Can Physiotherapy Cure Slip Discs?

Can Physiotherapy Cure Slip Discs As A Standalone Treatment?

A common question from patients: "Can Physiotherapy Cure Slip-Disc?" Physiotherapy is excellent, but as a standalone method of treatment for patients with bulging, herniated, and extruded discs, it may fail even if you get treated by a "top-notch" physiotherapist! The same holds for chiropractic treatments, as they may also fail to reverse a slipped disc as a standalone method, regardless of the chiropractor's skills and knowledge. 

Conservative spine care is recommended as an alternative and the best step before surgery. Researchers agree that a conservative course of treatment must be exhausted before surgery for all types of slipped discs. The good news is that they are not alone as three of the world's oldest and most reputable medical institutions, including Harvard, May Clinic, and the Cleveland Clinic, also recommends the same! 

Focused non-surgical and conservative treatments for bulging, protruded, herniated, and extruded discs range from mildly effective to significant. Whether chiropractic or physiotherapy, standalone methods have limitations, readily solved through integration and enrichment of therapy sessions through specialized devices and methods.

This article provides the 3 significant shortfalls of physiotherapy as standalone methods for treating the eight types of slipped discs. Moreover, we will also tell you how physiotherapy can cure slipped discs so you can avoid surgery because it isn't a cure! And we will do the same for chiropractic to help answer one of the most frequent questions we get; "can physiotherapy cure slip discs?"

physiotherapy treatment for slip disc in malaysia

The Do Not Do List In Physiotherapy Treatment Of Slipped Disc Patients

Physiotherapy for the slipped disc can help you recover or worsen you to a point where you will undergo surgical intervention. General physiotherapy for most neck and back pain patients is not slip-disc-specific and can harm your more. We have provided a definite "Do Not Do List" when it comes to slip disc physiotherapy below:

  1. Do not engage in stretching of extremities or spine
  2. Do not do any strengthening exercises until you have recovered from a slipped disc
  3. Avoid hot pack altogether
  4. Avoid any treatment or therapy procedures where your spine is twisted or rotated.

For your disc to slip, bulge, herniate, or extrude, it must have some degenerative changes and tears. At times, tears can be seen on the MRI of your spine. However, there are situations where more minor tears are appreciated. Far too many physiotherapists and therapy centers start slipped disc patients with stretching too early. The spinal disc is made of two main parts:

  1. Annulus Fibrosus: Consists of 15-20 consecutive layers circular in shape that are bound and tightly held together to support the nucleus pulposus and maintain it in the center of the disc as they connect your spinal bones.
  2. Nucleus Pulposus: The nucleus pulposus is a jell-like substance considered the disc's heart. It is the functional component enabling spinal movements. 

Telltale Signs Of Bad Physiotherapy For Slip Discs?

There are many telltale signs to be on the lookout for getting physiotherapy for your slipped discs. The most common is our "do not do" list of physiotherapy services for patients with bulging or herniated discs. The other two telltale signs of lousy physiotherapy for slip disc include:

  1. Manual traction: Many physiotherapists and chiropractors do manual traction for the spine. Patients with a slipped disc in the neck may get a towel wrapped around their neck, through which the therapists or chiropractors apply pulling forces. Sometimes, they use a strap that wraps around the neck or jaw. Regardless of how they do it, manual pulling or traction should avoid if you have any of the following eight types of slipped discs:
    Bulging discs
    Prolapsed disc
    Disc protrusion
    Ruptured disc
    Disc Herniation
    Extruded disc
    Disc fragmentation
    Sequestered disc
  2. Deep tissue massage or manual therapy: Manual therapy, including trigger point therapy, mystical release, or spinal massages, should not be performed on spinal disc segments with bulges or herniation. Deep tissue massage or deep soft tissue mobilization injures the damaged and torn discal fibers, making them slip more.

A slipped disc occurs when the spinal disc undergoes degenerative changes and tears. If you have a bulging, prolapsed, protruded, or herniated disc, you have tears in the annulus fibrosus. Therefore, you must avoid stretching or exercises in the early stages of care as they will cause a rapid worsening of your slipped disc.

Physiotherapy Alone Will NOT Cure Your Slip-Disc Symptoms?

Physiotherapy Cure Slip Discs with ultrasound is not possible

Physiotherapy is a standard treatment prescribed to slip-disc patients. But, physiotherapy alone has failed to provide patients with relief and cure. Had physiotherapy alone been sufficient, hospitals would not be performing as many spine surgeries as they do! So, the answer to the question; can physiotherapy cure a slip-disc is NO. At least, not by itself.

