By: Arthur Cooper
Submitted: 2010-11-29 20:24:40 | Word Count: 664
A ruptured or herniated disc can become very painful when it starts to put pressure on a nearby nerve. Causes can range from a sudden injury to the slow decay of time, and treatments for the condition are nearly as wide ranging.
How does a ruptured disc happen?
Your spine has a gelatinous disc between each vertebrae. This design helps absorb the impact of walking, running or any motion really. However, they werent made to last forever. Consider a bendy straw. How many times can you bend it back and forth before it cracks? Probably a lot, but eventually the inevitable will happen and the weak spot will be revealed. Your spine works the same way. Over time, the discs in your spine can weaken and degenerate causing them to rupture. Sometimes when this happens you wont even know it. Pain only occurs when the ruptured disc puts pressure on a nerve thats close by. Although a ruptured disc can result from a sudden injury like a car accident, most commonly they result from the simple process of aging.
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However, there are certain diseases that speed the degeneration of spinal discs. Osteoarthritis is one of them. Osteoarthritis happens when the body responds to the degeneration of discs by producing excess bone. This results in bone spurs that put painful pressure on muscles and surrounding nerves. Another one is Degenerative Disc Disease which causes the discs to become dried out and brittle, making them more susceptible to rupture.
What are the treatments?
Although the pain from a ruptured disc may cause you to want to rest and allow the area to heal, experts are finding this may not be the most effective way to find relief. Remaining sedentary for too long can worsen the injury and cause muscle and joint stiffness, increasing the pain. Light exercise, movement and stretches can often help tremendously. Continued use of these techniques can even prevent future injuries by strengthening your core to help better support your upper body and keep pressure off sensitive areas. Something as simple as a light walk, a set of shoulder revolutions, or rolling your head from side to side can often provide great relief when practiced regularly.
Something else you may try is cold and heat therapy. Cold compresses help to reduce swelling of inflamed muscles, which reduces pressure in your back. Heating pads help by increasing blood flow to promote healing and relax away tension which causes pain. For more long lasting pain relief, try The Healthy Back Institutes infrared heating pad. The state of the art technology allows heat to penetrate the affected area deeply for a more satisfying period of relief. Visit www.losethebackpain.com for more information on this product, or to order yours today.
Topical creams can also help by delivering soothing pain relieving medicines directly to the source. The Healthy Back Institutes Rub On Relief cream has a 100% satisfaction rate, and a 100% money back guarantee, so what do you have to lose except your back pain?
The Healthy Back Institute understands the complexities of pain caused by a ruptured disc. Visit their Web site today to get started treating your ruptured disc now.
