There is good news for you. A herniated disc or bulging disc can in most cases be treated without surgery. The intervertebral disc is similar to most other structures in our body; it has the capacity to heal. Similar to a papercut, our skin will heal and become pain free. This same healing process can and usually occurs if we’ve sustained a disc herniation.
Another important thing to consider is this; most people, especially ages 50+ and older will have a disc bulge present even if they don’t have any pain. A disc bulge actually seems to be quite normal when looking at the data researchers have collected over the years. (Chiu CC. et al, 2015)
Take a look at this infographic and appreciate how common disc bulges are as we get older, AND how none of these people have pain.
Another important thing to consider is this; most people, especially ages 50+ and older will have a disc bulge present even if they don’t have any pain. A disc bulge actually seems to be quite normal when looking at the data researchers have collected over the years. (Chiu CC. et al, 2015)
Take a look at this infographic and appreciate how common disc bulges are as we get older, AND how none of these people have pain.
This infographic is from http://drjarodhalldpt.blogspot.com/. He has excellent information about all things pain.
It’s no surprise that the public automatically assumes that if there is the finding of a disc bulge on MRI or X-ray that this clearly depicts what is causing the pain. What we now know is that advanced imaging is only a picture of what our body looks like not how it feels.
Want to learn more about how we can help you recover from a disc herniation, disc bulge, or generalized back pain and spasms? Click below!
- Chiu CC, Chuang TY, Chang KH, Wu CH, Lin PW, Hsu WY. The probability of spontaneous regression of lumbar herniated disc: a systematic review. Clin Rehabil. 2015;29(2):184-95.
- Nakashima H, Yukawa Y, Suda K, Yamagata M, Ueta T, Kato F. Abnormal findings on magnetic resonance images of the cervical spines in 1211 asymptomatic subjects. Spine. 2015;40(6):392-8.
- Zhong M, Liu JT, Jiang H, et al. Incidence of Spontaneous Resorption of Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Meta-Analysis. Pain Physician. 2017;20(1):E45-E52.
