Norton Shores Michigan Chiropractor -- Have  you been told that your bulged disc is causing your back pain or neck pain?  If so, you were also probably told that nothing can be done about it since it's not bad enough to require surgery.  But what if your bulged disc wasn't the sole cause of your back or neck pain?  What if the disc is bulging because of some other underlying cause?

The vertebral discs are made of a thick, jelly-like substance and they act like a spacer between the bones of the spine.  An MRI will show if the disc has protruded backwards into the spinal canal.  When the case is severe (called a herniation) surgery is often recommended.  However, when the protrusion is slight, doctors will tell you it is just a "bulge" and send you away with pain medications and maybe a prescription for therapy.

But did you know that there are people walking around all the time with disc bulges that have no pain whatsoever?  It's true.  According to research, more than 20 % of young adults are walking around with disc bulges, yet their backs don't hurt!  Disc bulges can be completely benign, not causing any pain at all.  But if you have pain and a doctor sees a slight bulge on MRI, they will often blame the bulge and tell you to live with it.

However, the disc bulge itself may be caused by abnormal pressure on the joints in the back because of spinal misalignments.  If the bones of the spine are out of alignment, this puts pressure on the joints, discs, muscles, and nerves of the spine, which can cause the disc to bulges under the pressure.  Spinal misalignments can also cause back pain, neck pain, extremity pain, numbness, headaches, etc.

At Zehr Chiropractic, we have successfully treated a lot of people with diagnosed disc bulges.  Our gentle, non-invasive treatment will not harm the disc.  In fact, taking pressure off the joints will often treat the underlying cause of the disc bulge.   If treated early enough, our patients can avoid a future full of pills, injections, or surgery.

So, if you've been told that all your pain is due to a bulging disc and that there is nothing that can be done, you may benefit from a chiropractic evaluation to see if you can be helped.