Having a herniated disc can be an incredibly painful experience, but surgery is not always necessary to relieve the discomfort. There are a number of non-surgical herniated disc treatment options available that may reduce your herniated disc symptoms without the need for invasive open-back surgery.
Conservative Herniated Disc Treatments
Conservative herniated disc treatments should almost always be attempted before considering surgery. Over time these treatments may help ease your herniated disc symptoms before the situation escalates. Conservative methods include medicinal, alternative, and lifestyle-changing options such as:
- Hot/cold compresses applied to the inflamed area
- Stretching and low-impact exercise
- Modifying your posture
- Corrective braces
- Yoga
- Alternative treatments such as acupuncture and chiropractic treatment
- Pain medicine
- Epidural steroid injections
Open Spine Operations vs. Endoscopic Herniated Disc Surgery
If months of conservative herniated disc treatments do not alleviate your pain, talk to your physician to learn about your surgical options. Surgery is not to be taken lightly and you should do your research into success rates, recovery time, and invasiveness of herniated disc surgery in order to have an educated discussion with your physician or specialist. If you feel the need, do not be afraid to seek out a second opinion about your treatment options. If you have decided that herniated disc surgery is the only treatment for you, there are two surgical approaches of which you should be aware.
An open spine operation is an incredibly invasive herniated disc treatment in which surgeons operate on your spine via a large incision. Open spine operations typically entail having sections of your spine excised and/or fused together and involve recuperation periods as long as 6 months to a year.
Endoscopic herniated disc surgery is done via a small incision using a camera and an endoscope. This outpatient procedure has a much faster recovery time than open spine operations and involves significantly less risk of complications.
If you would like relief from your chronic pain that’s being caused by a torn disc, contact Laser Spine Institute today to discuss your herniated disc treatment options with a specialist.
