Lumbar disc herniation compresses nerves, early treatment reduces harm

Lumbar disc herniation can cause pain. Some patients are so painful that they cannot even straighten their waists. The pain can also radiate to the lower limbs and cause leg pain and numbness. If the nerves are severely compressed, it can cause paralysis. Physical therapy and blockade can be used for treatment.

1. Treatment of lumbar disc herniation

1. Nucleolytic treatment. Nucleolysis is a procedure that involves injecting proteases into the diseased intervertebral disc, which can accelerate the degeneration of the disc, shrink the dehydrated fibers, and thus reduce the pressure on the nerve roots. This treatment method is very effective for lumbar disc bulging, but it has relatively large side effects, so most doctors do not recommend it to patients.

2. Physical therapy. Physical therapy mainly includes massage, acupuncture, electrotherapy, cupping, laser, wax therapy, etc. The main function of these physical therapies is to reduce inflammation and relieve pain. They can effectively relieve the patient's pain and also have a good effect of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. However, this treatment method cannot fundamentally treat lumbar disc herniation.

3. Traction therapy. Traction therapy is currently the most effective treatment method for lumbar disc bulging in clinical practice. This treatment method mainly applies traction to the lumbar spine through mechanical action and reaction force to widen the intervertebral space. This reduces the pressure on the intervertebral disc and achieves the purpose of treatment.

4. Blockade therapy. Blockade therapy is a treatment method that achieves its therapeutic purpose by injecting drugs around the nerve roots of the affected area. This treatment method is also very commonly used in clinical practice. It can play a good role in reducing inflammation and relieving pain, improving blood circulation, and is also very effective in treating lumbar disc herniation.

2. Symptoms of lumbar disc herniation

1. Lumbar disc herniation, also known as nucleus pulposus herniation (or extrusion), or lumbar disc annulus fibrosus rupture, is one of the more common lumbar diseases in clinical practice. This is mainly because after the various parts of the lumbar intervertebral disc have different degrees of degenerative changes, under the influence of external factors, the fibrous ring of the intervertebral disc ruptures, and the nucleus pulposus tissue protrudes (or falls out) from the rupture to the back or inside the spinal canal, causing adjacent tissues, such as spinal nerve roots and spinal cord, to be stimulated or compressed, resulting in a series of clinical symptoms such as low back pain, numbness and pain in one or both lower limbs.

2. Low back pain and radiating pain in one lower limb are the main symptoms of this disease. Low back pain often occurs before leg pain, and radiating pain may also occur, transmitted along the sciatic nerve to the outside of the calf, dorsum of the foot, or toes. Coughing, sneezing and defecation can aggravate low back pain and radiating pain. The pain worsens with activity and eases with rest. Bed position: Most patients adopt side-lying position with the affected limb flexed; some severe cases experience pain in all positions and can only kneel on the bed with hip and knee flexed to relieve symptoms.