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 so ti. Co on, let take a look."
Wang Xiaojuan carefully lay flat on her back. Li Xu helped her adjust her position and perford 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 dicine 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 treatnt is either surgical removal of the protruding part or conservative treatnt, 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 dicine perspective, this falls into the categories of 'lumbar pain' and 'impedint syndro.' It's primarily caused by stagnation of qi and blood and blocked ridians."
He pointed to the human ridian chart hanging on the wall. "Your symptoms are along the paths of the Bladder and Gallbladder ridians of the foot."
Wang Xiaojuan didn't quite understand. She was more concerned about the treatnt. "Doctor Li, Xiao Yu said the Musk Bone Strengthening Ointnt you have here works wonders. Can using it cure ?"
But Li Xu shook his head. "The ointnt 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 improvent, 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 disappointnt 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 dicine, whether in the form of decoctions or plasters, cannot directly repair this structural abnormality. It can only provide auxiliary treatnt by regulating qi and blood, reducing inflammation, and relieving pain to lessen discomfort."
"Also, don't trust anyone selling dicine online. Don't believe any self-proclaid masters of folk bone-setting or Massage who claim to specialize in herniated discs. These people are most likely scamrs.
I've never seen a single person who claid 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 ointnt."
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 recomndations?"
Li Xu explained in detail, "First, regarding recovery thods, I recomnd the following.
The most important thing is bed rest. Lie down until you can move without pain. At the sa ti, place a lumbar support pillow under your waist to help improve your lumbar curvature.
If you have the ans, do the breaststroke. It strengthens your lower back muscles without adding pressure to the lumbar spine. You can swim two to three tis a week, for 1000 ters each ti.
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 ho. 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 tis.
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 ti to recover.
All exercise is forbidden during bed rest. Aside from using the restroom, you should ideally spend all your ti 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 recomnds 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 so 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.
So 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 recomnded so exercises to strengthen my lower back muscles. Are those okay to do?"
"What kind of exercises?"
"They ntioned things like the third and fourth exercises of the McKenzie thod, the bird-dog, the superman, glute bridges..."
"Yes, but only after you're past the acute phase."
Li Xu thought for a mont, then added, "If you're absolutely set on surgery, I'd recomnd 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.
So people from our country have gone to Japan for the treatnt 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 Ointnt 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."
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