Chiropractic Treatment for Herniated or Bulging Discs in Bradford

A herniated or bulging disc can make sitting, bending and lifting painful, and it sometimes sends pain, tingling or numbness down an arm or a leg. The good news is that most disc problems improve with time and the right conservative care. At WellCare Medical in Bradford, chiropractic treatment for disc pain uses gentle, low-force techniques, positions that ease your symptoms and a gradual return to normal activity.

The discs are the cushions between the bones of your spine. A disc "bulges" when it pushes outward, and it is "herniated" when the soft centre pushes through the outer layer. Either can irritate a nearby nerve. Typical signs include:

• lower back or neck pain that is worse with sitting, bending or coughing
• pain, pins and needles or numbness travelling into a leg or an arm
• stiffness first thing in the morning that eases as you move

Leg pain from a disc in the lower back is often called sciatica.

Disc care follows the stage you are in.

• Settling the pain. We find the positions and movements that reduce your symptoms and show you how to use them through the day, along with what to avoid for now.
• Restoring movement. Low-force adjustments, mobilization and soft-tissue work ease stiff joints and guarding muscles around the irritated area.
• Rebuilding strength. Core and hip exercises help your back tolerate sitting, lifting and carrying again.
• Returning to work and sport. We bring activities back step by step so the disc is not overloaded.

Forceful techniques are not used on an acutely irritated disc.

Your chiropractor takes a full history and then tests your movement, reflexes, strength and sensation to judge how irritated the nerve is. If your symptoms suggest you need imaging or a medical opinion, we will tell you and help you take that step. Bring any X-ray, CT or MRI reports you already have.

Go to an emergency department immediately if you lose control of your bladder or bowels, notice numbness around your groin or inner thighs, or have weakness in a leg that is getting worse. These can be signs of serious nerve compression.

Disc recovery often goes better with a team. Our physiotherapists build structured strengthening programs (see physiotherapy), and deep tissue massage for lower back pain can calm protective muscle spasm. If your disc injury happened in a collision, read about car accident rehabilitation.