Bulging disc treatment options can take a variety of forms, and you should always work closely with your doctor to develop a safe treatment plan that fits your lifestyle. Except in severe cases when a patient’s quality of life is vastly diminished, most individuals begin treating their bulging disc with a regimen of conservative (non-invasive) therapies, such as pain medication, behavior modification, physical therapy, hot/cold compresses, low-impact exercise, and gentle stretching.
Targeted Pain Management Techniques
In addition to the above treatment methods, your doctor may also suggest a series of more targeted pain management therapies that are either non-invasive or minimally invasive. The following treatments may, in fact, prove effective enough to preclude the need for surgery:
- Ultrasound therapy
- Cortisone injections
- Topical analgesic pain patches
- Implantable opioid infusion pumps
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
Bulging Disc Surgery
If conservative bulging disc treatment options and targeted pain management techniques do not help your symptoms to abate after several months, surgery may become an option. Talk to your doctor about the best type of surgery for your specific condition, and be sure to get second and third opinions from different spine specialists so that you can have a broad view of all the surgical options that are available to you. Surgeries will vary in their levels of invasiveness, so always know exactly what is involved in a procedure before consenting.
If you would like to learn more about minimally invasive bulging disc surgery, contact Laser Spine Institute. We can provide you with a complimentary review of your MRI or CT scan and determine if you may be a candidate for one of our innovative, endoscopic procedures. As the leader in endoscopic spine surgery, we have helped tens of thousands of patients find relief from chronic back and neck pain and we are proud to perform more spine surgeries per month than any other spine surgery center in the world.
