Disc-related Pain Diagnosis & Treatment

• Management of Disc related pain - diagnosis:

  • can we identify which level of the spine is the pain originating from
  • can we identify what type of disc problem it was
  • is the disk bulging and compressing a nerve root
  • was this persons presentation different to someone with no neuro involvement (no neuropathic pain)

  
• Management - Problem list & suggested treatment:

  • pain (Consider referred pain (somatic or radicular)) - manual therapy such as PAVIMS/SNAGS
  • Stiffness - manual therapy into resistance, stretching, ROM (Consider inflammation and swelling)
  • Reduced ROM - Address stiffness, active exercises, active/assisted or passive exes as appropriate, passive physiologicals
  • mm Weakness (Consider if peripheral muscle weakness is secondary to radiculopathy) - mm strengthen (Consider manual therapy to offload nerve if appropriate)
  • Low mm Endurance - Build mm endurance
  • Return to work/function/sport