Bulging or Herniated Discs

Our treatment of a herniated or bulging disc begins with a complete wellness exam with diagnostic x-rays.

This tear in the disc ring may result in the release of inflammatory chemical mediators which may directly cause severe pain, even in the absence of nerve root compression. Tears are almost always postero-lateral in nature owing to the presence of the posterior longitudinal ligament in the spinal canal.

Disc herniations are normally a further development of a previously existing disc “protrusion”, a condition in which the outermost layers of the annulus fibrosus are still intact, but can bulge when the disc is under pressure. In contrast to a herniation, none of the nucleus pulposus escapes beyond the outer layers.