Can Your Back Heal On Its Own?
Can your back heal on its own? Can you self heal? Injured back improvement without surgery? More often than not sciatica and lower back pain showing signs of a herniated disc require massage therapy performed by chiropractors, which might eventually require a surgical intervention to repair the tear. However, many individuals seek pain relief and lower back treatments which aren’t surgical in nature. So how is it that pain relief for lower back treatments subsides 6 to 12 months after the initial injury, without surgical intervention for sciatica and lower back pain? Studies suggest that interplay between molecular signals may explain this self healing phenomena.
Research
Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers have studied the Journal of Clinical Investigation report from 2016 to determine how this might occur. With 60 to 80% of Americans suffering from back pain and more than 300,000 herniated disc surgeries performed in the US annually, many are seeking other forms of pain relief performed by chiropractors, such as massage therapy, to avoid surgery. When outer fibers are torn away a disc can become herniated, this in turn causes fluids to leak. When this hits a nerve, sciatica and other lower back pain ensues.
Findings
Dr. Dan Spengler found that about 50% of patients noticed relief within a period of 6 weeks. But, he and other researches simply can’t figure why this self-healing doesn’t occur for every individual. Researchers who have conducted studies have found a matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which is a group of proteins present in herniated disc sufferers. Certain MMPs can heal by eating away at torn fibers naturally, which is one theory behind why some people can heal naturally while others can’t. When bleeding occurs, white blood cells known as cells specifically macrophages naturally ingest foreign materials helping alleviate pain.
Conclusion
Interplay between macrophages and the MMPs is what most surprised researchers. It was found that when certain interaction occurred, disc resorption occurred. The conclusion was that the enzymes were far more complex than initially anticipated. Instead of acting like a bulldozer, they act like a fine pair of scissors working away at the tears. So, what’s the message? Can your back heal itself? Basically researchers suggest that unless you are suffering from extreme progressive neurological loss (sensory pain or muscle weakness), there really is no reason to visit a surgeon, and rush to jump under the knife!
Chiropractors often have natural solutions for your pain, and different lower back pain treatments which can help in alleviating pain. Further, there are many non-invasive solutions to deal with tears, herniation, and eventually help with pain relief disc tear sufferers desire when they are in immense levels of pain.
Dr. David Warwick, DC, is a board-certified chiropractor with over two decades of experience helping people find fast, effective relief from back and neck pain. He is the only chiropractor in Lacey, WA certified in the Zone Technique — a specialized healing method that restores balance to the body’s six systems for long-term wellness.
At Warwick Chiropractic & Massage, Dr. Warwick focuses on short-term, results-driven care, helping patients return to life without unnecessary long-term treatment plans. His clinic welcomes walk-ins and offers convenient online scheduling for modern, flexible chiropractic care.
Dr. Warwick is committed to educating his patients and the public about natural pain relief, spinal health, and how chiropractic care can be both simple and life-changing.
