| Treatment |
Pros |
Cons |
The Disc Pump
Vertebral Distraction Pump |
Traction of one specific vertebra at a
time. Gentle and free of side effects. Most patients
experience relief on the first visit.
|
May experience soreness after first
treatment. Muscle strengthening and proper postural
recommendations required to prevent
reinjury.
|
Medications
Anti-Inflammatory, oral steroids,
narcotics
|
Reduce pain.
|
Should only be used for one week or
less. Possible organ damage and addiction. Temporary
relief only.
|
| Physical Therapy |
Mackenzie exercises can be used to
temporarily reduce pain.
|
Exercises can worsen any neurological
damage. Hypertension.
|
VAX-D "Traction"
or DRX or Lordex |
Reduces pressure over the nerve
root.
|
Does not target specific levels. Relieve
may be temporary.
|
| Chiropractic Manipulation
|
Gentle manipulation can help reduce the
joint dysfunction that may be an added component of the
pain.
|
High velocity manipulations should be
avoided as they can make the pain
worse.
|
| Activity Modification |
Some types of activities may tend to
exacerbate the pain and it is reasonable to avoid these
activities to keep from irritating the nerve
root.
|
Temporarily reduces pain. Restricts
activity.
|
| Bracing |
In some instances a cervical collar or
brace may be recommended to help provide some rest for
the cervical spine.
|
Temporarily reduces pain. Restricts
activity.
|
| Injections |
Epidural injections or selective nerve
root blocks can be helpful to reduce inflammation in
cases of sever pain.
|
Temporary relief only. Pain will likely
reoccur.
|
Surgery
Cervical discectomy with or without
fusion. Lumbar laminectomy |
With an experienced spine surgeon, the
surgery should carry a low risk of complications. May
relieve pressure and pain.
|
The success rate for surgery is
generally poor with reinjury likely within 24 months.
All major surgery has possible risks and complications.
Possible complications include: Damage to major blood
vessels, postoperative nonunion that requires a
re-fusion, nerve root or spinal cord damage, infection
or cerebrospinal fluid leak, bowl/bladder incontinence,
postlaminectomy spondylolisthesis and bleeding.
|
