Although it is rare for a spinal disc to reherniate, it can sometimes occur. If you are experiencing issues with a herniated spinal disc that has been treated already, there are some options to consider for a herniation that reoccurs post-treatment. This article discusses treatment options for reherniation of a spinal disc.
Physical Therapy
You may not necessarily need surgery if your disc reherniates. If your symptoms are not severe or debilitating, your doctor may recommend physical therapy, which you may have participated in the first time you were experiencing issues with a herniated disc. Physical therapy may include:
• Therapeutic exercises
• Stretches
• Massage therapy
• Tips on what to avoid as you recover
Lifestyle Adjustments
Another way reherniation may be treated is with lifestyle adjustments. Some of the things you do in your daily life may trigger or aggravate your symptoms. In fact, some of your lifestyle practices may have played a role in the reherniation in the first place. The main elements of daily living that can affect your spinal discs include:
• How you lift heavy objects
• How much sleep you get and how you sleep (e.g., the type of mattress you sleep on, your sleep positions, etc.)
• How you sit and stand during your day
• What you eat and how much exercise you get on a regular basis
The good news is many of the factors discussed above can be safely and effectively changed for the better. With diet and exercise, small changes over time can be effective, such as devoting at least an hour a day to some form of exercise. Also, cut sugary snacks and fried foods out of your diet.
Nonsurgical Decompression
One way to treat a reherniated spinal disc is by taking an approach to nerve pain relief that does not require surgery, such as nonsurgical decompression. Nonsurgical decompression involves the use of a special table and is designed to allow spinal discs to be adjusted by shifting positions on the table with varying elevations. Many patients experience relief once adjustments have been made. Chiropractic adjustments can produce similar results.
Hot and Cold Therapy
These simple remedies are sometimes the most effective ones for spinal disc pain. Simply apply heat and cold to the affected area. A heating pad or warm bath can be effective for pain relief, and an ice pack or cooling gel can ease inflammation. Limit heat and cold applications to 15–20 minutes at a time.
Surgery
If conservative treatment methods fail to provide relief from your symptoms, your doctor may recommend surgery. If you had surgery for your initial herniation, you may end up having the same procedure as the first time, or you may have a discectomy or a less invasive microdiscectomy coupled with spinal fusion surgery if there is a need to stabilize your spine to prevent further herniations in the same area.
Even though discectomy surgery is a common and generally quite successful procedure, a hole is frequently left in the outer wall of the disc. In fact, patients with these large holes in their discs are more than twice as likely to reherniate. Reherniations often require additional surgery or even fusions. Fortunately, there is a new treatment specifically designed to close the large holes that are often left in spinal discs after discectomy surgery. Barricaid is a bone-anchored device proven to reduce reherniations, and 95 percent of Barricaid patients did not undergo a reoperation due to reherniation in a 2-year study timeframe. This treatment is done immediately following the discectomy—during the same operation—and does not require any additional incisions or time in the hospital.
If you have any questions about the Barricaid treatment or how to get access to Barricaid, ask your doctor or contact us at 844-288-7474.
For full benefit/risk information, please visit: https://www.barricaid.com/instructions.
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