The Herniated Disc Expert

08/16/2025

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More of Washington

08/01/2025

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04/05/2025

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10/15/2024

Have you been told you have a Disc Protrusion or Herniation?
How is this different than a Disc Bulge?
Will it take longer to heal?
Are you having Arm symptoms or Leg symptoms?

The outer layer of the disc is called the Annulus and has many nerve endings. This is why a disruption to the annular wall is so painful.

The inner part of the disc is called the Nucleus and acts as a shock absorber for our spine and body. If the Nucleus starts putting some pressure on the layers of the annular wall, that can cause lower back pain.

If the Annular wall has a defect due to age or tear, the nuclear material can push further into and potentially through the annular wall. Your body will recognize this as a significant insult and create an inflammatory reaction, causing significant pain.

If part of that nuclear material is putting pressure on a nerve root, that will cause the strange symptoms of pain, burning, numbness, weakness, etc along a dermatomal pattern in the arm or leg.

So, a Protrusion or Herniation are more serious and can take some more time to heal. We must first assess properly and determine if there is a direction or movement that will help move the nuclear material out of that space and allow for the annular wall to heal. Then we can progress to some additional exercises.
However, doing "Core" exercises while there is a Disc Protrusion or Herniation creating pressure on the nerve root or during an inflammatory reaction will have little to NO effect on your symptoms.

10/10/2024

You may have seen or read the report from your image that the discs in your spine have began to "Dehydrate" or lose some height.

This is a natural progression of aging and while there can be some correlation, meaning it's often seen in people with spine or disc pain, it is NOT Causation. Others with the same natural dehydration of the disc do not have pain.

There are ways to help keep your discs healthier though and slow that shrinking process!

1. Discs are very hydrophilic: Meaning they really like water. This is why we are a little taller in the morning and and shrink as the day goes on. The disc will suck up water around it. Staying hydrated with plenty of water will help.

2. Exercise! Despite being told to not exercise, this is one of the best ways to strengthen and rehydrate the discs.
The discs are essentially shock absorbers and those controlled loads help to squish old fluid out and reabsorb new nutritious fluid.

3. Avoid Prolonged Sitting. You may have already found this to be more pain for you. Being inactive and sitting in a poor posture is one of the most important things you can change to help your spine and discs.

10/08/2024

Pain originating from the spine can refer and manifest itself to many areas of the body.

Of course it is common to have pain around the cervical, thoracic, or lumbar spine with a spine or disc injury. This pain can be across the entire area on both the left and right side or just on the one side of the body.

It is often quite normal for pain to refer to the trap, shoulder blade, shoulder, or down the arm when dealing with a lower cervical or upper thoracic spine/disc injury.

One important note is that you DON'T have to have a line or connecting pain. If fact, pain that is between joints, like in the forearm for example, is almost certainly from the lower cervical spine.

The Thoracic spine can refer pain around the ribs which can make breathing or twisting very painful

The Lumbar spine will often refer pain to the buttock or lateral hip area. This can be quite difficult to diagnosis sometimes as there a few other structures that can produce pain in these areas.

Again, you could go to bed with pain just in the lower back or buttock area and then wake up with pain in the anterior thigh or all the way down in the calf or outer leg.

These pains do NOT have to connect or show the classic Sciatica pattern of a straight line down the back of the leg.

10/04/2024

The area between the shoulder blade and spine is a common spot for a lower cervical or upper thoracic spine/disc issue.

This is a classic area for pain to be produced or referred to. It is very common to start in this area and then as things progress it will often move further (peripheralize) to the shoulder or down the arm.

This pain is likely intermittent and brought on by certain positions, postures, or activities like sitting on your computer or looking down.

You may even notice some loss of motion with turning or looking up.

The best way to get this problem solved quickly would be with a combination of cervical retraction/extension and thoracic extension in sitting.

If your unsure on how to properly perform those, here is a link to those movements: https://youtu.be/9Uj7o9pw4Xs

09/27/2024

The state of some Spine Specialists has now devolved so much that they won't even see a person unless the MRI is sent before hand.

Which means they are "ASSESSING" you without you EVEN BEING IN THE ROOM. They aren't talking to you...they aren't moving you around

They won't even exam or talk to you UNLESS you're a potential candidate for surgery.