Painful herniated disc symptoms can get in the way of your daily tasks and hobbies. When even the simplest tasks — like grocery shopping or watching TV — are uncomfortable, it is time to seek treatment.

If you have been diagnosed with a herniated disc, your doctor will almost always first recommend a course of conservative therapy as treatment to relieve symptoms. Since every situation is different, you should work with your doctor to find the right combination of therapies to help bring you lasting pain relief.

Conservative treatment methods for a herniated disc

Conservative therapy usually refers to any nonsurgical approach to relieving pain from a medical condition. While these methods aren’t designed to heal the condition — like a herniated disc — at the source, they are proven to be effective in relieving symptoms. These are some of the most common conservative treatments your doctor might recommend:

• Over-the-counter pain medication or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• Prescription medications
• Stretching exercises to improve flexibility
• Moderate strength training to strengthen supporting muscles
• Lifestyle changes such as improving posture, diet and exercise habits
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
• Hydrotherapy
• Hot and cold compression therapy

Considering surgery for a herniated disc

A doctor will usually recommend surgery if several weeks or months of conservative herniated disc therapy has not brought lasting relief. If surgery is advised, but you’re worried about the long recovery times and expensive hospital stays that come with traditional procedures, contact USA Spine Care.

We perform minimally invasive spine surgery that can help treat herniated discs on an outpatient basis, lowering risk and avoiding lengthy hospitalizations. Our minimally invasive decompression procedures involve only the removal of disc material that is causing nerve compression and symptoms. If your condition is due to advanced degeneration requiring full disc removal, our minimally invasive stabilization procedures are an alternative to traditional open back fusions. A member of our medical team will make a surgical recommendation after a full evaluation.

Contact us today for a no-cost review of your MRI report or CT scan* to determine if you are a potential candidate for one of our procedures.

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