The necessity of bulging disc treatment will mainly depend on how bad the problem is that you are having.
Bulging discs are very common, and contrary to popular opinion your age may only play a small part.
You can live pain free or have slight bouts of pain throughout your life and still not realize that your are suffering from a bulge in your disc.
As a matter of fact most people do not realize they have a bulging disc until they have an MRI or other type of treatment for an entirely different reason.
The problems come into play once your spinal canal begins to push down on the connecting vertebrae, causing the disc to bulge out and in turn pinch the sciatic nerve that runs down the length of your spine.
There are many roads that you can go down depending on your diagnosis.
If the condition is not too severe, then physical therapy in and of itself could help relieve your pain and strengthen your back.
If the condition is more severe, surgery maybe an option that your doctor suggests, however all other avenues such as chiropractic care, physical therapy, flexibility and stretching exercise regimen mixed in with proper diet and combination of both cold and heat in the affected area, should be considered before going down the surgical road.
Only after conservative treatment has been tried will a doctor consider doing surgery.
Surgery should only be considered as a last resort type of treatment.
If you have tried all of the above surgery maybe the only option you have left.
Surgery for your back can vary, depending on your doctor.
Microdiscectomy is decompression that removes the portion of the herniated disc relieving pressure on the spinal nerve.
It is common and minimally invasive.
Laninectomy involves removing the arthritic bone spurs.
It takes under 90 minutes to perform and is done under general anesthesia.
The most common surgery is called Anterior Cervical Disentomb and involves the neck and removing of the herniated disc.
This relieves the pain on the spinal cord and nerve roots.
It may take a few months for the vertebrae to fuse correctly so recovery time could be extended.