Our extensive clinical experience over the past five decades has demonstrated that the vast majority of patients with prolapsed or herniated intervertebral discs respond well to our conservative, non-surgical treatment technique. The treatment protocol typically begins with a more conservative, holistic approach, targeting areas away from the spine where the patient is experiencing the most severe and intolerable pain, such as the pelvis, hips, and lower extremities.
Through our experience, we have found that these peripheral regions, often exhibit misalignment and dysfunction that can indirectly contribute to the patient’s overall pain experience. The misalignment of bones and joints in pelvis and hips can lead to an inappropriate distribution of the body’s weight, which in turn triggers a protective muscle spasm response in those areas. This muscle spasm not only adds to the patient’s discomfort but can also manifest as radiating or shooting pain.
Our extensive clinical experience in treating thousands of patients with degenerative disc diseases and disc prolapses has shown that our conservative, non-surgical treatment technique, focused on restoring proper alignment of the pelvis, hip bones, and joints, as well as resolving protective muscle spasms, has been highly effective in alleviating the patients’ symptoms, and improve their overall functionality, without the need for more invasive, surgical interventions.
Once the patient’s pain has been successfully allevated through these initial interventions, we then progress to more targeted treatment of the spine itself. This includes restoring proper alignment and mobility to the specefic spinal vertebrae, which may have become immobilized due to the patient’s fear of movement in those affected areas. Through this comprehensive approach, the results proved that the nerve impingement issues were resolved and the body can slowly and naturally reabsorbe the herniated disc material
Our successful treatment outcomes with the vast majority of patients clinically diagnosed with disc prolapse, based on imaging findings such as MRI, have prompted us to delve deeper into the existing research in this field. One particularly relevant study, conducted by Brinjikji and colleagues in 2015, has shed significant light on the prevalence of degenerative spinal changes in asymptomatic individuals. The researchers reviewed 33 articles that reported imaging findings for 3,110 asymptomatic individuals. Their findings were quite remarkable: the prevalence of disc degeneration increased from 37% in 20-year-olds to a staggering 96% in those aged 80 years. Similarly, the prevalence of disc bulges rose from 30% in 20-year-olds to 84% in 80-year-olds. Disc protrusions were found in 29% of 20-year-olds and 43% of 80-year-olds, while the prevalence of annular fissures increased from 19% to 29% across the same age range. The researchers concluded that imaging findings of spinal degeneration are remarkably common in asymptomatic individuals, and the prevalence of these findings increases significantly with age. These findings underscore the importance of exercising caution when interpreting and acting upon imaging results, as the presence of “abnormal” findings may not necessarily correlate with the patient’s clinical presentation or justify invasive interventions.
