Spinal discs are the joints between the bones or vertebra. They act as a cushion absorbing impact and control torsion and compressive forces in the spine.
Over time the outer fibres of your discs can tear. Usually this isn’t painful, but sometimes a tear will reach the inner part of the disc or nucleus which can cause pain and inflammation.
The inner part of the disc is softer and more jelly like and can protrude out of the tear in the disc and occasionally contact the nerve at that spinal level. This can cause pain or sensory changes down your leg and impact on the muscles supplied by that nerve.
This is quite a common injury particularly in younger active people. Osteopaths can treat disc injuries by helping your body compensate and reducing compression on the disc by releasing surrounding structures. Often the joints around the injured disc are quite stiff which can increase the load on the injured disc.
Disc injuries particularly when they involve a nerve can affect the nerve supply to the muscles, so it is important to rehab this type of injury back to your full function. Most important is to begin treatment as soon as possible, so contact us today