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Case Reports
. 2025 May-Jun;16(3):101113.
doi: 10.1016/j.jaim.2024.101113. Epub 2025 Jun 13.

Ayurveda management of an acute intervertebral disc prolapse: A case report

Praveen Balakrishnan  1 , Emy S Surendran  2 , Lisha S Raj  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Ayurveda management of an acute intervertebral disc prolapse: A case report

Praveen Balakrishnan et al. J Ayurveda Integr Med. 2025 May-Jun.

Abstract

Intervertebral disc prolapse (IVDP) or disc herniation is a moderately common disorder in males during their third to fifth decade of life. Conservative treatments are limited and surgery is an effective treatment option, but without much benefits in the long-term follow-up. Many claims of effects of Ayurveda interventions for IVDP are made, but evidence of effects of Ayurveda interventions in acute cases is meagre. This case report highlights the effects of Ayurveda management (following a multimodal approach with lepa, upanaha, pinda sweda, and vasti) within a short period of time of 26 days, in an acute case of IVDP. The Oswestry Disability Index reduced from 45 to zero and Functional Rating Index from 40 to 2. There was a linear reduction in pain and numbness in weekly follow up using the visual analogue scale. This case report highlights the role of Ayurveda treatments in the management of acute cases of intervertebral disc prolapse to achieve result within a short span of time.

Keywords: Acute disc herniation; Ayurveda; Ayurveda Treatment; IVDP; Intervertebral disc prolapse.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Pre and Post T2 Sagittal View of MRI of Lumbar Spine. Yellow circles denote the area of change on a comparative aspect with BT and AT; (a) Before treatment status of disc bulge; (b) After treatment status of disc bulge; (c) Before treatment status of indentation on the spinal cord; (d) After treatment status of indentation on the spinal cord.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Pre and Post T2 Axial View of MRI of Lumbar Spine. Yellow circles denote the area of change on a comparative aspect with BT and AT; (a) Before treatment status of posterior disc bulge at L2-L3 level; (b) After treatment status of disc bulge posterior disc bulge at L2-L3 level; (c) Before treatment status of posterior disc bulge at L4-L5 level; (d) After treatment status of posterior disc bulge at L4-L5 level. (e) Before treatment status of posterior disc bulge at L5-S1 level (f) After treatment status of posterior disc bulge at L5-S1 level.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Pre and Post T2 Coronal View of MRI of Lumbar Spine. Blue straight line denotes the perpendicular line drawn from the median plane of the body and yellow lines show the angle of the vertebrae that underwent scoliotic changes. Yellow circles denote the area of change on a comparative aspect with BT and AT; (a) Before treatment status of levoscoliosis; (b) After treatment status of the levo scoliosis; (c) Before treatment status of transverse indentation on the spinal cord; (d) After treatment status of transverse indentation on the spinal cord.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Weekly change in pain and numbness on a 10-point Visual Analogue Scale [VAS].
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Possible etio-pathogenesis of the acute manifestation of the disease and its treatment principles.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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