Physical therapy or physiotherapy can cure the symptoms of slipped discs when provided in an integrative clinical setting, incorporating breakthrough technology and research-based chiropractic. Physiotherapy helps reduce symptoms but has limitations in repairing the damage to a disc. Physiotherapy can cure slipped discs through active clinical physiotherapy, chiropractic, and advanced spine-specific technology.
The best system Integrating physiotherapy, chiropractic, and customized rehabilitative therapies helps repair damaged tissues better than any other treatment.

The only method of non-surgical spine care that incorporates these 3 principles is the NSD Therapy® system.

Non-surgical Slip-Disc Treatments In Malaysia

Non-surgical slip-disc cures and treatments are possible only when you receive accurate, targeted therapies from an expert clinical team.

While general chiropractic or physiotherapy treatments can decrease the severity of pain, it does little regarding repairing or retracting your slip-disc. You will need more than physiotherapy or chiropractic for complete recovery and retraction. Even the combined services of chiropractors and physiotherapists under one roof are not enough unless the care they give you is based on sound research and backed with excellent means and technology. In other words, chiropractors or physiotherapists need specialized machines and advanced skills to repair and retract a slipped disc.

Chiropractic Specialty Center’s slipped-disc therapy system is an excellent model as they have succeeded when others have failed. Their care system utilizes specialized physiotherapy methods, techniques, and technologies enhanced with chiropractic for better results.

The 3 Shortfall Of Physiotherapy In Slipped Discs Treatment

Physiotherapy is a time-honored profession that needs no introduction. It is highly effective for most neck and back disorders related to ligaments, muscles, and even joints; however, it has not been proven effective for patients with slipped discs (bulging, protruding, and herniated discs). Most slipped disc patients who get physiotherapy, especially in hospitals, need surgery due to the shortfalls in their conservative care. 

Moreover, these shortfalls are now one of the primary reasons surgeons bypass conservative treatment through physiotherapy alone for ruptured, herniated, or extruded spinal discs. 

The 3 shortfalls most common shortfalls of physiotherapy when it comes to slipped disc management and treatments are:

  1.  Physiotherapy only: Physiotherapy alone and without integration with chiropractic is a shortfall for slipped discs. Similarly, the same shortfall applies to chiropractic, when chiropractors treat slipped disc patients without physiotherapists and physiotherapy slip-disc-specific therapy devices.  
  2.  Therapeutic devices & technologies: Physiotherapists and physiotherapy centers that lack therapy devices such as spinal decompression therapy, flexion-distraction therapy, high-intensity laser therapy, and shockwave therapy will not be as efficient or successful in helping slipped discs recover without surgery.
  3. Diagnostic imaging: Unfortunately, the educational curriculum, including post-graduation and continuing education courses for physiotherapists, does not include diagnostic imaging. As such, physiotherapists have no formal educational background in the ability to review, assess, or prescribe diagnostic imaging. Therefore, they will have difficulty thoroughly comprehending the severity of a patient’s condition, making it difficult to customize a holistic non-surgical treatment that addresses damaged structures holistically.

In conclusion, seek out centers that provide conservative integrative treatments combining slip-disc-specific methods with chiropractic & rehabilitation.

What Is The Best Method Of Integrative Conservative Treatment For Slipped Discs?

There are no "silver bullets" when fixing, repairing, or reversing a herniated or extruded disc! 

NSD Therapy® is the best-slipped disc treatment without surgery or injections. It is better than physiotherapy or chiropractic because of its integration and focus on customized treatments through slip-disc-specific methodologies and therapeutic technologies and devices. NSD Therapy® is an excellent example of a comprehensive conservative therapy program for all types of slipped discs. Suppose you have a hard time finding an NSD Therapy® center near you. In that case, you should look for centers with the latest therapeutic technologies that provide integrative or combined treatments from a collaborating team of chiropractors and physiotherapists.

Our most critical advice is to avoid a slipped disc treatment program requiring you to bend or twist the spine. An excellent example is the chiropractic spine manipulations through the Diversified method or the Gonstead chiropractic technique, as they may be too aggressive, regardless of the chiropractor's experience or proficiency.

Chiropractors and physiotherapists (physical therapists) are the two most sought-after healthcare providers for treating the spine, joints, and sports injuries, including slipped discs. Chiropractic treatment or physiotherapy is an excellent option for joints, injuries, and neck and back pain. However, complicated conditions such as advanced joint degeneration, severe sports injuries, and slipped discs improve when you get treated by chiropractors and physiotherapists during the same session.

Chiropractic by-it-self or physiotherapy as a standalone system of treatments for slipped discs is often doomed from the get-go, as both have limitations. 

NSD Therapy®: Physiotherapy & Chiropractic with Spine Rehabilitation Through Advanced Technology For Slip-disc.

