Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 210: Lumbar Disc Herniation

Li Xu set down the film and gestured for her to lie on the examination bed. "The numbness indicates that the nerve has been compressed for quite some time. Come on, let me take a look."

Wang Xiaojuan carefully lay flat on her back. Li Xu helped her adjust her position and performed a few simple tests on her knees and ankles.

When his fingers pressed on a specific spot on her lumbar spine, Wang Xiaojuan gasped sharply, and fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead.

"It's especially painful right here, isn't it?" Li Xu asked softly.

Wang Xiaojuan bit her lip and nodded, the pain almost bringing her to tears.

Li Xu returned to his seat, took out a pen and paper, and began to write. "From a Western medicine perspective, a herniated lumbar disc is when the fibrous ring of the disc ruptures, and the nucleus pulposus protrudes, compressing a nerve root."

He drew a simple diagram. "Conventional treatment is either surgical removal of the protruding part or conservative treatment, waiting for it to be reabsorbed on its own."

Wang Xiaojuan asked nervously, "Do I need surgery?"

"Not necessarily." Li Xu put down his pen. "From a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective, this falls into the categories of 'lumbar pain' and 'impediment syndrome.' It's primarily caused by stagnation of qi and blood and blocked meridians."

He pointed to the human meridian chart hanging on the wall. "Your symptoms are along the paths of the Bladder and Gallbladder meridians of the foot."

Wang Xiaojuan didn't quite understand. She was more concerned about the treatment. "Doctor Li, Xiao Yu said the Musk Bone Strengthening Ointment you have here works wonders. Can using it cure me?"

But Li Xu shook his head. "The ointment can alleviate the symptoms, but it doesn't treat the root cause."

He looked directly into Wang Xiaojuan's eyes and said earnestly, "If you want real improvement, you have to strengthen your lower back muscles and build a 'muscular armor'."

A disappointed expression appeared on Wang Xiaojuan's face. "So I still have to exercise..."

When she went to the hospital, many doctors had advised her to start exercising after the acute phase of her herniated disc passed.

But she could never stick with it.

She had been hoping a simple plaster could cure her herniated disc.

Li Xu saw her disappointment and tried to persuade her again. "A herniated disc is a physical, structural lesion. It's caused by disc degeneration or external force, resulting in a ruptured fibrous ring and a protruding nucleus pulposus. Chinese medicine, whether in the form of decoctions or plasters, cannot directly repair this structural abnormality. It can only provide auxiliary treatment by regulating qi and blood, reducing inflammation, and relieving pain to lessen discomfort."

"Also, don't trust anyone selling medicine online. Don't believe any self-proclaimed masters of folk bone-setting or Massage who claim to specialize in herniated discs. These people are most likely scammers.

I've never seen a single person who claimed to be cured of a herniated disc by one of these folk masters. I have, however, seen plenty of disputes. Even if the symptoms do improve, they'll relapse quickly without consistent exercise."

Wang Xiaojuan's face fell. She said, unwilling to accept it, "But Xiao Yu got better after using your ointment."

Li Xu shook his head and said, "Lin Xiaoyu had a lumbar muscle strain, which is completely different from a herniated disc."

"Alright."

Wang Xiaojuan sighed, feeling despair wash over her as she thought about the future.

Li Xu comforted her, "Don't worry too much. While it's true that a herniated disc is unlikely to ever fully heal, if you exercise consistently, you can still manage it to a point where it doesn't affect your work and daily life."

Wang Xiaojuan asked, "Do you have any recommendations?"

Li Xu explained in detail, "First, regarding recovery methods, I recommend the following.

The most important thing is bed rest. Lie down until you can move without pain. At the same time, place a lumbar support pillow under your waist to help improve your lumbar curvature.

If you have the means, do the breaststroke. It strengthens your lower back muscles without adding pressure to the lumbar spine. You can swim two to three times a week, for 1000 meters each time.

Soak your feet in hot water often at night. This can speed up blood circulation and aid in your lower back's recovery.

Install a pull-up bar in a hallway at home. Doing pull-ups is another great way to exercise your back muscles. Ten a day is enough.

When treating a herniated disc, you must not be impatient for quick results.

Back injuries have a long recovery period, from one or two months at the minimum to as long as half a year.

Many people lack patience and start exercising before their symptoms have subsided, which only makes things worse.

The first thing you must do for a herniated disc is relieve the symptoms, relieve the symptoms, relieve the symptoms..."

Li Xu emphasized this three times.

He could tell that Wang Xiaojuan was currently in the acute phase.

She had to get bed rest and then focus on relieving the symptoms.

"At its core, the pain from a herniated disc is caused by nerve compression. Bed rest reduces that compression and gives the nerve time to recover.

All exercise is forbidden during bed rest. Aside from using the restroom, you should ideally spend all your time in bed.

The main position should be lying flat on your back, with a lumbar pillow underneath to maintain your lumbar curvature.

It's best if you can manage a month of absolute bed rest.

At work, don't sit for long periods. Make sure to get up and move around after sitting for a while.

In short, lie down rather than stand, and stand rather than sit.

It's best to wear a back brace when you go out. It can both reduce pressure on your lumbar spine and keep your lower back warm.

You can take it off once your back muscles are strong enough.

Also, when you walk, consciously lean your body backward slightly.

This reduces the chance of the nucleus pulposus protruding further backward.

Don't rush into surgery. Even if a doctor recommends it, you should choose cautiously based on your own situation.

Strictly speaking, the only absolute indication for surgery is compression of the cauda equina nerve.

But cases of herniated discs actually compressing the cauda equina are less than one in ten thousand."

To give Wang Xiaojuan some confidence, Li Xu cited an example. "I read a foreign research paper where a patient with a disc extrusion—the nucleus pulposus occupied 85% of their spinal canal—was successfully treated conservatively.

Some doctors, in order to get a bigger commission, will exaggerate the severity of your condition to coax you into having surgery.

If you encounter that, it's best to visit a few more hospitals and consult several other doctors.

The human body's capacity for self-healing is very powerful. You're not too old yet. As long as you recover properly, it is possible for it to heal on its own."

Wang Xiaojuan felt a little more encouraged and uplifted.

"Doctor Li, when I went to other hospitals, the doctors recommended some exercises to strengthen my lower back muscles. Are those okay to do?"

"What kind of exercises?"

"They mentioned things like the third and fourth exercises of the McKenzie method, the bird-dog, the superman, glute bridges..."

"Yes, but only after you're past the acute phase."

Li Xu thought for a moment, then added, "If you're absolutely set on surgery, I'd recommend you go to Japan. They currently have a technology called the Discseel® Procedure for treating herniated discs. It only requires one injection, and you can get up and walk around half an hour later."

Li Xu had to admit, Japan was quite advanced in certain areas.

For example, the Discseel® Procedure he just told Wang Xiaojuan about.

In simple terms, it's a technique to repair the fibrous ring. They use a discogram to locate the tear in the ring, then inject fibrin sealant to repair it.

After the repair, the material inside can no longer protrude.

It has already cured over three thousand cases.

The risks to the disc are far less than with minimally invasive surgery.

Some people from our country have gone to Japan for the treatment with good results.

Of course, it's not cheap.

The average person can't afford it.

Wang Xiaojuan nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

Li Xu took out two plasters of the Musk Bone Strengthening Ointment for her. "Use these for now. While they can't cure your herniated disc, they can significantly relieve the symptoms and make you less miserable."