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Herniated Disc Treatment by Experts Focused on You
If you are living with the pain of a ruptured or slipped disc, turn to the multidisciplinary team at the Mayo Clinic Spine Center for answers, support, and to find the right treatment plan to not only address your current concerns, but also make sure you preserve your spine health for the future.
You’ll have a team of specialists with expertise in the latest approaches, technologies and research to help you find relief from pain and meet your quality-of-life goals.
At Mayo Clinic, nonsurgical and minimally invasive treatments are always considered first. Surgery is often not necessary. Sometimes the right procedure is no procedure. And sometimes you just simply need an expert to have your best interest in mind and guide you to the approach that’s right for you and your condition.
We’re with you every step of the way.
A comprehensive team of experts at Mayo Clinic will work with you to find the right answer for you. You will receive a physical exam including a neurological exam to check reflexes, muscle strength, walking and ability to feel sensations like light touches, pinpricks, and vibrations. If your team suspects nerves are affected, you may receive imaging tests and nerve tests.
At Mayo Clinic, treatment for a herniated disk begins with nonoperative approaches, such as:
- Nonprescription or prescription pain medications
- Neuropathic medications that affect nerve impulses to decrease pain
- Muscle relaxers if you have muscle spasms
- Physical therapy for positions and exercises that relieve pain
- Cortisone injections
If those do not work to improve your symptoms, surgery may be recommended.
Few people with herniated disks require surgery. Your doctor might suggest surgery if conservative treatments fail to improve your symptoms after six weeks, especially if you continue to have:
- Poorly controlled pain
- Numbness or weakness
- Difficulty standing or walking
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
In nearly all cases, surgeons can remove just the protruding portion of the disk. Rarely, the entire disk must be removed. In these cases, the vertebrae might need to be fused with a bone graft. To allow the process of bone fusion, which takes months, metal hardware is placed in the spine to provide spinal stability. Rarely, your surgeon might suggest the implantation of an artificial disk.
Innovative treatment options.
Minimally invasive surgery can be effective in treating a herniated disk that has not responded to nonoperative treatment. Minimally invasive surgery often results in shorter recovery time and lower risk of complications than traditional spine surgery.
You would first have a thorough evaluation that includes X-rays, an MRI and, less commonly, a CT scan to determine if you would benefit from a minimally invasive approach.
Highly ranked care.
Mayo Clinic’s hospitals in Rochester, Minnesota; Phoenix, Arizona; and Jacksonville, Florida, are ranked among the best hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings.
Your path to recovery
Our care continues even after your treatment. Mayo Clinic offers a full suite of physical rehabilitation and recovery therapies. Often, our teams will work with your local providers to develop a plan for convenient, ongoing care.
When it's time to find answers, you know where to go.
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Ask Mayo Clinic: Herniated Disk
Hello. I'm Dr. Mohamad Bydon, a neurosurgeon at Mayo Clinic. I'm here to answer some of the important questions you may have about back and neck pain.
Sleep and stress can both contribute to pain. Sleep is the period during which the body rejuvenates itself. An adequate period of sleep, with good quality of sleep, is very important to manage pain successfully. Stress can also be an exacerbator of pain. Managing stress properly and dealing with it in adequate ways is also a very important component of managing pain.
I commonly get questions about mattresses and pillows. And there's good reason for this. We spend so much time sleeping, that sleep is an important component of our back and neck health. With a mattress, the general idea is to have something of medium firmness. You want something that gives just enough support, but not too much support. A mattress that is too soft will put you back into awkward positions at night and exacerbate painful conditions. A mattress that's too firm will not allow your back and neck to rest and will put pressure on areas of your back and neck. In terms of a pillow, you want one that allows neutral position of your neck. So you don't want your neck overly flexed, you don't want it overly extended. So as long as that pillows maintaining neutral position, then that's a good pillow for you for the way that you sleep.
Arthritis of the neck and back is a common condition. This is known as wear and tear or degenerative disease. They cause back and neck pain. Back pain is the number one reason to see your doctor, neck pain is the number three reason to see your doctor. In our lifetimes, 80% of us will experience back pain so severe that it requires medical attention.
Arthritis cannot be stopped, there is no cure for arthritis, but it can be managed and treated. Core strengthening is very important. Maintaining a good body weight is very important. Building strength, exercise not being sedentary, all of those are things that are very important in helping manage and treating arthritis.
It's important to partner with your medical team to get the best result for your health care condition. The best way to do that is to be informed about your condition. We've provided you with a lot of information today that will allow you to work with your doctor and their medical team. Never hesitate to ask your medical team questions that you may have. Being informed makes all the difference. Thank you for your time and we wish you well.
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