Annular Tear
An annular tear is a rupture in the annulus fibrosis. The annulus is the tough outer layer of your disc that contains the inner nucleus pulposis. A tear in the AF can cause severe pain, and even a radiating pain into your arms or legs. It can allow the inside jelly-like substance to push out and put pressure on the delicate spinal nerves causing severe pain, although a tear may not cause any pain at all.
Truly, one of the most effective means of treating an annular tear is Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression along with Class IV Laser Therapy. Decompression can recreate the normal pumping action of the disc that creates osmosis and imbibition. It also allows us to rehydrate the disc and bring nutrients into the disc to help it heal the tear and restore normal function to the disc reducing and eliminating the pain caused by a torn disc and a degenerated disc. A disc is a ligament, and ligaments have poor to no blood supply which is why a sprain will heal slower than a fracture. A broken bone has a rich blood supply to allow it to heal faster than ligaments. The beauty of non-surgical spinal decompression is that it helps to give the discs the nutrients it needs to heal itself. Class IV lasers can also help to increase the microcirculation around the disc further facilitating its healing.