Yes. This post is literally a cut and paste from a back pain post. I just changed the word “back” for “neck.” If you see “back” instead of “neck” or “leg” instead of “arm” that just means I missed one…
Another message from our attorneys about going to the ER:
Treating herniated disc pain*
*semantics, but you don’t “fix” a herniated disc, you manage the pain while it heals
Usually the story of a herniated disc comes from some type of bending + twisting event, plus some compression.
The best “yeah, that’ll do it” story:
Patient that was a F-18 pilot. Was looking up and back, hit a pocket of turbulence, hit his head on the canopy.
Immediately felt electricity down his arm.
Yep. That’ll do it.
“It just came out of nowhere” is a little more common in the neck, I believe that has to do with with where the neck is and there’s less muscle around it to protect it.
A herniated disc is usually Pattern 1 or Pattern 3.
There’s exceptions but it largely doesn’t matter
The main differences between these patterns:
Pattern 1 is constant OR intermittent neck pain
Pattern 3 is CONSTANT arm pain
(we figure this out from the “3 Questions”
Finding the pattern was Step 1.
Let’s go to Step 2: Do retractions make it better?
Perform 5 retraction. Does you pain get better?
Better means:
neck pain is LESS
arm pain is LESS
LESS arm pain but MORE neck pain is technically an improvement.
If this made you better - its your exercise
Do 5-10 reps every 2-3 hours.
You can also try sitting if its more convenient
And continue to live your normal life
You can also try it in sitting since laying down during the day isn’t always easy to do.
Did it do nothing, or make you worse?
Then you, unfortunately, aren’t ready yet.
Neck pain (Pattern 1) usually starts to feel better after a few days
Arm pain (Pattern 3) starts to resolve after 2-6 weeks.
Until then, here’s things you can do to help reduce pain to tolerate the day. We will regress backwards from neck retractions.
#1 Neck Roll/Pillow Staircase
The goal here is to find a position where you neck is completely relaxed. Some people can tolerate being more flat (probably Pattern 1)
Other’s will need to use pillows to hold the head higher (Pattern 3)
A combo may be the best option. You can DIY by rolling up a towel and putting it in the end of the pillow.
This is called “Scheduled Rest” and useful to take the edge off. Sit in these positions for 5-10 minutes to reduce your pain, then proceed with what you need to do.
It may be worth doing this BEFORE an activity that you know will cause pain.
#3 Traction with towel
It’s a YouTube Short so it doesn’t embed. Sorry
DIY Neck Traction with a Towel
What’s going on in my neck?
Where you feel pain (neck or arm) is likely caused by the extent of the disc injury.
Pain in the neck only - the actual disc is the source of your pain
Pain in the arm - the herniation is pressing on a nerve root, so that’s why its shooting into the leg.
Could be both.
Should I start to exercise?
Nothing is stopping you other than pain, so its worth starting a general neck exercise program so you don’t LOSE range of motion and turn this new problem into a long term problem
We like our neck program and it’s available here:
Summary
Here’s the truth that no one wants to hear – the best treatment for a herniated disc is TIME.
You have a tissue injury and it takes time to heal. This is true for all tissues in the body.
Expect a full recovery to take anywhere from 2 to 6 months. The biggest decrease in pain usually comes in the first 1-2 months, maybe even 2-4 weeks, then you’ll have these nagging pains that eventually fade over the months.
Arm pain can take 1-2 weeks to resolve.
Yeah, it sucks.
The chances are HIGH that THIS WILL GET BETTER and YOU WILL RECOVER.
Try to be as positive as you can.
We are here if you need us
Request our help > > > https://imhurtnowwhat.com/pages/consult-us