If you have been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease, you may have already received recommendations from your doctor regarding conservative treatments. In addition to taking pain medications, participating in physical therapy sessions and undergoing chiropractic care, you may find it useful to complement your degenerative disc disease regimen with alternative treatments.

Alternative treatments for degenerative disc disease have not necessarily been approved by medical authorities as effective options, but many patients have found that they can be helpful. To learn about a few alternative options available to you as well as how USA Spine Care may be able to help you on the road to recovery, read the following article.

Acupuncture

With its roots in thousands of years of Chinese medicine, acupuncture revolves around the idea that there is a life force, called “chi,” that flows through the body. When this flow is interrupted, it is believed to be detrimental to components of the body, including the spine. If you attend an acupuncture session, the acupuncturist will aim to rectify the movement of the chi by inserting tiny, hollow needles into specific areas of your back and leaving them in place for 20 to 40 minutes. These degenerative disc disease treatments may release your endorphins and aid in pain relief.

Herbal medicine

Several herbs are supposed to have positive effects on the symptoms of degenerative disc disease. However, before you decide to take any sort of supplement or herb, you should do your research and talk with your doctor. An herb that may have proven useful for someone else may interact with a medication you are taking or have negative effects on another condition that you may have.

Yoga

Stretching the spine and strengthening the muscles around it is generally seen as a positive option for addressing degenerative disc disease symptoms, so yoga may make a worthwhile addition to your regimen. Just be sure that you know your limits. Some yoga poses are difficult for beginners, so you may need to ask an instructor to adjust poses to make them easier for you to complete. Also, be sure that you are moving in and out of poses correctly and slowly, as a poor form can mean that your yoga session is doing more harm than good.

Surgical degenerative disc disease treatments

If you have tried conservative and alternative degenerative disc disease treatments for several weeks or months without a satisfactory improvement in your symptoms, surgery may be an option. USA Spine Care offers minimally invasive procedures to address degenerative disc disease symptoms in an outpatient setting. To learn more about our procedures and to receive a free MRI review,* contact USA Spine Care.

At USA Spine Care, we have helped more than 75,000 patients find lasting relief from their chronic neck or back pain, earning us a patient satisfaction score of 98.^ Through the use of a small incision that is muscle sparing, our board-certified surgeons+ are able to remove the portion of the disc that is causing nerve compression, in order to ease your pain and discomfort. To find out if you are a potential candidate for our outpatient surgery, reach out to our dedicated team today.

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