If you are diagnosed with a bulging disc in the neck, treatment is likely to be needed only if you begin to exhibit symptoms. Many people with a bulging disc never realize they have the condition, and lead their day-to-day lives unencumbered by chronic neck pain. Only when the protruding disc material begins to irritate or compress a nerve root will symptoms develop, at which point it’s time to consider your options for treatment.
Treatment for a bulging disc in the neck almost always begins with a conservative, non-surgical course of action. More often than not, the symptoms will begin to fade over time. So, the symptoms you may experience – neck pain or tingling, numbness or weakness in the shoulders, arms or hands – probably are not permanent. Still, in order to manage the symptoms in the short term, your doctor will probably recommend a series of conservative treatments. These treatments might include:
- Physical therapy
- Exercise
- Pain medications
- Massage
- Behavior modification
- Epidural injections
If these or other conservative treatments are not enough to find relief from neck pain, a doctor might suggest surgery as an option. Traditionally, for patients with a bulging disc in the neck, treatment through surgery has meant the removal of a large portion of the spinal anatomy, sometimes coupled with spinal fusion, as well as a long hospital stay and all the potential complications and extended recuperation that come with a major operation.
Laser Spine Institute (LSI) offers an alternative to traditional open back surgery. Using gentle, endoscopic techniques and deep IV sedation, the surgeons at LSI perform minimally invasive, outpatient procedures to help you rediscover a life without pain. Contact LSI to learn more and for a free review of your MRI or CT scan.
