Bulging Disc

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Treatment for Bulging Disc Pain in the Greater Maryland Area

You can develop bulging disc symptoms suddenly or over months. No matter the cause of your bulging disc pain, you need to visit a qualified physician for a proper diagnosis and pain relief.

At Greater Maryland Pain Management, we have a team of experienced physicians who are committed to helping each and every patient find relief from bulging disc pain in Odenton, Crofton, Annapolis, Edgewater, Prince Fredrick, Leonardtown, Catonsville, and the greater Maryland area. We use proven, safe diagnostic tests to identify bulging discs and their underlying cause. We can then develop a personalized, effective bulging disc treatment plan tailored to your needs, symptoms, and lifestyle.

doctor talking to patient in Odenton, MD

Understand What a Bulging Disc Is

If you’ve been searching, “What is a bulging disc?" because you haven't ever heard of the condition before, we can help. A bulging disc is the earlier stage of disc herniation and happens before disc damage progresses to the point of herniation. It can occur in any part of the spine and causes similar symptoms as a herniated disc. Your spine is made up of vertebrae and discs and a nerve called the spinal cord that runs through the spinal canal. Your discs have a rubbery, tough exterior that encases a soft, jelly-like center. If a disc is damaged or compressed, the center can be forced out through a rip or tear in the exterior. The disc then sags and bulges outward away from the source of the pressure. This can happen due to aging, trauma, or disc degeneration. If you catch signs of bulging disc symptoms early enough, you can prevent a disc from herniating completely.

Know Bulging Disc Symptoms & Signs

The sooner we can evaluate your bulging disc symptoms, the sooner we can offer a diagnosis. With early intervention and targeted bulging disc treatment, you have a much higher chance of a successful recovery. Knowing the early warning signs of bulging disc pain can ensure you get swift treatment. Symptoms can range from mild to severe and come on suddenly or gradually progress over weeks or months. Ignoring bulging disc symptoms will cause the condition to progress to the point you develop disc herniation. Symptoms to look out for include:

Pain in your lower back that spreads or radiates down your buttocks, hips, thigh, leg, and foot
Pain in your neck that spreads or radiates down your upper back, shoulder, upper arm, forearm, and hand
A tingling feeling like pins and needles that travels down your leg to your foot or down your arm to your hand

Pain that worsens when you sit, stand, walk, exercise, cough, sneeze, or laugh
Trouble walking or lifting items
Difficulty finding a comfortable position when seated or lying down

How We Diagnose Bulging Discs

When you visit us for a bulging disc diagnosis, we'll use more than one method to confirm your diagnosis. Because we want to catch bulging discs before they progress and worsen, we aim to explore your symptoms and their causes quickly and efficiently. If you think you have bulging disc pain in Edgewater, MD, schedule an appointment for an evaluation, exam, and diagnosis. We'll use these diagnostic tools and methods:

Medical Examination – We will first do a medical examination and discuss your and your family's health history. We'll try to identify possible risk factors for bulging discs. We'll need you to be specific about your symptoms, including when they started, what makes them worse or better, how severe they are, and how they have impacted your life.
Physical Examination – Next, we'll do a physical examination. We'll have you complete simple tasks and movements in front of us so we can evaluate your posture, gait, flexibility, dexterity, and balance.
X-Ray – We may suggest an X-ray to rule out other causes of back or neck pain, such as a bone spur, disc degeneration, fracture, arthritis, muscle strains or sprains, or other damage.
MRI – An MRI can show us if you have a bulging disc, herniated disc, or any other injury or damage to your spine.
CT Scan – A CT scan allows us to see the bones and vertebrae of your spine. We can identify the location of a bulging disc or see other problems with your spinal nerve, vertebrae, or discs.
Myelogram – A myelogram is a CT scan with contrast. We'll inject your spine with dye and do a CT scan to look for a spinal canal narrowing or a herniated or bulging disc.
EMG – An EMG can evaluate the function of the nerves by stimulating the nerves and muscles with a thin needle electrode.

Explore Our Bulging Disc Treatment Methods

Once we've confirmed a bulging disc diagnosis, we'll discuss your options for relieving bulging disc pain. We may combine multiple bulging disc treatment methods to ensure you heal fully before the bulging disc can progress to a herniated disc. Here's a look at our bulging disc treatment methods in Prince Fredrick, MD:

Interventional Procedures – We use interventional procedures to relieve safe, effective, and minimally invasive bulging disc pain. We'll work closely with you to identify your symptoms and find a way to relieve your symptoms that works with your needs, goals, and lifestyle.
Medication Management – We can find the right combination of prescription medications or drug therapies to provide effective long-term pain relief. We monitor patients closely to ensure they aren't taking medication they no longer need, aren't experiencing dangerous side effects, and don't become dependent. We might also suggest alternative medicine therapies, diet and nutritional changes, lifestyle modification, and exercise.

