Thanks for your questions. There is some evidence that herniated discs will heal but the process is very, very slow. What I believe happens is that the actual inflamed tissue no longer is swollen and inflamed, therby, eliminating the pain. Once a disc loses its ability to rehydrate, that disc ibasically is no longer viable.

As for ESI’s, there is some sting involved but that sensation quickly diminishes. The procedure literally takes less than 30 seconds so general anesthesia would be overkill. Following the procedure, you are monitored for about an hour to make sure there are no adverse reactions to the procedure. I’ve seen people return to work the same day, but most of the time they return to work the next day.

Although chiropractic adjustments are intended to take pressure off the nerve and, thereby, reduce inflammation, the reality is that sometimes the irritation will persist and needs a little “jump start” to effectively manage. That’s when an epidural injection would be warranted.