"Can A Chiropractor Fix A Bulging Disc?"
by Dr. J. Alex Sielatycki

Chiropractic care in the setting of a bulging disc is something that can be helpful. I typically would advise against forceful manipulations of the neck, rapid manipulations, popping the neck when there's a disc herniation because that can sometimes exacerbate that condition. That said, I think gentle manipulations of the neck, gentle traction, gentle rotation can give some symptom relief.

There is no evidence that I'm aware of that says chiropractic manipulations will cure a disc herniation or move the herniated disc back into the in-between a vertebrae. So that won't happen with chiropractic manipulation. They won't be able to cure the herniated disc. They can give some treatment that will often provide relief. So it's not wrong to do it and certainly may play a role for a lot of patients.

Again, I would be cautious about the forceful manipulations as those can exacerbate symptoms, make the pain even worse, or even lead to some neurologic deficits. So you do need to be careful and make sure the chiropractor knows if you know that you have a disc herniation, make sure your chiropractor is aware of that and is more gentle with your neck when doing any manipulations.