Disc injury. Decompress it. Don't twist it.

Bulging, herniated, 'slipped': different words for a disc that has been pushed past its normal edge, usually toward a nerve. Discs heal, but slowly, and only if you stop doing the thing that injured them. Treatment that twists or loads an injured disc sets it back. Ours doesn't.

Call (715) 748-4433 Get directions
Your first visit
  • History and hands-on exam first
  • X-ray on site, only when the exam calls for it
  • A plain-language explanation and a plan, or a referral

What to expect →

Sound familiar?

What disc injury usually feels like.

  • Low back or neck pain with a sharp, focused quality
  • Pain that shoots into a leg or arm, often with tingling or numbness
  • Worse with sitting, bending forward, coughing or sneezing
  • Better lying down or walking
  • Weakness in a specific muscle: foot drop, a weak grip, trouble on tiptoes
  • A history of a lift, twist or fall that set it off

What's usually going on

The mechanics behind it.

A disc is a tough outer ring around a gel-like center. Bending and loading push the center backward against the ring; do it enough and the ring bulges or tears, letting the center press toward the nerve root behind it. That's what causes the leg or arm symptoms. The disc has a poor blood supply, so it heals slowly and needs the right conditions.

Flexion-distraction is a technique designed for exactly this. You lie face down on a table whose lower section gently drops and rises, creating a rhythmic traction that lowers pressure inside the disc and opens the space the nerve runs through. No twisting, no thrust through the injured segment. Combined with cold laser for inflammation and a strict no-aggravation plan, most disc injuries settle without surgery.

How we treat it at Borealis

Find the cause. Treat it. Keep it from coming back.

1

Find the cause

Neurological exam of the affected limb, nerve tension tests, and X-rays on site to see disc height and rule out other causes. If the exam suggests significant nerve compression, we refer for MRI.

2

Treat it

Flexion-distraction decompression to the involved segment, cold laser to reduce inflammation around the nerve root, and gentle adjusting above and below the injury to take load off it. The injured segment itself is never thrust-adjusted while acute.

3

Keep it from coming back

Hip-hinge mechanics, sitting limits, and a progressive core program once the disc has calmed. We tell you exactly which movements to avoid and for how long.

Services involved ChiropracticMLS cold laserPhysiotherapy & rehabMassage therapy

Questions

What people ask about disc injury.

Don't see yours? Call and ask. The front desk will get you an answer or put you through to a doctor.

Will a herniated disc heal on its own?
Many do, over months, if they're not re-injured. Treatment speeds that up by reducing pressure and inflammation and by stopping the aggravating pattern. Some don't improve and need surgical consultation; we'll recognise that and refer.
Is it safe to be adjusted with a herniated disc?
With the right technique, yes. The injured segment is decompressed, not thrust. If your exam shows adjusting isn't appropriate at all, we say so.
Do I need an MRI?
Not to start care. MRI is for when there's significant or progressive nerve involvement, or when a reasonable course of conservative care hasn't helped. Many people with disc findings on MRI have no pain at all, so the picture alone doesn't decide treatment.
What about an inversion table?
It can relieve symptoms temporarily for some people and aggravate others, especially with neck involvement or blood pressure issues. Ask before you buy one.

Describe it. We'll figure out the rest.

Call and talk to Dawn at the front desk, or walk in Monday through Thursday. You'll leave your first visit knowing what's going on.

Call (715) 748-4433 Get directions