In the office building at ten o’clock at night, the lights were still on somewhere, and when I got closer, a young man was working hard. This is Mr. Li, 32 years old. He is the manager of a company. The busy work every day makes Mr. Li sit at his workstation for several hours.
With the increase of workload, Mr. Li often feels waist pain, and the Tui Na massage shop at the entrance of the community has become Mr. Li’s favorite after get off work. places to visit. After each massage, Mr. Li can really feel that his waist pain has been significantly relieved, so his frequency of going to the massage shop has gradually increased, and he even has a “membership card” in that shop. All have price concessions.
Until last weekend, shortly after Mr. Li got home from the massage, he felt was so painful that he could not even walk. Mr. Li’s family rushed him to the hospital. After examination, the doctor told Mr. Li that he had a lumbar disc herniation. The herniated disc had compressed the spinal nerve root and needed surgery >.
People say that massage can cure lumbar disc herniation. Why does Mr. Li keep getting more serious? Before we understand whether massage can “press back” a lumbar disc herniation, let’s first understand what a lumbar disc herniation is.
What is a lumbar disc herniation
The human spine is divided into cervical, thoracic, lumbar and coccygeal strong>Four parts, of which there are five lumbar vertebrae. Compared with other vertebrae, the lumbar vertebrae are taller, because many actions of the human body require the support of the lumbar vertebrae, such as squatting up and down, bending over to lift heavy objects, and carrying objects.
A disc connects each vertebral body (except for the first and second cervical vertebrae, which do not have an intervertebral disc). The intervertebral disc is a cartilaginous structure consisting of the annulus fibrosus around it and the nucleus in the middle. Intervertebral discs have great elasticity and toughness, can bear a lot of pressure, and also increase the range of motion of the spine. Among them, the intervertebral disc of the lumbar spine is the thickest and more prone to lesions.
When the annulus fibrosus of the lumbar intervertebral disc is ruptured or deformed for some reason, the nucleus pulposus or the annulus fibrosus protrudes out of the intervertebral disc. When the herniated nucleus pulposus compresses the spinal nerve root, it will cause a series of symptoms such as leg pain, leg numbness and low back pain. This disease is called lumbar disc herniation strong>.
In the elderly, lumbar disc herniation is a relatively common disease. This is mainly because, with the increase of age, the intervertebral disc will gradually degenerate and bulge outward, and the flexibility of the annulus fibrosus will become lower and lower, and the nucleus pulposus may also be due to the lack of water content in the body and the appearance of pathological changes.
Meanwhile, lumbar disc herniation is also more common in manual workers, long-term sedentary office workers, and pregnant women. This is because the lumbar intervertebral disc is overburdened for a long time, causing the nucleus pulposus to be squeezed out of the intervertebral disc, which eventually causes corresponding symptoms.
So, what are the symptoms of the body that may prompt us to have a lumbar disc herniation?
What are the symptoms of a lumbar disc herniation?
First of all, the most typical symptoms of lumbar disc herniation are low back pain and sciatica, which may occur in more than 95% of patients with lumbar disc herniation. When the outer layer of the annulus fibrosus is stimulated by the nucleus pulposus, it protrudes outward, squeezing the nerves in the spinal canal, causing the nerves in the spinal canal to excite, causing back pain and sometimes hip pain.
Sciatica refers to the pain caused by the compression of the sciatic nerve in the spinal canal after the lumbar disc herniation. Sciatica typically presents as a series of pain radiating from the buttocks to the back of the thigh, to the outer back of the calf, and finally to the foot, This pain tends to occur on one side of the lower extremity and occurs in patients with elevated abdominal pressure. Pain worsens in cases (eg, sneezing, coughing). Patients with sciatica often have special signs of flexion of the waist and knees and unilateral toes on the ground to avoid pain.
Secondly, in the elderly, patients with lumbar intervertebral disc herniation often have intermittent claudication when walking (that is, after walking for a while, they feel pain in the back and legs and then limp. It can be relieved, and the symptoms reappear after continuing to walk for a while, and the cycle repeats).
Elderly patients are more likely to develop cauda equina syndrome than patients of other age groups. When the nucleus pulposus protrudes directly behind the spine, or the intervertebralDisc prolapse, free, may compress the cauda equina. Typical manifestations of cauda equina syndrome are: Weakness of the lower limbs, sensory disturbance in the perineum, Severe cases can lead to symptoms such as urinary incontinence or complete paralysis of both lower limbs.
In addition to sensory symptoms such as pain, lumbar disc herniation can also manifest on physical signs. For example, when the protruding nucleus pulposus compresses the spinal nerve root, in order to relieve pain, the body posture will be bent to the side that does not hurt, resulting in scoliosis of the spine over time.
Most patients with lumbar disc herniation will have varying degrees of lumbar mobility limitation, the most obvious of which is inability to Bend forward. Because when bending forward, the distance that the nucleus pulposus is displaced backward can be increased, which increases the degree of traction on the compressed nerve root.
