Because many patients with disc herniations will respond to nonoperative care, however, many patients will start out with their primary care doctor first who may use medications or a referral to a physical therapist , chiropractor , or interventional pain specialist to try to treat. Thank you. Ask U. Educational text answers on HealthTap are not intended for individual diagnosis, treatment or prescription. For these, please consult a doctor virtually or in person.
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Get help now: Ask doctors free Educational text. Similar questions A year-old member asked:. Chukwuka Okafor answered. Orthopedic Spine Surgery 16 years experience. Spine specialist: Spinal specialist, could be a neurosurgeon , or orthopaedic spine surgeon.
Also for conservative managment, you can also see physiatrists. But remember having herniated disc does not mean you need treatment, unless it is symptomatic. Chaim Colen answered. Related questions A year-old member asked:. What type of doctor should I see for neck and spine? How long does it take for a sprained neck to heal? What type of doctor should I see for a second opinion? Chiropractors are also a spinal specialists, but their ideology differs greatly from most traditional medical professionals.
While medicine teaches to treat the condition, chiropractic embraces the philosophy of treating the entire patient, thereby facilitating an overall state of improved wellness.
It is far superior to encourage good general health, when compared to the symptom-based care offered by most orthopedic physicians. However, chiropractors typically use some of the same treatment modalities for conservative spine care.
Manipulation, exercise and massage are typical chiropractic methods which might help relieve symptoms, but rarely resolve chronic disc pain. More chiropractors are also getting into the spinal decompression field, utilizing the latest technologies, such as the DRX and the VAX-D system. Chiropractors do not, and can not, prescribe drugs for pain, nor do they typically recommend surgery.
This is an added bonus in my opinion. Having a good doctor is an important part of treating disc pathologies for many patients, but what exactly qualifies a disc care doctor as being good? To me, it comes down to being objective and honest, as well as informed and enlightened.
The spine is surely made up of vertebral bones, but also a great variety of soft tissue and nerve tissues. Many orthopedists are general orthopedic practitioners, meaning they handle all manner of bone issues ranging from broken fingers to heel spurs to spinal disorders. If you are going to see an orthopedist, I highly recommend finding one who is a spinal specialist. In my experience, I found virtually every orthopedist to really focus on a variety of spinal issues which have been deemed through research science to be coincidental to the occurrence of back and neck pain.
These issues included the universal degenerative disc disease and of course herniated discs. Many orthopedists are incredibly structurally-obsessed and most will blame disc issues for causing pain in virtually every case.
Ironically, discs themselves do not feel pain and only elicit pain through neurological interactions. This is one of the reasons I tend to recommend seeing a neurologist instead. As far as treatment goes, this depends greatly on the ideology and practice of the doctor in question. Some conservative orthopedists will go with conservative modalities, such as physical therapy.
It is no surprise that physical therapists and orthopedic physicians work very closely together. Doctors who are orthopedic surgeons will often recommend surgery, which can become a very treacherous path for any patient to follow.
Neurologists also come in many areas of focus with spinal and brain experts being at the top of the medical hierarchy.
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