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Herniated Lumbar Disc
A herniated lumbar disc is the most common location to experience a disc pain condition. Specifically, the L4/L5 and L5/S1 discs are the typical problem spots in most patients’ spines. The lower back has been vilified by the medical
back pain industry
as an anatomical region fraught with
degenerative
conditions and predisposition for
injury.
In reality, the low back area is very strong and more than capable of performing all the normal tasks we require of it throughout our lifetimes.

Herniated Lumbar Disc Conditions
The lower back is prone to developing early
degenerative disc disease
(DDD), as well as
herniated discs.
This is a fact. However, there is considerable proof which demonstrates that herniated discs rarely cause long term pain. The majority of all
discogenic pain
conditions will resolve without any medical treatment at all in a matter of weeks. DDD is not actually a disease, but is a completely NORMAL and EXPECTED part of the aging process. Degenerative disc disease is a contributor to the development of disc herniations, but simply goes to prove that disc herniations are also a normal occurrence and are rarely symptomatic in
chronic back pain
patients.
Herniated Lumbar Disc Treatments
There are probably more
treatment options
for herniated discs in the lower back than for any other spinal condition. 95% of these treatments are
symptomatic
in nature and most do not even make sense as a symptom reliever. These therapies treat pain mostly due to
placebo
effect or some secondary benefit of the actual treatment regimen. For example, many therapies such as
heat
or
exercise
work moderately well for disc pain. The heat or exercise do nothing to rebuild the damaged disc. They do however, increase local oxygenation of affected tissue, temporarily relieving pain and associate symptoms. Why would oxygen help to relieve pain? The answer to that question is EASY…
Herniated Lumbar Disc Scapegoat
Herniated discs are the most commonly diagnosed of all
back pain scapegoat
conditions. Like many other
spinal abnormalities,
disc irregularities are very common and usually blamed for
idiopathic back pain
when no other obvious cause can be found. The reality of disc herniations shows that they are very common in the general population, but are mostly asymptomatic and often undiscovered. Only a small percentage of patients with herniated discs actually suffer any symptoms and in these circumstances, the disc condition is often coincidental to the pain. The most common actual cause of back pain in these patients is
ischemia.
Oxygen deprivation back pain
can be the result of a physical condition, but is far more often the enforcer for some
psychosomatic back pain
syndrome. If you experience mild to moderate symptomatic relief, but no cure, from a treatment modality which increases cellular oxygenation, there is a good chance that your disc pain has been grossly
misdiagnosed.
Recommendation on a Herniated Lumbar Disc
This topic is particularly close to my heart since I was diagnosed with herniated discs at L4/L5 and L5/S1 in my early 20’s. The former herniation got worse with time and the latter eventually ruptured. I also was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease at these and other lumbar spinal levels. I was devastated by the severity of the diagnosis and received a considerable
nocebo
effect which definitely contributed to the worsening and perpetuation of my symptoms. I suffered with unbelievable back pain and
sciatica
for 18 long years. During this time, I gained insight to the true meaning of the words HUMAN SUFFERING.
I hate to see any patient suffer at all, but it truly bothers my heart most to see a patient suffering needlessly. Learn the facts about herniated discs for yourself. Read the studies. Get well. There is nothing holding you back except yourself and the misinformation you have been force fed by some uninformed source. You can get better. I did it. You can do it. Don’t you want to be free from the pain? I think that is an obvious question which needs no answer…
Herniated Lumbar Disc to Back Pain Home page
10/3/07

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