The sooner a herniated disc is treated, the higher the chance of recovery; Moreover, it helps prevent many dangerous complications.

When the disc is degenerated or cracked or torn in the outer annulus fibrosus, the nucleus pulposus will deviate from its normal position, penetrate the arch wire, and the disc will press on the nerve or spinal cord, leading to pain. However, normal pain symptoms are quite faint in the early stages, so many people miss them, do not treat them promptly or apply them incorrectly.

In addition to traditional methods such as using drugs or surgery, today, modern medicine has introduced the latest methods of treating herniated discs, helping to effectively heal pain and at the same time overcome problems, disadvantages of previous methods.

1. Use pain relievers

2. Spinal epidural corticosteroid injection

3. Treat disc herniation with Oriental medicine

4. Herniated disc surgery

5. Latest and safe method of treating disc herniation

1. Use pain relievers

Many people with disc herniation "rely" on medications to quickly reduce pain. Some commonly used medications to relieve pain include:

Pain relievers such as Paracetamol; Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pain relievers such as Diclofenac, Meloxicam, Naproxen, Ibuprofen...Muscle relaxants such as Mydocalm, Myonal... are often prescribed when patients have paraspinal muscle spasticity.

Oral corticosteroids.

These drugs do not have a definitive treatment effect, they only provide temporary pain relief. The pain can still recur after the drug wears off. When using medication, it is necessary to strictly follow the specialist's instructions. If you arbitrarily use and abuse drugs for a long time, it will cause many dangerous effects on the health and life of the patient.

In particular, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can lead to many side effects on the digestive tract, liver and kidneys if used in the wrong dosage. People with a history of stomach, duodenum, liver and kidney failure... should also be careful when taking Paracetamol.

Corticosteroid drugs also have a high risk of causing ulcers in the digestive tract, adrenal insufficiency, osteoporosis, high blood pressure... Anti-muscle spasticity drugs can cause fatigue, nausea, dizziness...

When using any medicine, patients should consult a specialist and strictly follow the dosage instructions.

Pain relievers support the treatment of disc herniation

For disc herniation, using painkillers usually only supports treatment in the early stages, later the pain continues to recur.

2. Spinal epidural corticosteroid injection

Epidural injection is a minimally invasive procedure that uses a small needle to inject Corticosteroid medication (Corticoid) into the epidural space - this is the area containing fat between the bone and the protective sac of the spinal nerves.

Injectable corticosteroids include Methylprednisolone, Hydrocortisone, Triamcinolone, Betamethasone, Dexamethasone... This method is often applied to patients with disc herniation or moderate to severe sciatica with a course of 3 injections, each injection,  3 - 7 days apart

The purpose of epidural injection is to reduce pain and inflammation because Corticosteroid is a drug with strong anti-inflammatory properties. However, it only works on the spinal nerves and is unable to address discs that are out of position. Therefore, the effectiveness is limited, usually only lasting a few months.

This method causes disadvantages that many people do not expect. Typical complications are pain or bleeding at the injection site, irritation, atrophy and pale skin color at the injection site, infection...

Epidural injection to relieve pain caused by herniated disc

3. Treat disc herniation with Oriental medicine

This is one of the oldest methods of treating disc herniation and is considered quite safe. Oriental medicine remedies are prepared from natural medicinal herbs, there are many types such as: medicine, pills, decoctions, compresses, poultices...

Is oriental medicine effective in treating disc herniation? Oral herbal decoction is the most popular type in the treatment of diseases related to bones, joints and spine.This method is applied to relieve pain and reduce uncomfortable symptoms, but on the condition that the medicine must be prescribed in sufficient dosage, appropriate to the level of disc herniation, and suitable to the patient's constitution.

Many cases of poisoning from oriental medicine have occurred due to overdose, due to lack of qualifications or careful examination by the prescribing physician, due to unsafe herbs (containing many chemicals or microorganisms). harmful substances)...

Worryingly, there are currently many traditional remedies of unknown origin but are heavily advertised and widely sold. Because they believe in recommendations, many people arbitrarily buy and use them. After a while, the pain of herniated disc still recurs, accompanied by a series of side effects such as increased liver enzymes, jaundice, kidney failure...

4. Herniated disc surgery

Đa phần trong nhận thức của nhiều bệnh nhân hiện nay là “bị đĩa đệm thoát vị thì phải mổ mới hết”. Tuy nhiên, phẫu thuật vẫn nên là phương pháp điều trị cuối cùng khi áp dụng các cách khác không hiệu Đĩa đệm thoát vị chèn ép toàn bộ rễ dây thần kinh vùng đuôi ngựa (vị trí dưới thắt lưng). Lúc này người bệnh sẽ xuất hiện triệu chứng bí đại tiểu tiện, không có cảm giác đau xung quanh bộ phận sinh dục hay hậu môn. Bệnh không có dấu hiệu thuyên giảm sau 6 tuần điều trị nội khoa.

The patient has difficulty standing upright or walking, and has a feeling of numbness and weakness. Herniated disc surgery may come with risks such as causing muscle damage, leading to the risk of infection. What is worrying is that the patient suffers pain and must stay in the hospital for a long time for the surgical wound to fully recover.

Not to mention there are many cases where disc herniation surgery becomes counterproductive. After recovery, the vertebrae above and below the surgical site may be under great pressure, potentially causing vertebral stenosis or recurrence of the herniated disc. After surgery, patients may be pain-free for a few months or years, but that does not mean it is completely gone.

5. Latest and safe method of treating disc herniation

For disc herniation, the root cause is that the disc is misaligned from its original position, pressing on the nerve causing pain. This deviation is a physical mechanism, so it is necessary to physically adjust the spine to return to its normal position to completely overcome the pain.