What does a conservative therapy for a herniated disc look like?
The treatment of a herniated disc always depends on the extent of the damage. In most patients (90% of cases) a conservative therapy is sufficient to alleviate the symptoms. The therapy has two main goals.
- The first is pain relief. This is necessary so that the affected person can move again as quickly as possible without restrictions and does not have to assume a relieving posture. Such a posture would only trigger an incorrect strain on the muscles and thus lead to further pain.
The goal of pain relief is pursued by the administration of pain and anti-inflammatory drugs. If these are not sufficient, the attending physician can also inject a local anesthetic (with cortisone if necessary). In addition, heat applications in the form of mud or fango packs, red light and warm clothing will help.
In addition, massages can stimulate the blood circulation and relax tense muscles. Many affected persons also find back bandages/bodices to be pain-relieving.If the strongest acute pain is reduced, targeted physiotherapy should be started early on. This pursues the second main goal:
- A strengthening and invigoration of the surrounding musculature.
At the same time, the spine and its intervertebral discs should be relieved. However, it is important that the person concerned not only does the exercises together with the physiotherapist, but also consistently trains at home. For most of those affected, these measures have significantly improved or even disappeared after six to eight weeks.
If this is not the case, or if neurological symptoms such as paralysis occur in addition to back pain, surgery must be considered. This also applies if numbness in the genital and anal areas with incontinence occurs at the same time – then the herniated disc is an emergency that must be treated surgically immediately. Although the operation does not guarantee that the symptoms will be alleviated, the chance of success is about 80% if the indication is carefully set.
