One of the biggest questions that people ask in regards to injuries is whether or not they will heal on their own. The reasons are sometimes convenience and other times financial, but everyone would agree that it would be preferable if that ailment in your body worked itself out without major bills or weeks of strenuous recovery regiments. The human body is a miraculous workhorse and does many amazing things, but can it heal a herniated disc on it’s own? Dr. Yashar is a specialist in the field and provides herniated disc surgery in Los Angeles, so he would have an in-depth perspective for anyone needing relief from a herniated disc.
What is a herniated disc?
Although many of us have heard the term “herniated disc”, not all of us know exactly what that means. A herniated disc is a problem that affects your spine, which is a grouping of muscles, tendons, bone, nerves, and ligament that give your body the support it needs to stand up. The spine is a very important part of the body and it intricately connects together, so it can be painful when something gets knocked out of place. Specifically, a herniated disc refers to a problem with the discs located between the individual bones that stack together to make up your spine. These discs have a hard exterior to protect a jelly like substance inside called the nucleus pulposus. When the hard exterior of the disc has a crack or rupture, this allows some of the nucleus pulposus to push through, which is what creates the herniated disc. This is a problem because the nucleus pulposus can cause inflammation to nearby nerves in the spine.
What are the symptoms of a herniated disc?
The symptoms of a herniated disc vary from patient to patient, and sometimes those who have a herniated disc are unaware of their ailment and suffer no symptoms at all. Without symptomatic responses, the only way to truly know if someone has a herniated disc is by looking at spinal images taken by doctors, such as Dr. Yashar. The most common signs that you may feel are arm or leg pain, unprompted weakness, and numbness or tingling. The inflammation to the nerves surrounded by the herniated disc is what causes this pain or numbness, and may even impair your ability to walk. If you are feeling any of these symptoms, it would be prudent to contact Dr. Yashar, who is renowned in the field of herniated disc surgery in Los Angeles. His expert opinion will be able to give you clarity on the situation.
How to properly fix a herniated disc
The root question is how you can heal a herniated disc and whether or not it can happen on it’s own. Essentially, the herniated disc pain can subside naturally, but the herniation will still exist, which means that if you felt pain from it before, you can feel pain from it again. Symptoms may dissipate because the body’s immune response can take over, and help heal the area. The nucleus pulposus (that little jelly stuff that comes out of the herniated disc) can be considered a foreign material to your body, and attacked by your immune system. This would reduce the size of the nucleus pulposus, which would in turn reduce the symptoms. The herniation can also reduce in size by your body’s natural absorption of water. Finally, some believe that extension exercises create an environment for your body to “unslip” the disc and relieve some of the symptoms. Although finding relief from the pain or numbness is great, it ultimately doesn’t completely heal the herniated disc. Non-surgical options are usually the best first course of action, and you may be content with fixing just the symptoms; however, there are cases that involve surgical intervention, especially those that are suffering from intense pain or loss of mobility. Your first step should be to get a professional opinion to form an educated decision. Dr. Yashar is a highly skilled and trained neurosurgeon that will be able to give you insight into this matter, as well as information on herniated disc surgery in Los Angeles. You can contact the office by clicking here!
