Diagnosis and non-operative treatment of lumbar disc herniation

Abstract

Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) occurs when a lumbar disc undergoes pathologic. Its symptoms generally include pain in the lumbar region, nerve irritation, or weakness in lower extremities. LDH is contributing to increased disabilities and dysfunction in the population. Many approaches are effective in addressing the disc herniation and symptoms of LDH. This paper focuses on LDH and discusses its diagnosis tests and non-operative treatments. Results show that certain manual muscle tests such as the straight leg raise tests is deemed as a necessary procedure for diagnosis. In addition, MRI stands out in diagnosing LDH among other imaging tests. For patients who cannot be applied MRI, CT is the best substitute. Non-operative treatments, including physical exercise/therapy, lumbar traction, and medicine, are the most effective approaches and the first choice of most patients with LDH. Aside from the modern approach, many traditional Chinese medicines and manipulations, including ACU, Warm needle moxibustion, Tuina, and Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine, have favorable efficiency in treating LDH and are recognized by the world.