Bulging Disc Treatment Irvine CA

Disc-Injuries

Bulging Disc Treatment

Bulging Disc Treatment in Irvine

Bulging discs (which are also sometimes called slipped discs, protrusions or protruding discs) are not as severe as herniated discs. Your vertebrae (and the nerves that pass between them from your spinal cord to the rest of your body) are cushioned by intervertebral discs. They have a tough outer layer and are filled with a shock-absorbing, jelly-like material. A disc may bulge beyond its normal boundaries for several reasons; if it bulges too far, it may pinch nerves, or even the spinal cord. This can cause radiating pain through the back, neck and into the arms or legs, depending on the location of the bulging disc. Bulging discs respond well to chiropractic treatment with our Irvine chiropractor Dr. John Lee and his team.

Our Chiropractor Can Help with Bulging Disc Pain Relief

The spine’s intervertebral discs are normally quite durable, but several things can cause them enough stress that they bulge and put pressure on the nerves, requiring treatment from our chiropractor:

Poor posture

Slouching, leaning or hunching can cause gradually-worsening misalignments (subluxations) in the vertebrae. This causes the affected discs to bulge.

Poor ergonomics

Lifting heavy objects the wrong way, having a poor ergonomic setup at your computer desk, or working out with poor form can all cause bulging discs.

Injury

A sudden jolt from a car accident, sports injury or personal injury can nudge vertebrae out of place, causing discs to bulge painfully onto the nerves.
Not all bulging discs cause pain initially, but if left untreated, they eventually will. Our chiropractor can diagnose the condition with a proper examination, and then offer several treatment options that provide natural pain relief and disc healing:

Chiropractic adjustments

Our chiropractor’s gentle, precise spinal adjustments realign the vertebrae to remove pressure from discs, which provides welcome relief.

Therapeutic exercise

Our doctors help patients preventing future disc problems by coaching you on exercises that bolster core strength and flexibility.

A bulging disc may not initially cause any painful symptoms; this is why having your spine regularly checked by our chiropractor is so important. Our doctors can monitor and correct problems in the spine before they cause pain and dysfunction.

More about Protruding Disc Problems

Disc protrusion is another term often used to describe bulging discs. Normally, the fibrous outer covering of an intervertebral disc should be flush with the edges of the vertebrae. This enables the disc to provide cushion between the vertebrae, allowing nerves to pass through and do their jobs around the body. The outer disk covering also encases the shock-absorbing, jelly-like core (nucleus) of the disc.

Subluxations, injuries and other conditions can weaken and damage the outer covering. This causes the nucleus to bulge or protrude beyond its regular borders. In a protruding disc, the outer covering is still fully intact—if the protrusion is mild, you may not feel any pain. If the protrusion is severe, it can pinch nerves and cause radiating pain in areas of the body affected by those nerves.

The good news is that protruding discs respond very well to chiropractic care, which can prevent further damage to the disc. If left untreated, however, a disc protrusion can worsen until the outer covering of the disc tears open, allowing the nucleus to extrude outside. Then it becomes a herniated disc, which is much more painful and requires more intensive treatment to resolve. Schedule an appointment for a spinal evaluation or pain relief treatment today by calling us at 949-552-2100 today.