Dear Patients,

A majority of our patients suffer from lumbar or cervical disc pain. Lumbar or cervical herniations/disc pain can be a result of over utilization, poor posture, being overweight, or just wear and tear. Most patients seek treatment at our office via referrals from orthopedics or from their friends who had successful results here. Lumbar disc pain can be very debilitating and painful, resulting in either back pain or a sciatic type of pain in the lower extremity. Lumbar disc pain usually worsens with sitting and/or bending over to touch your toes.

A common cause of neck, shoulder, and arm pain is a ruptured or herniated cervical disc. Symptoms may include dull or sharp pain in the neck or between the shoulder blades, pain that radiates down the arm to the hand or fingers, or numbness or tingling in the shoulder or arm. Certain positions or movements of the neck can intensify the pain.

Whether cervical or lumbar, not all cases are surgical in nature. Actually less than 5-10% of disc herniations/pain requires surgery. Manipulation of the spine is a very effective from of treatment. Other techniques such as soft tissue manipulation with Graston/facial manipulation are also very effective. Once pain relief is achieved, exercise programs are utilized to stabilize the problem and also prevent recurrence. Only in cases which do not respond sufficiently do we utilize medications/epidurals. In these instances, inflammation reduction is the goal, but it certainly does not replace exercises, manipulation, and soft tissue techniques.

Sincerely,

Dr. Todd Elwert
Todd Elwert Chiropractic
Cincinnati, OH Chiropractor
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