Question
I have been having numbness with pins/needles in the left arm along with upper thoracic pain, after visiting a chiro he diagnosed me with a bulge in a disk (pending MRI). My question is can this be 100% healed without invasive surgery? what do you suggest I do for home care?

Answer
Hello J

I am sorry that you are having neck pain and symptoms in the arm and upper back. These could be the result of a disc problem in the neck. You might have a bulging disc, but you could have a degenerative disc as well, with narrowing of the canals through which the cord and nerves pass. The MRI will help to visualize exactly what is going on.

Your question is whether or not your disc can be healed 100% without surgery.

The truth is that there is NOTHING that you can do that will heal the disc 100%. Surgery will not do it. Chiropractic will not do it. Exercises will not do it.

Once a disc is injured, it typically goes through a process of degeneration.

Surgery is the process in which a cut is made to access the spine, and then portions of bone and the offending disc are removed. Then, the spinal segments are fused together with screws and a metal plate. The joint that is "repaired" is destroyed and fused.  There are risks to surgery, including infection and possible fatality. Good surgeons will not typically want to do any surgery until you have exhausted all of your less invasive treatment methods, including:

1)Chiropractic care, including adjustments, traction, decompression, therapy, stretching, exercises for strength and mobility, acupuncture for pain, etc.

2)Physical therapy, including much of the above, minus acupuncture, adjustments, etc.

3) Medical intervention, including pain meds, anti-inflammation meds, and muscle relaxant meds.  Also, medical treatment could include injections of steroids or other medications near the spinal cord. This is typically done by a pain medicine specialist. Long term medication is not a good option either because of the damaging affects of medications compounded over time.

I am sorry that there is nothing that you can do to totally repair a damaged/bulging disc.  The good news, however, is to know that many of us, if not all of us, have disc problems, and most of us can manage the conditions without surgery.  Follow through with your chiropractor. Give yourself time to heal. It is going to take months. Once the condition is under control, continue with regular adjustments and with doing your exercises. Remember, you are learning to MANAGE your condition, not cure it.

I hope that this helps you. Be patient. Keep all options open. Surgery is your LAST resort.

Keith Biggs, DC
http://www.eastmesachiropractor.com