Question
thank you for your time, my question is, should a patient see a DC,if patient has herniated discs? Would it help?

Answer
Elaine,

Thanks for the question and I hope that I can help.  I have seen hundreds of patients with L4-L5 and L5-S1 disc herniations over 13+ years of practice.  It has been my experience that I have been best able to manage their cases than a regular family MD does. What I mean is this: The family MD will do their best which is supplying pain meds, which you may need, and then scheduling you for surgical consult. They may send you for PT which would usually include McKenzie exercises, which I have never seen in all my years help a lumbar disc patient.  

The chiropractor can avail you therapy and pain control methods as well as disc decompressive treatments which are fairly confined to chiropractic practice.  Methods such as flexion-distraction technique help to decompress the disc and relieve pain and radiating symptoms.  Now if the disc is herniated and damaged to a degree that degenerative healing will not occur, or if a nerve root is compressed significantly, then you will likely require surgical intervention regardless of what conservative care you receive.  This is where a good chiropractor will take into account certain outcome assessments and determine whether continued conservative care may be of benefit to you, or are you in a situation where your condition is one that will not recover and you have to undergo surgery.  I have this happen many times, but the overwhelming number of patients with disc herniation we do manage them and they improve to a state in which they can continue a normal lifestyle, with modifications.

My advice is to consult a chiropractor and together determine where you are and what would be best to do about your case.  I hope this helps.  If you have any more questions, please do not hesitate to contact me through allexperts.com.

Dr. Boss