Question
My sister fell out of a chair and has since been very crooked.  Not slightly, but drastically crooked.  She went to a Chiropractor every day for two weeks, twice a day.  Maybe a slight difference in curvature.  Pain drastic.  Could not move last Thursday.  Went to ER.  Gave her muscle relaxer and pain meds.  She has stayed literally knocked out.  Went to her regular DR.  Took X-rays and found only 2 compressed discs.  Now wants her to have MRI.  What is treatment for compressed disc and what causes them?  

Answer
A compressed disc is just like a bulging disc, it puts pressure on nerves that exit from the vertebrae.  The MRI is an excellent idea and will give the doctor an idea how bad the discs are bulging, plain x-rays cannot do that.  I would wait and get the results from the MRI before you take any other steps.  Treatments for a bulging disc can include anything from PT, chiropractic treatments, or in severe cases surgery.  Not to scare you, but sometimes surgery is needed to repair a severely bulged disc.  Get the MRI, then talk to you doctor about your options.  If you are unclear and need further explanation of the report, please feel free to email again.

Dr. Starbuck