If you have chronic back or neck pain, suffer from headaches, or you notice tingling or numbness in your neck, shoulders, arms, or legs, you may have a bulging disc in the neck or back. Many people with these symptoms choose to ignore the pain or rely on over-the-counter pain medicine, anti-inflammatories, and muscle relaxants to manage the symptoms. However, without the care of a back or neck specialist in Chapel Hill, bulging discs can become more serious, leading to a herniated disc and more severe pain and serious effects.
What is a Bulging Disc in the Back or Neck?
Between your vertebrae are cushions called discs. They consist of a soft inner core of jelly-like cartilage called the nucleus that’s surrounded by a tough outer layer called an annulus. These discs are supposed to fit perfectly between the bones in the vertebrae, but as we age, work, and engage in strenuous activity, the discs wear down and lose their shape, protruding beyond the parameters of the vertebrae (think of it like a hamburger patty that is too large for the hamburger bun).
Is a Bulging Disc in the Neck or Back Serious?
A bulging disc can cause moderate to severe pain if it extends to where it is pressing on the nerves around the spinal column. In many cases, it may only cause minor discomfort or tingling, but that doesn’t mean it should be ignored. In fact, if you go without bulging disc treatment, the symptoms may become more severe, or the disc can break down further, and leading to herniation which can lead to permanent damage nerve damage.
How to Relieve Bulging Discs Pain
Rather than treating the symptoms with over the counter medication at home or rely on cortisone injections at your doctor’s office, it’s important to seek care from a back and neck specialist in Chapel Hill. A specialist can diagnose the problem and determine that a bulging disc in the back or neck is the cause of your pain, rather than spinal stenosis or even degenerative disc disease.
Bulging Disc Treatment in Chapel Hill
At Leigh Brain & Spine, we believe in natural healing, rather than masking symptoms with medication. That’s why Dr. Cosmas Leigh, a leading Chapel Hill back doctor, provides pain-free, non-invasive spinal decompression. This technique is performed using the DRX9000C, a modern medical device that provides prompt, effective relief of pain due to bulging discs, herniated discs, and other spine conditions.
By gently stretching the spine, the pressure on the discs are reduced, allowing the bulging disc to retract. During this brief, painless experience, oxygen and nutrients are able to flood the discs to promote the body healing itself.
Contact a Chapel Hill Back Doctor for Bulging Disc Treatment
At Leigh Brain and Spine, our back and neck specialists use safe, natural treatment options to help you recover and heal from back and neck pain. To learn more about our bulging disc treatment options, contact our Chapel Hill office at (919) 401-9933 or fill out the form below!
