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Annular Tear Prevention

You might find annular tear prevention tips online, but the reality is that the main cause of this degenerative disc disease is the natural aging process – something you simply can't avoid. However, the good news is that most annular tears – or ruptures in the outer wall of an intervertebral disc – are purely asymptomatic. In fact, you might have one or more of these tears, also known as herniated discs, at various levels of your spine at this very moment that aren't causing you any issues. It's when nerve compression occurs due to the inner disc material leaking out and placing pressure on a nearby spinal nerve that problems can arise. Symptoms of this nerve compression can include pain, weakness, tingling, and numbness.

Can You Do Anything to Avoid It?

While annular tear prevention might not be feasible, considering you can't turn back the clock on the aging process, that doesn't mean there aren't steps you can take to keep your spine healthy and strong and reduce your risk for developing this and other degenerative spine conditions. Interestingly, all of these tips are also good ways to maintain your overall health and well-being, which makes sense considering your spine is responsible for carrying most of your body weight and supports so many flexing, bending, and twisting movements. Here are a few tips you might try:

• Quit smoking
• Lose weight
• Exercise regularly
• Stretch
• Maintain a good posture
• Reduce alcohol and caffeine intake

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All of these tips are ways to maintain a strong, supple spine as you get older and help combat the natural degeneration that takes place. However, sometimes symptoms are unavoidable and you must instead turn to treatment options.

Treating an Annular Tear

Many annular tears will heal on their own, but often a program of conservative, nonsurgical treatments can be very effective in managing symptoms. Whether it's physical therapy, massage, hot/cold therapy, pain medications, or other choices, your doctor can help you settle on the treatment that is right for you. If you have tried conservative treatments for weeks or months with no results, however, contact Laser Spine Institute today to learn more about annular tear prevention and our endoscopic procedures that are minimally invasive alternatives to open back surgery.

Please note: Laser Spine Institute currently does not perform endoscopic procedures on the thoracic spine.