, if it is done improperly, can lead to major and permanent damage to you. Most medical doctors even do not recommend this to bulging disk patients.

If you really need to have this procedure done to you, it can be effective if it was done properly. Consider getting a laser surgery. Laser surgery can leave fewer scars and its chances of destroying the healthy cells can be very minimal. It also takes less time than other types of surgery out there.

However, be aware, that quite a few people have gotten spinal surgery to help relive sciatica or other back pain problems, only to report that the pain comes back again. Many times, it is much worse than before. Only consider surgery if you have exhausted all other options.

So, if you are suffering from a bulging disc, one of these 4 methods might be a way to find relief and get back on your feet without the pain of a bulging disc.