Physiotherapy for a slipped disc in BWS

Physiotherapy is one of the pillars of conservative therapy of a herniated disc in BWS. The goals of physiotherapy are to reduce the pain and disorders caused by the herniated disc, to relieve and strengthen the surrounding muscles, to correct or improve postural deformities and the resulting overloading of the thoracic spine, and to generally increase the strength and mobility of the spine to prevent further herniated discs.

Therapy/treatment

During treatment, the physiotherapist can draw on a large reservoir of different therapeutic approaches. In addition to classical physiotherapy with numerous exercises for stretching, strengthening, stabilization and mobilization, these include manual therapy, physiotherapy on the machine, heat, cold and electrotherapy as well as traction treatments. Depending on the individual findings and medical history, a treatment plan is then developed that is specially tailored to the patient in order to integrate him or her back into everyday life without any complaints.

This process takes 8-12 weeks, depending on the severity and extent of the herniated disc. The physiotherapy for a herniated disc in BWS is to the same extent a fixed part of the rehabilitation plan after a disc surgery, should this be necessary. The therapy of a herniated disc depends first of all on the severity of the herniation, the position of the affected thoracic vertebra, the symptoms, the age of the patient and the individual medical history.

Basically there are two possible therapy approaches. 1. conservative treatment In 70% of the cases a conservative treatment of a herniated disc in the thoracic spine is possible. As already indicated, this consists mainly of physiotherapy and various complementary forms of therapy.

In the case of an acute herniated disc, the first priority is to get the patient pain-free, this usually works with analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs. As soon as the symptoms improve, the active part of the therapy should be started. Since in many cases too weak muscles are responsible for the herniated disc, it is important to loosen and strengthen them.

For this purpose, relaxation exercises, massages, movement therapy and targeted strength and stabilization training are performed as part of the physiotherapy. Usually, the patient is also given a series of exercises that he or she should carry out independently at home. Back-friendly sports such as swimming, hiking or Nordic walking can also be a good support for the therapy.

2nd operation There are various procedures that can be used in the operation of a herniated disc in BWS. Usually these are minimally invasive today, so they do not leave large operation wounds and generally heal faster. Interventional pain therapy: here, injections are given specifically into the affected areas, which immediately take away the pain.

The whole process is controlled by a CT scan, so that no important structures are injured by the injection. Disc decompression: during decompression, parts of the disc core are sucked out through small incisions in the skin, thereby relieving the pressure on surrounding tissue. PLDD: In percutaneous laser disc decompression, the laser vaporizes parts of the disc core, sclerosing sensitive or painful nerves in the disc, strengthening the disc fiber ring and preventing the production of irritant substances in the area of the damaged disc. The operation is followed by a rehabilitation measure, which also serves to strengthen the back muscles and prepare the patient for a symptom-free everyday life. Physiotherapy is also an important part of the therapy.