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Slipped Disc Care at The Harte of Chiropractic

Spine modelThe medical specialists, the orthopedists, neurologists and neurosurgeons, have made a big deal of the spinal disc, causing people to feel as if the disc is a thing, a problem, unto itself, as if it decides to “slip.” This is medical mythology.

Each disc is firmly attached to the vertebra above it and the vertebra below it that, if you were put on a medieval torture rack and literally pulled apart, your bone, your vertebrae, would likely come apart before the discs would separate from the bone.

Yes, a disc can herniate, bulge, protrude, etc., but it can only do so in the presence of, and because of, either marked Vertebral Subluxation Complex (VSC), or very long-stranding VSC.

The Medical Approach?

The medical specialists do not deal with VSC. They do not deal with Cause.

With most people, their disc problems go back a long time. Most  begin with an over-the-counter remedy like Advil, Tylenol or Aleve. Then, they start taking more, more often. When that doesn’t work, you see your primary care provider, who might prescribe an anti-inflammatory like Celebrex or Naprosyn, or an anti-depressant like Cymbalta. Come back again, and he or she may refer you to the orthopedist, who may order an CT scan, or an MRI, or both, give you a fancier diagnosis, and prescribe some new drugs. When that doesn’t work, you will have the discussion with him or her, about whether you are “a good candidate for surgery.”

Back surgery is always dangerous, and often results in increased pain and disability. It always results in more serious Vertebral Subluxation Complex (VSC), some of which will be permanent. Even when the surgery appears to have “worked” (pain relief), the VSC remains, the problem remains, leaving you at risk for Subluxation Degeneration, dis-ease, and actual disease, from annoying to life-threatening.

The Real Chiropractic Approach

Dr. Harte performs a gentle, specific, scientific chiropractic adjustment. His main chiropractic technique, Directional Non-Force Technique (DNFT), allows each vertebra that is subluxated to be adjusted in at least three different planes of motion. This specificity is important in all of chiropractic care, but especially important when discs are involved. Also, DNFT allows for the adjustment of the discs, themselves. 

Gentle, scientific, specific chiropractic adjustments deals with CAUSE. Back pain is not treated here. “Slipped discs” are not treated here. Nothing is treated here. The intention is to correct Vertebral Subluxation Complex (VSC), allowing your body to heal. Your spine will function better when subluxations are corrected. Pain relief is just a nice side effect. So, what do you get? Not merely pain relief… you get healthy.

Call me now at (415) 460-6527. Or, get to know me better, first.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Do prescription drugs heal?

No. Never.

Are any of these drugs, or the over-the-counter drugs, safe?

No.

Does spinal surgery ever correct the actual problem?

No.

I tried Chiropractic, but it didn’t work. Why?

Chances are you went to an allopathic, or medically-oriented chiropractor, who thought that his or her job was to “treat” your pain. Adjustments might have been crude, maybe so crude as to really be manipulations. Probably no real exam, no re-exams, no nerve scans, no X-rays, no plan of care. And because there was no clear understanding of the Chiropractic Principle, they tried everything in the (medical) book, from ice, to plain glop, to electrical stimulation, to cold laser. Here, you get the real thing, the true Science, Art and Philosophy of Chiropractic.

What about those disc decompression tables that some chiropractors advertise

From what I hear, these are usually chiropractors who are afraid to adjust people. In any event, this procedure has nothing to do with the correction of Vertebral Subluxation Complex (VSC); therefore, it has nothing to do with Chiropractic. In truth, it is physical therapy. If you really want physical therapy, my advice is to go to a physical therapist.

How does chiropractic help disc problems?

The purpose of chiropractic care is to locate and correct areas of the spine interfering with the proper nervous system control of your body. Because the intervertebral discs are so close to the spinal cord and nerve roots, disc involvement is quite common in chiropractic cases. Chiropractic adjustments help restore proper motion and position of malfunctioning spinal bones, reducing nervous system involvement. If caught before permanent damage, disc tissue often returns to a more normal size and shape by restoring proper motion and position of affected spinal joints.

Aren’t disc problems simply the normal aging process?

No. However, many disc problems are the result of years of neglect. Many spinal problems are nonsymptomatic until the advanced stages of degeneration. There are many cases of elderly patients who have maintained their spine throughout their lives who enjoy excellent spinal health and function.

I didn’t do anything so how can a disc be involved?

This is a common refrain. Because our bodies are unusually adaptive, we can often accommodate a variety of stresses for years. Finally, like the “straw that broke the camel’s back,” we turn or bend funny and suddenly our spine succumbs to the accumulation of stress.

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Slipped Disc Care Marin County CA | (415) 460-6527