It is interesting to hear that the Dallas Cowboys opted for “conservative” care as the primary treatment for Tony Romo’s disc herniation. Their choice is epidural shots into his spinal cord to deaden the pain signals to his brain. I find it odd that they did not address the cause of the pain…the intervertebral disc pressing on the spinal nerve or spinal cord. While inserting a needle into someone’s spine is less invasive than a surgery, it is still not anywhere near corrective in nature. Disc herniations can be extremely painful and debilitating because they damage the spinal cord in the same manner a typical misaligned bone does, just on a larger scale.
Chiropractic adjustments provide immense corrective relief to disc patients just like they provide to back pain patients. By realigning the vertebra and setting the disc between the vertebra, the adjustment removes the stress on the herniated disc. The disc is now in a better position to resorb and heal while the swelling dissipates. In some extreme cases, surgery is 100% necessary because the spine has been neglected for decades and the disc has shrunk to the point that there is no room left for the nerve to exit the spinal cord. Only your chiropractor can tell you if you are a candidate for chiropractic care or if you do indeed need surgery.
Additionally, we offer patients triple certified GMP nutritional supplements that greatly lessen pain and aid in healing, based on clinical tests. These products are far superior to over- the-counter supplements that are bought in local stores or online. These products are ineffective, potentially unsafe and have no clinical efficacy whatsoever.
Please inform the ones you care about that there are options out there, not just for back pain…but just about everything you can think of. When surgery is truly needed, it is absolutely needed. However, like antibiotics, surgery is over-prescribed for ailments that are easily corrected from the outside. Research your options and choose wisely, that is all you can do.
-Dr. Zeronis, DC