Collapsed disc treatment may be needed to address neck or back pain and other related discomfort. If a spinal disc collapses, or loses height due to damage or degeneration, the space between the surrounding vertebrae can decrease. These spinal bones can then move closer together and possibly come into contact with each other. While these changes in spinal structure are not always problematic, they can sometimes lead to spinal cord or nerve root compression, which in turn can produce neck or back pain, numbness, tingling sensations and muscle weakness.

Oftentimes, any symptoms caused by a collapsed disc will go away on their own or improve with conservative treatment, such as physical therapy. In fact, one of the most commonly recommended treatment approaches is a physician-approved exercise program. Regular physical activity is essential to maintaining the health of the spine. As such, exercise is an important component of long-term health management for everyone. Taking this one step further, targeted physical therapy can also promote recovery when spinal injuries like a collapsed disc occur.

Three types of physical therapy that can enhance spinal health

Many people find the following types of physical therapy to be helpful for not only preventing spinal conditions like a collapsed disc, but also serving as treatment when they do occur:

1. Flexibility. Regular stretching of overly tight muscles, such as the hamstrings and the psoas major (which spans from the low back to the pelvis), can enhance spinal flexibility, increase range of motion and shift stress away from the neck and back.
2. Strengthening. Supervised weight training can improve spinal stability and increase muscle control. Stronger muscles, in turn, can help support the spine and compensate for the reduced function of a collapsed disc.
3. Endurance. Exercise can increase the circulation of nutrients to the spine and promote the healing of an injury like a collapsed disc. Low-impact exercises, such as walking, cycling and swimming, are particularly good choices because they involve minimal spinal jarring.

In many ways, exercise can improve the health and condition of the spine. For this reason, physical therapy can be a beneficial form of collapsed disc treatment, as well as an effective preventive measure.

Surgical collapsed disc treatment

If your discomfort is severe and does not improve with physical therapy and other nonsurgical treatments, you are encouraged to contact USA Spine Care to learn about our minimally invasive outpatient procedures. When surgery is required for collapsed disc treatment, our minimally invasive spine surgery is often the clinically appropriate first choice and provides many advantages versus open back surgery.^

Contact USA Spine Care to find out if you’re a candidate for one of our procedures.

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