Global Diasporas

Having a herniated disc in and of itself can be a very painful condition. When sciatica is a by product of the problem it is even worse. Not only do you have the pain from the disc,but you also have the pain from the swollen and irritated sciatic nerve.

A herniated disc is the end product of a weakened out disc called the annulus fibrosis allowing the softer more pliable central portion of the disc the nucleus pulposis to migrate it’s way through.

Due to the fact that only the outer 1/3 of the disc actually contains pain sensitive fibers damage can accumulate without the person ever really feeling it.

Repetitive activities, incorrect sitting postures and trauma are usually to blame when it comes to herniated disc pain. These activities weaken the outer annulus allowing migration of the inner portion of the disc.

Local back pain is usually the first sign of a disc problem. As the nucleus moves it’s way out it begins to contact the outer fibers irritating their pain sensitive nerve fibers.

Once the back pain begins the usual progression my be a short reprieve from the pain as the offending activities are stopped or altered.

Many people make the false assumption that the pain is gone for good, however the medical literature shows a very different scenario. People are almost always destined to have another bout of back pain within a year, unless proper treatment is applied.

As the pain comes back over and over again, it usually begins to increase in intensity. The pain also begins to migrate into the upper or lower extremity.

As pain moves into the lower extremity the term often used to describe this is called sciatica. This is accurate when the sciatic nerve is affected.

In many cases the sciatic nerve is compressed directly from the injured disc and other times it is simply chemically irritated by inflammation associated with the disc injury.

No matter what the underlying reason for the sciatica pain, the disc has to be treated properly. This means a functional treatment like spinal decompression.

Spinal decompression actually creates negative pressures in the disc to draw back the herniated material so the disc can actually heal.

Spinal decompression is the best treatment to actually heal a herniated disc relieving sciatica pain.

Dr. Randall Pruitt is a chiropractic neurologist in Phoenix Arizona. His practice is primarily focused on chronic back pain. If you have a herniated disc you can learn more by going to www.arizonabackinstitute.com. They also have a lot of experience dealing with chronic sciatica. Therefore if you suffer from back or neck pain call the Arizona Back Institute Now.