Slipped Disc : County Osteopaths : Cranial Osteopathic Clinic : Joanna Young, Lynette Topham & Jonathan Mussen : Osteopath Worcester, Malvern, Birmingham, Droitwich, Pershore, Bromsgrove, Evesham, Tewkesbury, Kidderminster, Redditch, Halesowen, Stourbridge

As Osteopaths we do not usually advocate drug use but in the case of severe pain drugs play an important part by preventing you from tensing further due to the pain whereupon pain and tension can become a vicious circle. You GP may refer you to a Physiotherapist for exercises therapy or you may choose to see an Osteopath where your individual set of symptoms and history will be treated with a taylor made approach. It is essential for a quick recovery that you have manual treatment such as Osteopathy and that you do special back exercises. Your Osteopath will not only treat your current difficulties but also educate you as to how to prevent a return of your complaint. considerably in the longer term.

At County Osteopaths our approach to "slipped discs" is informed by personal experience. Joanna Young suffered a disc problem in 2000 and was off work for 3 months. The irony of an Osteopath with a back problem is not lost on us! Through personal experience Joanna has gained an insight into disc problems and is very much in favour of the patient understanding their own condition in order to help them manage it.

There are cases, where despite exercises, osteopathic treatment and following all advice received regarding your back / neck you may not improve. In these cases and where there the trapped nerves are leading to significant weakness, you may need surgery. However, surgery is best avoided in most cases as it weakens your spine further which can lead to another disc "slipping" above or below the one that was operated on. There are also risks of complications following surgery which include the possibility of your pain worsening considerably in the longer term.

In the case of a "slipped disc" symptoms begin gradually usually after a lifting strain. You may have neck pain associated with arm / hand symptoms such as aching, tingling, numbness or weakness if it is a slipped disc in your neck.

If it is a slipped disc in your back your may have back pain with associated pain, tingling, numbness or weakness in your leg or foot. It may be that you have no neck or back pain but only leg or arm symptoms. These limb symptoms are from a trapped nerve and when they occur in the side or back of the leg or anywhere in the foot they are called sciatica.

This is a more serious complaint than a locked back and it will recover only slowly unless you have treatment. But do not be alarmed, most people do return to normal with exercises and manual treatment. It is caused by one of the discs that sit between each successive vertebra in your spine having weakened. The weakened area may bulge or burst and it may irritate or compress the nerves that pass nearby. It will take several weeks to stabilize. During this time you must avoid all activities that make the symptoms worse. Typically these involve lifting and bending but sitting, standing still and staying in any position for a long period of time is not recommended.

Also to be avoided is driving for long periods, vacuuming, ironing, coughing / sneezing. You can replace sitting with kneeling or lying down and you can protect yourself when about to cough or sneeze by taking your weight off the painful side and bending the knee. You should go to your Doctor for painkillers, anti-inflammatories and muscle relaxants too if severe pain prevents you from resting.