by Laura Seil Ruszczyk

Created on: July 01, 2009   Last Updated: July 06, 2009

Most herniated discs heal with time and/or treatment. My treatments have included acupuncture, chiropractic adjustments, physical therapy, rest, exercise and a steroid injection. But my herniated disc pain persists in the lower part of my back. I am not sure why I have daily pain - sometimes nagging and other times stabbing - and wondered whether what I have is called chronic pain.

Chronic pain is pain that occurs for three months or longer. It can be mild and annoying or so bad that it interferes with everyday activities. Back pain often falls into the category of chronic pain.

Chronic pain can affect the body's immune system, causing more illness. I found this information particularly informative. When I was going through a difficult time last year - literally a string of illnesses over a period of eight months - I wondered if the back pain I had was causing problems to the rest of my body. Who knows, maybe I had a particular bad health year but it also could have been a result of the pain. The emotional and physical drain I experienced may have caused other physical problems to form.

I have tried several treatment methods to handle chronic pain. One of the most successful treatments was six sessions of acupuncture performed by a licensed acupuncturist. Acupuncture is a Chinese medicine in which needles are inserted into specific points of the body. In my case, the acupuncturist put the needles in the lower part of my back where I was diagnosed, through Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), with a herniated disc. The needles were left in for about 15 minutes and then taken out. Next the acupuncturist did a technique called cupping. Cupping is an ancient Chinese practice in which a cup is applied to the skin. After quickly sticking me with several needles, my acupuncturist took a cotton ball, applied a small amount of rubbing alcohol to it, lit the ball and then put the heat around the rim of the glass-like globe. This was then applied to my skin, forming a vacuum-type apparatus. Cupping is applied by acupuncturists to certain points as well as to areas of the body that are affected by pain. The cup is left on for about 15 minutes and then taken off. Blood comes out where the needles were applied. There is some discomfort with this technique, but the results were remarkable. After six sessions, my back pain was reduced by about 70 percent.

So what did I do to relieve the other 30 percent of pain? Physical therapy (PT) was one treatment that really improved my mobility and helped reduce pain. Licensed physical therapists taught me several exercises to help strengthen my legs and back. I attended PT for eight weeks and continue to do these exercises daily, to help reduce my pain and stay flexible. When back pain flairs up, I know exactly what exercises will help to reduce my pain.

Chiropractic care has also helped manage my pain. When pain was at its worse, I saw my chiropractor at least once a week. He adjusted my back, aligned my spine and actually pulled my leg to realign it. Today, I see the chiropractor every two weeks to continue to manage pain and live a more comfortable life.

I have also discovered that walking each morning stretches out my body and relieves some of the pain that comes with sleep.

During the two years since I was diagnosed with a herniated disc, I have learned a lot about myself and pain management. I wish it was an exact science, but unfortunately pain management seems to be a trial and error system. What works for one person may not work for another. I am just grateful that walking, stretching, chiropractic care and Motrin as needed has provided me with relief from this pain.

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