If your MRI report mentions spinal stenosis, you may wonder what it means—and whether the location of the narrowing affects your treatment options. Spinal stenosis is a general term for narrowing around the spinal cord or spinal nerves. Central canal stenosis affects the main spinal canal, while foraminal stenosis affects the smaller openings through which individual spinal nerves exit the spine. Either type may be associated with a bulging or herniated disc, degenerative cha

If you have searched for non-drug options for back pain, neck pain, muscle pain, or other musculoskeletal problems, you may have come across two similar-sounding treatments: TENS and interferential therapy. Both use electrical stimulation through electrodes placed on the skin. Both may be used as part of a broader pain-management or rehabilitation plan. But they are not exactly the same — and the choice between them depends on the treatment goal, the location of symptoms, and

Neck pain is common, but its cause isn't always obvious. Some neck pain improves within a few days, while other cases persist for weeks or months or involve symptoms that extend into the shoulder, arm, or hand. Understanding what may be contributing to your symptoms can help determine what type of evaluation and care may be appropriate. Neck pain treatment in Cary, NC may involve different approaches depending on what is causing the symptoms. At Triangle Spinal Decompression,

You know what you're probably thinking when your back suddenly starts hurting. “I just pulled something.” or maybe: “I must have moved the wrong way.” or “It's probably inflammation.” or commonly “My back muscles are tight, so I probably strained a muscle.” Those are understandable conclusions. And sometimes muscle irritation or inflammation really is part of the picture. But they don't always explain why your back pain started, why it keeps coming back, or why it hasn't imp

If you're considering a spinal decompression evaluation, one of the most important questions is simple: How do we know if this will work for me? There isn't one answer that applies to everyone. Your symptoms, physical examination, and diagnostic imaging all provide pieces of the picture. Before recommending spinal decompression, we look at those pieces together to determine whether the treatment makes sense for your particular condition. We Start With Your Symptoms — Not Just

You're holding a radiology report. Somewhere in the second paragraph is a word like "herniation" or "degeneration," and your eyes stop there. Everything after it blurs together. The natural next thought is: this explains everything, and it's bad. Here's a number worth knowing before you go any further: in a now-famous 1994 study, researchers scanned the lumbar spines of 98 people who had zero back pain — not mild, not "old, but manageable" — genuinely zero. Only 36% had a com

Patients often arrive at our office with an MRI report that uses both terms — sometimes in the same paragraph — and no clear explanation of what either one actually means for them. "Annular tear" and "herniated disc" are related findings, but they are not interchangeable, and the distinction can matter for how a treatment plan is built. For a broader primer on disc terminology — including the difference between a bulging, herniated, and prolapsed disc — see our related post,

When most people hear "scoliosis," they picture a teenager in a back brace during a growth spurt. But a large share of the adults we see at our Cary clinic have a different condition entirely: adult degenerative scoliosis (ADS), also called de novo scoliosis — a spinal curve that develops after skeletal maturity, not one carried over from adolescence. For patients researching new back pain later in life, and for the physicians, orthopedic surgeons, and physical therapists who

Most Doctors of Chiropractic have a working knowledge of non-surgical spinal decompression — but "I know it exists" and "I know exactly which of my patients belong there, and when" are two different levels of clarity. This is written for the second question: a practical referral framework, not a sales pitch for the modality in general. One practical note relevant to any referral relationship: at Triangle Spinal Decompression, non-surgical spinal decompression care is delivere

Most people have heard of tech neck. Fewer people know it can quietly progress into something structural — degeneration of the cervical discs themselves. This post isn't about what tech neck is or how to stretch your way out of it. It's about the specific point where posture strain stops being a habit problem and starts being a spine problem, and what that distinction means for treatment. Tech Neck Is a Posture Problem. Cervical Degeneration Is a Structural One. Forward head

If you've been dealing with chronic back pain for months — or years — you may have tried rest, stretching, or physical therapy without lasting relief. Persistent pain can have several contributing factors, including disc-related symptoms, muscle and connective-tissue problems, and changes in how you move. Shockwave therapy for back pain is one treatment option that may help selected chronic musculoskeletal conditions, depending on the source of the symptoms. What Shockwave Th

If you've been told you have spinal stenosis, there's a good chance you've also been told to "just keep moving" — and for a while, that advice actually works. You take a break on a bench, lean forward over a shopping cart, sit down for a minute, and the pain eases enough to keep going. Then, a few months later, that same trick doesn't buy you nearly as much distance. That pattern — where walking tolerance quietly shrinks over time — is one of the clearest signs of central spi

A Collaborative Approach to Conservative Spine Care When a patient continues to experience back or neck pain, radiating limb symptoms, or functional limitations despite treatment, determining the next step can be challenging. Some patients may benefit from further conservative care, while others require surgical evaluation or intervention. For orthopedic surgeons, neurosurgeons, primary care physicians, and physical therapists, the question is whether another non-surgical app

Low back pain in a young athlete is easy to attribute to muscle strain, overtraining, or the normal soreness that accompanies sports. Sometimes that is the explanation. But persistent or recurring low back pain can also signal a bone stress injury that requires a more thorough diagnostic evaluation. One important possibility is a stress injury involving the pars interarticularis, a small portion of a vertebra that helps connect its upper and lower joints. Repetitive loading d

Low back pain has a way of feeling identical no matter what's actually causing it — until you start asking the right questions. Two of the most commonly confused sources of low back pain are sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction and disc-related pain (from a herniated, bulging, or degenerated disc). They can feel remarkably similar, but they respond to very different treatment approaches — which is exactly why getting the distinction right matters. At Triangle Spinal Decompressio

If you are dealing with a herniated disc, sciatica, or degenerative disc changes, you may be exploring non-surgical spinal decompression. At Triangle Spinal Decompression in Cary, NC, we use the Chattanooga Triton DTS decompression system as one option for selected patients whose symptoms and clinical findings suggest that decompression may be appropriate. However, managing disc-related symptoms can involve more than one factor. Nerve irritation, muscle guarding, movement lim

For many active adults and professionals living in the Cary and Raleigh-Durham area, chronic lower back pain eventually leads to a daunting crossroads. You have tried resting, generic stretching routines, and standard passive therapies, yet severe radiating leg pain or numbness persists. When an orthopedic specialist or neurosurgeon introduces terms like lumbar fusion, laminectomy, or microdiscectomy, it is completely natural to experience a high degree of hesitation. Spinal

Living with an L4-L5 disc bulge can make everyday activities like walking feel uncertain. If you have lower back pain or symptoms that travel into your leg, you may wonder whether walking will help you stay active or aggravate your symptoms. For many people, walking can be part of bulging disc recovery, but the right amount depends on symptom severity, individual tolerance, and any advice from your treating clinician. A disc bulge on imaging does not, by itself, determine whi

Decoding Your MRI: Understanding the Clinical Differences The Reality of the "Slipped Disc" The phrase "slipped disc" is a common layman's term, but it is anatomically inaccurate. Spinal discs are firmly anchored to the vertebrae by strong ligaments; they cannot actually "slip" out of place. When someone describes a slipped disc, they are usually experiencing either a medical bulge or a true herniated disc. Bulging vs. Herniated Discs A bulging disc occurs when the tough oute

For fitness enthusiasts, athletes, and active adults, a herniated disc diagnosis can feel like a life sentence of inactivity. The natural instinct—and historically, outdated medical advice—is to resort to strict bed rest until the pain subsides. However, modern spinal science reveals a different reality: Movement is medicine, provided it is done with strict biomechanical intent. So... Can You Stay Active with a Herniated Disc? Yes. Prolonged rest causes muscle atrophy and lim