Roots of Eastern Medicine Accupuncture Clinic - Pleasanton, CA

People typically turn to surgery as a last resort for the correction of a herniated disk because they believe (erroneously) that non-invasive correction is an impossibility. Nonetheless, the human body is extremely resilient and given the proper conditions; innate healing mechanisms in the body can shrink protruding disks takeing pressure off of the nerves and/or spinal cord without the use of anesthesia, scalpels, sutures, latex gloves, and malpractice lawsuits.

 

If you think back surgery is foolproof, just search ‘failed back surgery syndrome' on your internet browser. This surgery is so commonly falls short of its desired end that there is actually a syndrome named after its abysmal failure. But there is a solution to herniated disks that is non-invasive, makes anatomical sense on paper, and has a very good track record at Roots of Eastern Medicine Acupuncture Clinic.

  

Herniated disk symptoms

 

 

A herniated disk happens most often in the lower back (lumbar vertebrae), or in the neck (cervical vertebrae). Sufferers often feel pain in area of hernia and may have traveling pain down the arm or leg. There may also be numbness or weakness in one or more of the limbs.

 

 

 

Posture is often affected; people tend to lean their back or neck away from the hernia to take pressure off of the affected disk.

 

 

 

If very severe there will be stiffness and immobility, paralysis/complete numbness of one or more limbs, and sometimes a loss of bowel and/or urinary control.

 

 

 

Anatomy/physiology

 

 

There are 7 cervical vertebrae, 12 thoracic vertebrae, 5 lumbar vertebrae which compose the bones of the spine. Below that several fused vertebrae make up the sacrum.

 

 

 

 

Between each of these bones there is an intervertebral foramen, a space that allows for the passage of the spinal nerve. There are 31 pairs of spinal nerves, 24 of which pass adjacent to an intervertebral disk.

 

 

 

The intervertebral disks provide cushioning and flexibility to the spine. There are disks between each of spinal vertebrae, and a disk between the 5th lumbar vertebrae and the sacrum.

 

The disk consists of a tough ring of cartilage around the edge called the annulus fibrosus and a jelly-like substance in the middle called the nucleus pulposus.

A hernia happens when mechanical strain is too great for the annulus fibrosus to bear and it bulges out or ruptures, allowing part of the nucleus pulposus to leak out.

 

The bulging/herniated disk presses into the intervertebral foramen which can put pressure on the associated spinal nerve root. This in turn causes localized pain, and can cause nerve dysfunction which can lead to radiating pain, numbness, weakness in the limbs.

 

 

This can also lead to organ malfunction, which if severe results in loss of bowel and bladder control. In less severe cases there can be palpitations, stomach cramps, indigestion, asthma and other internal organ disorders depending on which spinal nerve is compressed.

 

Surgery

Laminotomy is the partial removal of the lamina, a portion of the vertebrae. This is done to allow access to the nerve root and the herniated disk.

Laminectomy is the complete removal of the lamina to allow even greater surgical access to the hernia and the intervertebral disk.

 

 

 

Discectomy

Discectomy is the partial or complete removal of the intervertebral disk. The partial removal focuses only on the part of the disk that is impinging the nerve root. The complete removal of the disk is generally followed by fusing the two vertebrae together so that two bones basically become one; they no longer move independently.

Normally -ectomy means complete removal and -otomy means partial removal, but people don't often say disc-otomy, only disc-ectomy.

 

 

Surgical rationale

 

The primary goal in discectomy is to remove the portion of the disk that is impinging the nerve. The justification for doing so is that when the nerve is no longer impinged, there will no longer be pain.

This would be a logical outcome if you didn't take into account the body's reaction to surgery.

 

 

 

Scar tissue

Once cuts have been made, and tissue removed, the body treats this as an injury and naturally tries to heal the injury.

This results in the formation of scar tissue, a dense clump of tissue that can once again impinge upon the nerve, resulting in pain that is sometimes worse than before the surgery.

The scar tissue is much more difficult to treat than the herniated disk (although still possible).

 

Mobility

 

In the case of full discectomy and fusion of the vertebrae range of motion is compromised. The other discs have to stretch further than before to allow for full range of motion to compensate for the missing disks. This means that previously uninjured disks will be more prone to future injury. So future herniated disks are more likely.

 

 

 

Stability

The rationale for laminectomy and laminotomy are sometimes to widen the intervertebral foramen, or remove bone spurs and take additional pressure off of the nerve. But its primary function in discectomy is to provide surgical access to the nerve root and disk. Basically the bones are removed because they are in the surgeon's way.

 

 

The lamina provides spinal stability and protects the spinal cord from damage. Without it the spine is less stable and more prone to injury. No lamina means spinal injuries are more likely to happen again in the future. This is not to mention the scar tissue that results from bone tissue removal.

 

 

 

Is ice a good idea?

Your Dr. may also give you a regimen of ice compress, which is good at the very beginning of an injury when there is swelling, but if used for chronic pain this can actually decrease the inflammation response which is necessary to for the body to remodel injured tissue.

It can also cause muscle contraction which can further decrease blood flow and pinch nerves. Warmth and movement are typically much better suited to chronic pain than ice compress.

 

 

 

An eastern alternative to surgery

Through Connective Tissue Acceleration (CTA), practiced at Roots of Eastern Medicine Acupuncture Clinic, pain from the hernia can be reduced and often eliminated without the use of invasive medicines or surgery. It also works for post surgery pain from scar tissue, although this process usually takes longer.

The disks do not have their own blood supply. They receive their nutrient supply through diffusion. Connective Tissue Acceleration mildly agitates, or pumps the cells which anatomically receive less circulation. In this way the rate of flow of nutrients and the outflow of waste can be accelerated. This accelerates the healing time of the disk.

By increasing the blood flow to the tissues that anatomically receive less, CTA can gradually redirect nerve pathways, reduce the severity of bulging disks and hernias, and ultimately stop pain.

 

Acupressure, Acupuncture, and Myofascial Release

The body often protects itself after an injury by contracting muscles local to the injury to help hold things in place. This is often the case with a herniated disk. But in the long run this can be counterproductive, as the contracted muscles can pull the vertebrae closer together and put extra pressure on the disk.

The muscle contraction in itself can also create pain by nerve impingement and blocked circulation (see myofascial release). This can also block circulation to the disk where it is needed and further delay healing time.

The muscles are much easier to treat than the disk, often times relaxing fully after just one treatment. So acupressure and myofascial release when used correctly can significantly reduce pain from a herniated disk the first time they are applied.

 

Decisions, decisions

 

 

Make an appointment to treat the disk non-invasively before considering surgery, for once this decision is made there is no going back.

 

 

 

 

 

Benjamin Krieg, L.Ac.

www.acuroots.com

www.connectivetissueacceleration.com

www.rootsofeasternmedicine.com