Decompression is good for annular tears.
Spinal decompression can help annular tears and improve spinal alignment as well as relieve pressure on your vertebra, discs, muscles, ligaments and nerves.
Things you should not do with an annular tear are activities that put a lot of stress and pressure on your spine such as running, twisting exercises, barbell squats, clean and press and lifting heavy items above your waist including at home or at a gym etc.
You should also avoid any repetitive or excessive movements like slouching and taking on too much strain on your disc.
Walking is not bad for an annular tear and can actually be beneficial as a low impact exercise when done appropriately.
Walking can help to maintain muscle strength and blood flow to the area while also putting minimal stress on your spine.
Physical therapy can help annular tears by strengthening muscles around the tear, improving posture, increasing flexibility and speeding up the recovery time and healing process.
A chiropractor can fix an annular tear and help relieve pain by manipulating the area affected and realign the spine which can take pressure off your nerves and allow muscles to heal.
A chiropractor can also help improve your range of motion, increase blood flow and prevent future problems.
Massage is good for annular tears and can help with easing pain, improving blood flow, muscle tension, ease stress and improve range of motion.
Massage can help annular tears by improving blood circulation and help with healing and help relax tight muscles and reduce muscle tension and reduce stress, which can make it easier to deal with a disc injury.
You don't always need surgery for an annular tear.
In most cases an annular tear will heal on it's own and with non surgical treatments.
Some non surgical treatments that can help the annular tear heal include.
Spinal traction therapy.
Muscle relaxants.
Oral pain medication like aspirin, naproxen or ibuprofen.
And physical therapy to strengthen your back muscles and improve your posture.
The majority of annular tears are asymptomatic and are able to heal on their own without any medical intervention.
On rare occasions an annual tear may require surgery to treat and fix.
It takes as long as 18 months to 2 years for an annular tear to heal.
The healing process of annular tears is slow because the outer part of the disc "the annulus fibrosus", has a limited blood supply.
The body repairs the annular tear by forming scar tissue to plug the rip in the disc.
Capillaries grow into the annular tear's outer edge and takes 2 to 4 weeks to fully form.
An annular tear is considered serious as it can lead to a herniated disc which is even more serious.
However annular tears are not as serious as a herniated disc but you should still seek medical treatment for it.
The annular tear may heal with time but it can be susceptible to future tears and the annular tears can also lead to premature degenerative disc disease, facet joints and end plates.
A herniated disc is worse than an annular tear and considered more serious.
With an annular tear you may not feel any symptoms at first, but with a herniated disc you often feel the pain which is very painful because it pinches the nerves that are around it.
Annular tears and herniated discs are related conditions.
An annular tear is a tear in the outer ring of a disc, or the annulus fibrosus.
Annular tears are often caused by aging, injuries or abnormal stress on your spine.
Annular tears can also develop without any symptoms and can worsen if pressure is put on the disc.
Herniated discs are a rupture or shift of the disc's core or nucleus pulposus, through the outer ring of the disc.
Herniated discs are often caused by a severe annular tear which weakens the outer fibers of the disc.
Symptoms of a herniated disc are weakness and numbness that can extend down the body and back pain.
Annular tears can lead to herniated discs.
And if the pressure on the disc increases after an annular tear, the nucleus pulposus can then leak out through the tear and into the spinal canal.
Treatments for annular tears as well as herniated discs include surgery if severe enough or when other treatments don't work.
Other treatments for annular tears and herniated discs are physical therapy and NSAID medications.
Annular tears are a common spinal condition that can progress into herniated discs and cause a variety of symptoms including back & neck pain.