Herniated Disc Treatment with our San Francisco Chiropractor

Herniated discs can be just as painful and debilitating as their name suggests. Whether you've developed a herniated disc in your lumbar spine that affects your legs or you're coping with a herniated cervical disc sustained through whiplash, you may be experiencing intense pain and disabling neurological symptoms. But e herniated disc diagnosis doesn't have to mean surgery. Here at The Balanced Atlas, our upper cervical chiropractor in San Francisco CA can perform gentle, safe adjustments to bring that herniated disc back into line.

Herniated Discs and Their Symptoms

The vertebral discs perform two important roles: they cushion the spinal column against impacts and other effects of gravity, and they maintain a constant degree of space between the vertebrae, allowing the facet joints that connect the vertebrae to operate without strain. The cushioning effect comes from an inner "filling" of water and other fluids called the nucleus. The nucleus is contained by a fibrous disc of cartilage called the annulus. The annulus is strong, but it isn't impervious to damage. If a section of the annulus weakens and tears, the material of the nucleus may jut outward through the breach. This material, which contains inflammatory substances, can press against nerve roots in the spine, causing severe pain at the site of the herniation. (The annulus also has sensitive nerves that can register pain in a herniation.)

But the symptoms of a herniated disc don't stop at the spine. Compression of major nerve roots can affect all the nerves serves by those nerve roots. A herniated disc in your cervical spine can cause numbness, tingling, pain, or weakness at any point along your arm or hand; this condition is called cervical radiculopathy. A herniation of a lumbar disc may compress the sciatic nerve roots in the lower spine. The result, sciatica, produces similar symptoms in the buttock, leg and foot.

Our NUCCA Chiropractor Can Help You With Your Herniated Disc

Our NUCCA chiropractor can ease your herniated disc woes without surgery or drugs. The NUCCA technique applies gentle corrections to the upper cervical spine. This adjustment can shift cervical discs and vertebrae away from nerve roots and back where they properly belong, relieving your symptoms. In fact, since these adjustments can affect your entire spinal alignment, our NUCCA chiropractor can help you overcome herniated disc pain and neurological symptoms all the way down to the sciatic nerve roots.

Make an Appointment with our San Francisco Chiropractor

Don't let a herniated disc put your life on hold. Get the natural relief you need by calling our upper cervical chiropractor at (415) 242-1472 for an appointment!