Is Bulging Disc Surgery Always Necessary ?

I am by no means an expert on surgery.  Admittedly, I only see patients whose surgery has failed them.  Here is what I know.

If you have a disc problem, try natural remedies like glucosamine, bromelain and stretching first.

Often surgery does not solve your problem.  If your back pain is caused by tight muscles, how can surgery help that?

Even Dr. Oz admitted that surgery is rarely necessary and back pain can resolve on its own.  I know the feeling of panic you can get when you have pain and you think it will not go away without surgery.

In my opinion, it is rare that you would need surgery.  Sometimes the disc is so badly bulging or prolapsed that you do not have an option.  If it puts pressure on the nerve that it causes numbness, that is serious.

Let’s think that your case is not that bad.  It might feel that bad, but you might be able to get it under control in a few weeks.

If you have back surgery, the disc is replaced by something synthetic.  It is called a discectomy because the disc is removed.  The problem is, the disc can cause less flexibility than is normal.  When that happens, the discs on either side of the disc you had surgery on are now prone to having problems.

Also, if your back pain is caused by tight muscles, the surgery will not help at all.

Trying natural therapies is a good option.  You should consider taking them for several months to heal all the problems in your back.  If one of your discs is not in good shape, others are likely to have damage to them.  By taking glucosamine, you can treat all the problems at once.

Notice the big variety of disc problems.  As we age, we have more disc degeneration and more reason to take supplements to treat it.

How Glucosamine Sulfate Can Heal Your Bulging Disc ?

If you have a disc that is bulging, you have inflammation and tissue damage.  You have to rebuild the connective tissue.  That is, the joint tissue that cushions your bones in your back.

Glucosamine can be very effective to rejuvenate your discs and all joint tissue in your body.  This is what your body uses as raw building material for joints.  You body can heal itself.  It just needs the right raw materials.

Many times people take the wrong kind of glucosamine and they do not see any results.  There are two basic types of glucosamine: Sulfate and HCL.  Sulfate glucosamine is derived from shellfish.  That is the type that is most often effective for people.  The other type is synthetic, that is HCL.

You will usually have to read the ingredient list to determine which type is in your supplement.  If you are allergic to shellfish, I would try the HCL.

To treat back pain and disc problems, you will need to:

• Heal the disc
• Stretch to relieve muscle tightness
• Treat the underlying inflammation

I do not take formulas that include fish oil. Fish oil is a natural anti-inflammatory. The problem is, most of it is rancid or rotten by the time it gets to you. That makes it do the opposite of what it is supposed to do. I suggest taking fish oil separately.

Natural Anti-Inflammatory Herbs And Enzymes

If you have pain, you have inflammation.  You can take over the counter medicine for that.  But, the problem with that is, over the long run, it actually makes it less likely your body will heal.  It stops the normal body process of healing inflammation.

Natural remedies do not cause side effects.  If you are on blood thinners or aspirin, consult your healthcare practitioner.  These natural anti-inflammatory remedies can easily affect clotting.

Herbs often make your blood less thick and more slippery.  So, if you combine that with drugs, that is not a good idea.  If you take aspirin and other blood thinners, you can also suffer internal bleeding that you are not even aware of until it is late in the game.

The best natural anti inflammatories are:

Bromelain

Bromelain an enzyme derived from pineapple. This is taken on an empty stomach. It goes into your blood stream and helps your body break down damaged tissue so it can be healed.

Systemic enzymes

These can be a variety of enzymes combined in a formula.  For example, enzymes for pain and inflammation can be combined with bromelain.  These enzymes are used in other countries to treat cancer.  Experiments are being done to dissolve tumors by injecting enzymes in them.

Ginger root

 Yes, something as simple as ginger root is a natural anti-inflammatory.  You will need to take a higher dosage of this than the bromelain or systemic enzymes.  This herb is also helpful for digestion and nausea.

Turmeric spice or Curcumin

This is an herb that is very popular in India.  It is in the same family as ginger root.  It is also being studied for use on preventing cancer.

Treating inflammation naturally is not complicated.  You need to have a little patience.  You often will feel a difference in a few hours, but it might take longer.  It depends on how bad your inflammation is, as well as how much scar tissue you have formed.

Stretches To Relieve Back Pain

Since pain is caused by inflammation and tight muscles, if you can treat both of these, you can often get relief.  You can address the inflammation with Bromelainand glucosamine sulfate and the tight muscles by stretching.

It is easy to do a few stretches before you get out of bed in the morning.  You are not running a marathon.  You want to be gentle with yourself.

If you back hurts, you do not want to make sudden sharp movements.  Gentle is the keyword.

If you do these stretches for a few minutes every day, I think you will be surprised how quickly you feel better.

Just simply bending over every day and relaxing all your muscles will help a lot.

These are my personal favorite stretches.  I do stretches in bed in the morning.  Just a few minutes can prevent a lot of problems.