In our opinion, the best method of handling a slipped disc is through the combined efforts of chiropractors and physiotherapists. Physiotherapists and chiropractors are great but not sufficient by themselves to offer effective curative treatments for a slip-disc. Even centers that combine chiropractic and physiotherapy may not have the technology to care for those with slipped discs properly. We understand that many physiotherapists or chiropractors will not agree with our statement above, but the reality speaks for itself.

There has not been one single piece of evidence that can prove that traditional chiropractic or general physiotherapy was able to reverse a slipped disc.

So, the answer to the question: Can physiotherapy Cure Slip-Disc depend on the physiotherapists, their skills, and the technology they use when they treat you?

On the other hand, the combined efforts of research-based chiropractors, clinical physiotherapists, targeted rehabilitation, and advanced technology have provided undeniable proof through pre and post-therapy MRI sessions. Non-surgical treatments of a Slip-disc are best through the efforts of a collaborative team targeting the damaged disc. The best and most advanced slip-disc technology is spinal decompression therapy.

Can Physiotherapy Cure Slip-Disc? Learn Why Physiotherapy alone is Insufficient!

specialized physiotherapy that cures slip disc

The best slip-disc treatment incorporates clinical research-based methods that address the actual cause. The first step is an accurate diagnosis that identifies the cause and the co-conditions often present in a slipped disc. When provided as a stand-alone treatment, physiotherapy fails because it cannot comprehensively target all issues. The vast majority of physiotherapy centers concentrate their efforts on muscle relaxation and strengthening programs. Muscle weakness, spasms, and tightening are common, but they are the minor issues a slipped disc patient has. Here is a list of typical findings in protruded, herniated disc, or extruded disc patients that are challenging for physiotherapists to fix with physiotherapy treatments alone:

  • Nerve root impingement or compressions as seen in foraminal stenosis
  • Spinal cord compression and displacement as seen in patients with spinal canal stenosis
  • Degenerative disc disease & degenerative arthritis (bone spurs)
  • Vertebral misalignments

Chiropractic Alone Also Fails To Get Patients With Slipped Disc Better

Chiropractic alone also fails to cure slip-disc. Chiropractors concentrate their efforts on the proper alignment of spinal joints. Spinal joint misalignments are called subluxations. Subluxation is not the cause of your slip-disc. But, slip-disc will lead to subluxation. In short, the efforts of most chiropractors are often limited as it only deals with a singular aspect of a slipped disc. So, chiropractic and physiotherapy as standalone methods of care have failed. However, the failure rate decreases when physiotherapy is combined with chiropractic. The best and most successful of all conservative approaches is through the integration of chiropractic, physiotherapy, and spinal rehabilitation with specialized spinal therapy devices such as:

  1. Spinal decompression therapy
  2. High-intensity laser therapy
  3. Shockwave therapy
  4. Flexion-distraction therapy (COX therapy)
  5. Cryo-Thermal therapy
  6. Ultrasound

In essence, non-surgical recovery through conservative measures must be comprehensive. Comprehensive spine therapies address all issues holistically, whether they are ligamentous, muscular, joint, disc, or neurological.

Spinal decompression therapy and high-intensity laser therapy are two of the most efficient treatments for slipped discs. There are many forms of spinal decompression therapy devices and laser therapy devices. The type of machines you get your treatment will make a difference because some are more advanced than others. For instance, the DTS device is a spinal decompression device with limitations. A better, more advanced spinal decompression therapy method is available through the RxDecom® as provided with NSD Therapy®.

therapy device that can help with slip disc cure

RxDecom® is the Best Physiotherapy and Chiropractic Device for Slip-Disc

Devices other than the four listed above are traction units. It is just that simple. Regardless of their claim, traction is an old and antiquated technology lacking the technology, software, programs, and sensors needed to decompress and retract a slipped disc. In other words, don’t expect them to repair and reverse your slip-disc. You may feel better, but that will be temporary, and the pain will come back in time. The best spinal decompression therapy device is the RxDecom®. The technologies and software used in the RxDecom® are superior to the rest.

Physiotherapists and Chiropractors have accomplished clinical successes that would have been possible had it not been for the RxDecom®.
Can physiotherapy cure slip-disc? This question was a common question for our patients. As mentioned, physiotherapy is a needed component of care provided for the slipped disc patient. But, as the only means of correcting a slip-disc, it fails. So, if you suffer from a slipped disc, you need to opt for conservative treatments provided collaboratively by chiropractors and physiotherapists who use advanced therapy devices such as the RxDecom®. Should you have any questions about our topic: can physiotherapy cure slip-disc, please let us know.

Contact one of our slipped disc treatment centers today for holistic and customized integrative slipped disc treatments that get better results than chiropractic or physiotherapy.

Our methods of spine care for slipped discs are through the NSD Therapy® protocols that combine rehabilitative treatments through breakthrough spine therapy devices in conjunction with the care provided by a team of chiropractors and physiotherapists.