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Dr. Kevin Tomassini DC
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Disc Herniation

A herniated disc sounds scary, but it's correctable — and you should be careful about basing the whole decision on an MRI. Let me explain what's really happening.

▶︎ Disc Herniation? Don't Base Your Diagnosis Only on the MRI — from Dr. Tomassini's YouTube channel

What’s actually going on

Think about the disc as the jelly donut, okay. Outside there’s cartilage, inside there’s a gel — the nucleus. When the disc is healthy, it’s thick enough to take the loads you put on your spine and protect the nerve.

Now, when you have poor posture or a misalignment, you put pressure on the jelly donut on one side, and the gel wants to go to the outside. That’s a bulge. Push it further and the gel breaks through — that’s a herniation. If it presses on the nerve, that can lead to numbness, burning, and pain radiating down the arm or the leg.

Be careful with the MRI

Here’s something really important. You have to be careful with MRIs. They give a lot of information, but they can give false positives — you find a herniation on the scan that isn’t actually causing any symptoms. And that’s why we see a lot of unnecessary surgeries. The exam and your actual symptoms matter, not just the picture.

What you’re going to do about it

  1. Proper consultation & physical examination — pinpoint where the problem really is.
  2. Flexion-distraction decompression — gently take the pressure off the disc.
  3. Adjustment — restore joint movement, reduce nerve pressure and muscle tension.
  4. Rehab exercises — stretch what’s tight, strengthen what’s weak, support the disc.

Surgery is the last resort. Give conservative care a real, consistent chance first.

Common questions

What is a herniated disc? +

Think of the disc as a jelly donut between the bones of your spine. The outside is cartilage, the inside is a gel. When uneven pressure builds up — from posture, misalignment, or load — the gel pushes the outer ring out, and if it presses on a nerve, that can lead to pain, numbness, or tingling down the arm or leg.

Do I need surgery for a herniated disc? +

Usually not as the first step. Surgery should be the last resort. Be careful with MRIs — they can show a herniation that isn't actually causing your symptoms, which is how a lot of unnecessary surgeries happen. A proper exam matters more than the image alone.

Can a herniated disc heal without surgery? +

Many do, with conservative care. Decompression, adjustments, and targeted exercise can take pressure off the disc and the nerve and let it settle. It takes consistency and patience, but most people improve significantly without going under the knife.

Stop masking it. Let's find the cause.

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