Nerve Block Treatment – We may recommend nerve block treatment if your bulging disc is compressing your sciatic nerve. This treatment method is a 15-minute procedure that addresses nerve pain with an effective minimally-invasive injection that offers instant relief.

Determine if Bulging Disc Exercises Work

In addition to other bulging disc treatments, we may also recommend bulging disc exercises. Bulging disc exercises can relieve bulging disc pain, stiffness, loss of range of motion and mobility, trouble sitting or standing, balance issues, and muscle weakness. We will walk you through some effective bulging disc exercises in Leonardtown, MD, so you can continue doing them at home on your own time. For best results, we’ll ask you to complete these exercises 3-5 times per week for 3 weeks or longer. As these exercises strengthen the muscles that support the spine and relieve pressure on your discs and sciatic nerve, you may start to see your symptoms improve. You might also be able to prevent a bulging disc from progressing to a herniated disc.

Contact Us to Find Relief for Bulging Disc Pain

Are you ready to find fast relief for bulging disc pain in Catonsville, MD? Call us at Greater Maryland Pain Management. Our team of experienced, board-certified physicians is committed to finding the most effective bulging disc treatment options for each patient. We work closely with each patient to get to know them and their needs fully before recommending bulging disc exercises or bulging disc treatments. When you're ready to learn more about our treatment of bulging disc pain in Odenton, Crofton, Annapolis, Edgewater, Prince Fredrick, Leonardtown, or Catonsville, MD, call us or request an appointment online through our website.

Learn More About Bulging Discs at Our Premier Clinic

Discs are an integral part of your spine that act as shock-absorbing cushions. They’re found between the vertebrae and allow the back to bend. However, these harden over time, become less elastic, and tend to break more often.

In the event of a break or crack, the inner layer of the disc bulges into the outer ring, resulting in a bulging or herniated disk. As the inner layer applies pressure to the nerve, patients often feel significant pain.

Bulging or herniated discs can occur for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the culprit of a bulging disc is aging or a degenerative condition. Other risk factors and conditions, such as obesity, can put enough stress on the lower back to result in bulging disc pain. Smoking also puts you at an increased risk of developing a bulging disc in the lower back or neck.

Additional reasons for your bulging disc might include:

Sports injuries
Improper lifting
Pressure on the spine
Car accidents
Falls
Repetitive activity

Your symptoms will vary whether you have a herniated disc in your neck or lower back. Each can result in pinched nerves that cause pain or discomfort. Bulging disc symptoms are most common in the lower back as a result of pressure on the spinal nerve. Known as sciatica, a herniated disc in the lower back comes accompanied by muscle weakness, leg pain, numbness or tingling, as well as a loss of bladder or bowel control.

Patients with bulging disc pain in the neck experience their symptoms in a slightly different way. Instead of the leg, you’ll likely feel weakness and tingling in one arm, as well as a burning pain in the shoulder area. As with a bulging disc in the lower back, you might also experience loss of bladder or bowel control. If you experience any of these symptoms, it’s time to call Greater Maryland Pain Management.

Herniated disc diagnosis a multi-step process. First, you’ll meet with your doctor at Greater Maryland Pain Management. We’ll record your complete medical history, including any family history of similar conditions. When answering our questions, be sure to be comprehensive. We want to know all about what triggered the back or neck pain and any injuries.

Next, we’ll move onto a physical evaluation. Our team will examine your posture and perform x-rays to look for signs of a herniated disc. At our clinic, we can carry out numerous other imaging tests, including MRIs and CT scans. This way, we get the most complete picture of your health.

When it comes time for bulging disc treatment, you have plenty of options. If possible, Greater Maryland Pain Management will suggest nonsurgical treatment such as physical therapy. Nearly every patient finds some sort of relief with these treatment methods.

We might prescribe over-the-counter pain medication, muscle relaxants, or anti-inflammatories to alleviate your symptoms. Cold compresses might also be effective when applied off and on throughout the day.

In more serious cases, medicine injections may be given over a few weeks. Be sure to avoid strenuous physical activity, taking special care when lifting and bending and maintaining good posture as you stand and sit.

Contact us today to start putting a pain management plan into action.

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