Hear from Dr Marc Tafuro, Doctor of Chiropractic at ACC Chiropractic Clinic
Disc herniation ranks among the most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders in Vietnam, primarily affecting individuals in the working-age group of 30 to 60 years old. In recent years, the condition has shown a trend of occurring in younger populations, largely attributed to lifestyle factors.
Clearly this problem is plaguing the Vietnamese people.
Before moving forward, it is important to know what a herniated disc is and what causes it, as well as why many types of treatments which may be effective for pain relief, do not provide long lasting cure.
A herniated disk refers to a problem with one of the “cushions” (SPINAL OR Vertebral disks) sitting between the bones (vertebrae) that stack to form your spine. A spinal disk has a soft, jellylike center (nucleus) encased in a tougher, rubbery exterior (annulus). A bulging disc happens when your nucleus pushes on the annulus and a herniated disk occurs when some of the nucleus pushes out through a tear in the annulus.
When this occurs at first there may be no pain but over time greater invasion onto the spinal cord may cause pain and fatigue.
In the neck this most commonly occurs between the discs in between C5 and C6. If it compresses the nerve roots it can affect the nerves going to the arms, the brachial plexus. In the low back the most frequent disc herniation is at L5/S1. This is important because the condition known as sciatica, pain, and numbness down the leg, is caused by compression on the largest nerve in the body, the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is made of spinal nerve roots L4, L5, S1, S2, S3.
It is often said that herniated discs are caused by “degeneration” which happens as we “get older”, leading many to believe that herniated discs are a fate that awaits us all and is neither preventable nor recoverable. This is not necessarily true.
The purpose of the disc is to allow proper movement of the vertebrae above and below. The discs do herniate through trauma, but many discs herniate through chronic poor position and lack of movement. Throughout my 20-year career I have noticed this condition has got worse as sedentary computer work becomes more common and the problem has really exploded in the past 5 years with expansion of smart phone use, especially amongst teenagers who have another decade before reaching full skeletal maturity.
While our parents and grandparents worked on more manual movement-based occupations, we are becoming more digital and less mobile, and our spines are feeling it.
Now that we have identified the problem, we need to address its root causes.
When we look at disc herniations on MRIs, we see the lateral shot (Side shot) but we rarely consider the axial (top looking down shot). That is the reason I believe we fail to permanently address disc issues.
In the normal MRI you see that the discs and vertebrae do not encroach on the white and grey spinal cord while in the disc herniation MRI the disc completely compresses the spinal cord (Yellow Arrow).
At this point health care practitioners prescribe treatments: A surgeon might recommend a microdiscectomy, a physiotherapist might prescribe ultrasound or laser or decompression traction, and many conventional chiropractors might recommend spinal manipulation. All these treatments have success in reducing pain and even in reducing the size of the protruding disc. Yet the treatments, if initially successful, may only last a few weeks, months or even years before having a relapse, which sometimes can be even worse than before. I believe this is because we Doctors have missed an important piece of the puzzle.
Look again at the normal and abnormal MRIs. You can clearly see the herniated disc in the lateral (side) view indicated by the yellow arrow, and any remedy that seeks to reduce spinal cord compression is on the right track. But WHY did that compression happen in the first place?
Look at the axial (top down) shot, specifically the muscles behind the spine indicated by the red arrows. In the normal MRI the muscles look strong and muscular, while in the herniated disc MRIs the muscles look weak with a lot of fatty looking deposits. That is a deconditioned muscle. Where you have deconditioned muscles, you have the makings of disc herniation.
The reason why treatments which reduce herniated disc size help relieve pain in the beginning but the condition tends to relapse is because treating the disc herniation without treating the cause of the disc herniation (muscle deconditioning brought on by sitting and sedentary lifestyles) is asking for inevitable failure. You must consider ways of strengthening the muscles next to the spine that support the disc, the paraspinal muscles.
At ACC Chiropractic Clinic – a member of FV group & Thomson Medical Group Singapore, we utilize specific spinal corrections and the most technologically advanced physiotherapy treatments mentioned in conjunction with our world-renowned spinal strengthening regimen, Pneumex Pneuback program. Pneumex Pneuback is designed to strengthen the spinal muscles which support the disc and promotes not only fast healing but long-lasting conditioning which allows the disc to return to its preinjury status. Yes, discs CAN return to its original positioning.
Despite the TikTok videos of miraculous results immediately after the gross manipulations performed by alleged conventional Chiropractors, true healing actually takes time. Disc herniations may feel better rapidly with many treatments, but long-lasting solutions should be the goal. Regardless of which treatment protocol you choose, just make sure it is not concerned only with temporary pain relief but encompasses a long-term strategy which will have you healthy and moving for many years to come.
Dr. Marc Tafuro brings over 20 years of expertise in chiropractic care and sports injury treatment. A graduate of the Los Angeles College of Chiropractic in Southern California, he later served as a lecturer at the institution. From 2018 to 2020, Dr. Marc was part of the medical team for the Chinese Olympic team. He has since relocated to Vietnam, where he applies his skills to treating both expatriates and locals at ACC Chiropractic Clinic.
Schedule your appointment today via hotline/Whatsapp +84 946 740 066 and experience the difference with ACC!
