Slipped Disc Treatment in Singapore

What is a Slipped Disc?

A slipped disc is when the discs in your spine are herniated, or protrude. Slipped disc pain relief can take many forms, and response to treatments can vary from person to person.

Causes of Slipped Disc

This can happen with age or injury. The most common cause of a slipped disc is when one side of the spinal column compresses on the other side due to an injury. Symptoms vary depending on which part of your spine has been compressed and how severely it was compressed. Some people might experience numbness in their legs, while others will have difficulty walking or bending over.

A doctor can diagnose you by using imaging techniques to detect any damage done to your spine, as well as determining if surgery would be appropriate for you based on your symptoms and injuries sustained before having a slipped disc diagnosis.

Types of Slipped Disc

• Contained Herniation (Protrusion)
• Non-Contained Herniation (Disc Extrusion)
• Sequestered Herniation

Do I Have A Slipped Disc?

A slipped disc is a condition when the intervertebral disc of the spine is damaged. The outer fibrous ring (annulus fibrosus) is torn, allowing the soft inner material (nucleus pulposus) to bulge outwards.

Depending on the degree of damage, it can be described as a disc bulge, disc protrusion, disc extrusion, and disc herniation.

This releases inflammatory chemical mediators that can cause pain, reflex muscular spasm, as well as nerve compression. Where it affects the neck, pain, neck and shoulder stiffness, as well as arm numbness (radiculopathy) are likely symptoms. Where it affects the back, lower back pain, muscle tightness in the lower back, buttocks and hips, as well as leg numbness (sciatica) are likely.

If the prolapse is very severe and compresses the nerves within the spinal column called the cauda equina, it can cause permanent nerve damage, resulting in loss of bowel and bladder control as well as sexual dysfunction. When such symptoms are experienced, it is considered a medical emergency and immediate medical attention from a doctor is needed. It is easy to find a good slip disc doctor in Singapore.

Do I Need To Do an X-ray or MRI?

Most cases of a slip disc in Singapore can benefit from a doctor making a clinical diagnosis using your history, symptoms and a clinical examination.

In cases where the initial treatments have not been effective, X-rays are a cost effective way to rule out serious underlying problems such as tumors, infections and fractures.
In selected cases, an MRI is recommended.

An MRI uses powerful magnets and computer technology to produce three-dimensional images of the spinal cord, nerve roots, and surrounding areas and usually provides the most conclusive evidence for diagnosis of a slipped disc.

What Other Treatments Do People Try For Slipped Disc Pain Relief?

Some patients consult traditional Chinese physicians and try acupuncture for slipped disc pain and sciatica relief. While the value of such treatments are not clearly established, it can sometimes be reasonable to consider this as a potential option if a properly licensed physician is consulted.

Why Are My Treatments Not Working?

When the previous treatments are not successful, we often find a few common factors:

• The previous diagnosis was not precise. Imaging scans and clinical experience can often be very helpful in these cases.
• Treatment that was prescribed took into account only one aspect of the condition, for example treating only muscle spasm with massage and muscle relaxants while not helping the underlying nerve compression.
• Limited available options available. Patients were only offered painkillers and exercise instead of newer medical solutions.
• Patients were offered impractical treatment plans which they could not accept. Common examples include being offered expensive and frequent treatments for extended periods.

Is Surgery Necessary For Slipped Disc Pain Relief?

In cases where all available less invasive options have not helped, and in rare instances of medical emergency, your slip disc specialist orthopaedic doctor may recommend surgery. In most other cases, even where pain and stiffness are severe or have been present for a long time, there are multiple non-surgical options for slipped disc pain relief that a patient should first consider.

As surgery can have significant risks and cost, it is important to discuss this carefully with your doctor.

What Is Your Doctor’s Experience Treating Slipped Disc Pain?

Dr Terence Tan has been treating slipped disc at The Pain Relief Clinic since 2007. For the past 15 years, he has been using non-invasive technology to help patients recover from pain problems.

He is accredited with both the Family Physician Accreditation Board and the Singapore Medical Council. He is also a member of the Singapore Medical Association and The Pain Association of Singapore.

Committed to providing slipped disc pain relief, his philosophy is to always offer patients the safest, most effective and least invasive technology driven  treatments possible.

What New Treatment Options Can The Pain Relief Clinic Offer For My Slipped Disc?

At The Pain Relief Clinic, we adopt a biomedical targeted approach that addresses how the multiple component causes of pain affect you.

This allows us to provide treatment strategy that targets the root cause of your condition using medical technology in a comprehensive and cost-effective way.

Depending on your specific condition, some of the useful options that can give very good results include:

• Dietary Correction
• Specialized Physiotherapy
• Indiba Therapy which gives rapid and long lasting repair
• Rehabilitative Electromedical Stimulation

Non-Invasive Indiba Therapy For Slipped Disc

The Pain Relief Clinic is proud to be one of the few clinics in Asia (outside Japan) to offer INDIBA® ProRecovery:

• An internationally established method of treating pain and inflammation through stimulating tissue repair
• Supported by multiple medical studies, and used by top tennis player Rafael Nadal, football club Barcelona, the French Tennis Federation, as well as multiple national teams in the 2012 London Olympics
• Achieves rapid relief and long lasting recovery

 

 

If you are suffering from a slipped disc, or if your condition has not improved despite other treatments, we are able to help.