In addition, when the fourth nerve root of the lumbar vertebra is compressed, the reflex function of the knee joint will be reduced, resulting in knee joint reflex disorder.
Many people will naturally think that it is caused by fatigue when they have symptoms of low back pain. At this time, their first choice is to relieve the symptoms through Tuina massage. Can massage really cure lumbar disc herniation?
Can massage cure it?
The above has explained in detail how lumbar disc herniation is formed, then we will understand that massage alone cannot press back the herniated nucleus pulposus. In the back of the vertebral body, not only the ligaments and vertebral arches, but also the hard spinous processes are protecting the lumbar vertebrae and intervertebral discs. To “press back” the herniated intervertebral disc through so many layers of tissue is just scratching the surface and cannot completely solve the problem.
In the conservative treatment of lumbar disc herniation, tuina massage does occupy an important part. However, tuina massage can only play the role of assistance and pain relief, and cannot completely cure lumbar disc herniation.
Tuina massage only targets the muscles and fascia near the epidermis, and cannot directly affect the lumbar intervertebral disc. If it is low back pain caused by muscle tension, massage can indeed improve local blood circulation, relieve muscle spasm, relieve pain and relieve fatigue.
Although massage can also temporarily relieve the pain caused by lumbar disc herniation, not all lumbar disc herniation patients are suitable for massage. If the nucleus pulposus has been prolapsed into the spinal canal, or the acute attack of lumbar disc herniation, massage cannot be performed. Because in the process of massage, it will cause mutual movement between the vertebrae, aggravate the friction between the herniated intervertebral disc and the spinal canal, which may not only fail to relieve pain, but may also aggravate symptoms and even lead to paralysis.
Modern young people, especially those who sit in the office for a long time, usually have little activity, and there is basically no opportunity and time for strenuous exercise. So that only a small part of the muscles in their body are in constant use, and the rest are mostly in a relaxed state. Improper massage techniques or too frequent massages may lead to disruption of the balance between muscles, leading to a gradual decrease in muscle vitality, which will aggravate the pain in the affected area.
For patients with lumbar disc herniation, since massage does not play a big role, what method can be used to treat this disease? For people who have not suffered from lumbar disc herniation, how should they prevent the occurrence of this disease in their life?
How to prevent and treat?
Treatment
For patients with early onset of lumbar intervertebral disc herniation, no obvious symptoms or no obvious stenosis of the spinal canal, it can be taken. Conservative treatment is used to change the position of the intervertebral disc and reduce the compression on the nerve root, thereby relieving symptoms. Conservative treatment includes physical therapy and drug therapy. Physical therapy mainly includes massage, massage, acupuncture, traction, etc. The main purpose of drug therapy is to eliminate inflammation between joints, prevent further spread of inflammation and aggravate the disease. In addition, after the first symptoms of lumbar disc herniation, it is necessary to stay in bed absolutely, and pay attention to strengthening the exercise of the lumbar muscles after waiting for the symptoms to disappear.
Surgical treatment is available for patients who do not respond to conservative treatment, have severe pain, stenosis of the spinal canal, or have symptoms of the cauda equina. With the development and maturity of medical technology, minimally invasive surgery has become more and more widely used in clinical practice. Patients with lumbar disc herniation can be treated by microscopic discectomy and other minimally invasive surgery. This surgical method is not only small incision, quick recovery, but also does not damage the structure of bone and soft tissue, and will not affect the to the stability of the spine.
Prevention
For office workers who need to sit for long periods of time or bend over to lift heavy objects, correct posture is very important. The correct sitting posture is: keep body upright, straight back, shoulders level, eyes and computer screen a certain distance (40-75cm). And don’t keep one posture for a long time, stand up and move about every 2 hours of sitting, which can not only prevent lumbar disc herniation, but also improve work efficiency.
When you have to bend over to lift heavy objects, you should first squat down with your back straight, so that the heavy objects are close to your chest, and use your legs to push your body up,
strong>Try to avoid exerting force on the waist during the process to prevent damage to the lumbar spine.
Prevention of lumbar disc herniation also requires certain attention to the selection of bedding. Don’t choose a bed that is too soft, a bed that is too soft will not relax the spine and accelerate the aging of the lumbar intervertebral disc. You can also put a small pillow under your waist when you sleep to help maintain the original physiological curvature of the spine.
Exercise is an indispensable part of disease prevention. Appropriate exercise every day can activate the joints and muscles of the whole body, promote the blood circulation of the whole body, enhance the body’s immunity, and slow down the aging speed of the body.
The doctor recommends
If patients with lumbar intervertebral disc herniation want to relieve pain through massage, they need to go to the hospital for a detailed examination to diagnose their disease type, and then ask the doctor about themselves whether massage is possible. The massage should go to a regular institution and find a professional massage doctor to avoid the aggravation of the disease caused by improper massage techniques.