Slipped Disc and its Chiropractic Treatment By Dr. Greg C. Molis

Slipped Disc and its Chiropractic Treatment
By Dr. Greg C. Molis

A disc is a supportive cushion between the vertebrae of the spine. A bulged or a slipped disc happens due to damage to the spine because of an injury. The slipped disc condition actually means that this supportive cushion is displaced from its actual position. This disc can press against the nerve and cause inflammation of the nerve, causing pain along the path of the nerve, often traveling into the leg.
When a patient with a slipped disc condition visits a chiropractor, he wants to get the slipped disc adjusted back to its original position and get relief from the pain this is giving him. For such a patient the chiropractor will first take the history of other medical conditions that the patient has had. He will also do an orthopedic and neurological testing.

To establish foundation for a program of care, the chiropractors use other diagnostic procedures that are unique to chiropractic and will assist him in making the perfect health solution for the patient. They perform a postural analysis of the patient by looking at a patient~s posture. By making use of motion and static palpation they try to determine exact areas of restrictions or blockages in spinal joint motion. They test the muscles by palpating them. They also test for pelvic balance and try to determine if the length of both the legs is same or not. If required X-rays of the leg and spine are also taken. After analyzing the findings of the above tests, the chiropractor may ask for an MRI for detailed study of the back.

Next step for the chiropractor is to analyze the findings of the various tests that have been conducted. With these tests reports he decides whether there is a disc injury or not? If yes then what kind of injury and what is its intensity. There are cases when chiropractic care is not suited to the patient. Particularly in cases where the patient has suffered from excessive damage with advanced loss of strength, sensation, and reflexes. In such a case the chiropractor first refers the patient to a spine surgeon.

Chiropractors treat disc problems with very low thrust techniques being careful all the time. They give their patients instructions to carry out at home these include stretching exercises and use of ice and heat either together or separately. Through out their program they keep taking a feed back from the patient. They also keep having neurological and chiropractic tests to compare and evaluate the changes in patient~s condition. If they find that the patient is not responding to the treatment then they refer the patient to a spine specialist.

Dr. Greg C. Molis has been a West Valley Chiropractor for 24 years. If you're in the West Valley area, come on in. Your first adjustment is free. For questions or comments about this article, please visit http://www.westvalleychiropractor.net