Bulging discs, herniated discs, and degenerative disc disease can cause severe pain, numbness, and limited mobility. We specialize in non-surgical disc treatment using spinal adjustments, decompression techniques, and rehab exercises to take pressure off the affected nerves.
Quick answer: Dr. Steven Bromberg treats disc injury treatment at 201 Broadway, Cambridge, MA. Same-week appointments, no referral needed, most major insurance and Massachusetts auto PIP accepted. Call (617) 494-1166.
Bulging discs, herniated discs, and degenerative disc disease can cause severe pain, numbness, and limited mobility. We specialize in non-surgical disc treatment using spinal adjustments, decompression techniques, and rehab exercises to take pressure off the affected nerves.
Spinal adjustments and decompression techniques relieve pressure on the affected disc and surrounding nerves. Combined with targeted rehab exercises and muscle therapy, this reduces inflammation, restores disc space, and helps the body heal on its own. Many patients avoid surgery entirely.
Non-surgical approach to herniated and bulging discs
Spinal decompression relieves nerve pressure
Reduces inflammation and supports natural healing
Restores mobility and reduces radiating pain
A spinal disc is a fibrous ring around a gel center, sitting between two vertebrae. When the ring weakens, the center pushes outward: a bulge if the ring holds, a herniation if it tears. Either one can press on the nerve root leaving the spine at that level, which is why a lower back disc so often shows up as pain down the leg, and a neck disc as pain into the shoulder blade or arm. Degenerative disc disease is a different problem on the same structure: the disc thins and dries out with age and load, the joint space narrows, and the segment becomes stiff and sore. We treat all three, and the approach differs by which one you have.
Dr. Bromberg's exam is built to answer two questions: which disc, and is a nerve involved. He tests the movements that load discs, forward bending, sitting, coughing, and the ones that unload them, to see which direction makes the leg or arm symptom worse and which eases it. He checks the nerve root with reflexes, strength and sensation, and with nerve tension tests such as the straight leg raise. He also rules out the lookalikes: a piriformis or sacroiliac problem in the leg, a shoulder problem in the arm, and the red flags that mean a disc case belongs in the emergency room. When the exam says disc but the level or the severity is unclear, or when there is weakness, he refers for an MRI at an area center and reads it himself. Not every disc case needs imaging; most do not at the start.
Treatment combines three things. First, spinal decompression, which is the core of how we treat disc cases: computer-controlled intermittent traction that gently opens the disc space, draws the displaced material back toward the center, and pulls fluid into a disc that has a poor blood supply of its own. Second, spinal adjustments, using low-force techniques chosen for disc cases: positioning and gentle mobilization that restore motion at the segments above and below without compressing the injured disc. A quick thrust directly into an acute herniation is not what happens here. Third, Active Release Technique for the muscles that lock down around a painful disc, which otherwise keep the segment compressed between visits.
The fourth piece is what you do at home. A disc that is loaded all day in a flexed, seated position will not stay decompressed, so the plan includes direction-specific exercises, a change in how you sit, and for the Kendall Square patients who are the bulk of our disc cases, a frank conversation about the chair, the monitor and the length of time between breaks. The related condition pages cover disc injuries and sciatica, and herniated disc treatment without surgery explains why the non-surgical route is usually tried first.
The first visit begins with a history that is more detailed than it may seem. Dr. Bromberg wants to know exactly where the pain goes, whether it is worse sitting or standing, whether coughing or sneezing fires it, whether there is numbness or weakness and where, what the morning is like, and what you have already tried, including any imaging. Then the exam: posture, range of motion in each direction and what it does to the limb symptom, palpation of the spine and the muscles around it, and the full neurological screen. If there is any sign of progressive weakness, numbness in the saddle area, or a change in bowel or bladder control, the visit stops there and becomes an urgent referral.
If the findings fit a disc that can be treated here, he explains what he found and what he expects, and starts treatment the same day, usually with a gentle first session of decompression and low-force work so he can see how the disc responds before increasing anything. You leave with one or two positions or movements to use at home and a clear plan for the first two weeks.
Follow-up visits in a disc case are structured: a short re-check of the key findings, a decompression session of 15 to 30 minutes, adjustments and soft tissue work before or after, and a progression of the home exercises. Visits run two to three times a week at first because a disc responds to repeated, regular unloading rather than an occasional big session, then taper as the leg or arm symptom retreats. A typical course is about six weeks; a severe herniation with nerve findings, or a chronically degenerated segment, runs longer. The number is set from the exam and reset on progress, not sold as a package.
Progress is tracked in specific terms. The most important one is centralization: pain that was in the calf moving up to the thigh, then the buttock, then the back. That shift means the nerve is under less pressure, and it usually happens before the back pain itself improves. He also re-measures range of motion, re-tests strength and reflexes at intervals, and asks the practical questions: can you sit through a meeting, sleep through the night, put on your socks. If the symptom is not centralizing after a fair trial, usually two to three weeks, the plan changes: different decompression settings or angle, imaging if you have not had it, or a referral for an injection or a surgical opinion.
Most disc herniations improve without surgery. The body resorbs displaced disc material over time, inflammation around the nerve settles, and the nerve recovers. Treatment speeds that process and keeps you functional while it happens. The usual shape of improvement is early change in the radiating symptom within the first two weeks, often before the back itself feels better; steady centralization through weeks three to six; and then a longer tail of rebuilding tolerance for sitting, lifting and exercise. Numbness and weakness are the slowest to recover, because nerves repair slowly, and some residual tingling can persist for months after the pain is gone.
Degenerative disc disease has a different trajectory. The disc does not grow back, so the goal is to get the segment moving, keep the surrounding joints and muscles from taking the strain, and reduce the frequency and intensity of flares. Patients with degenerative discs usually improve substantially, and then benefit from an occasional visit and a consistent exercise habit rather than a defined finish line. Degenerative disc disease treatment explains what that looks like.
What slows a disc case down: a large herniation with significant nerve compression, a long history before treatment started, heavy lifting or long sitting that cannot be changed, smoking, which starves the disc, and the stop-start pattern of coming in only when it hurts. What helps: starting early, keeping the early visit frequency, doing the home exercises daily, and treating the first six weeks as a project rather than a series of errands. A Boston-area winter adds its own hazards, shoveling and slipping on ice being the two most common ways a settled disc flares again, so the home program includes how to do both.
If decompression and adjustments are not producing centralization, or if weakness is getting worse at any point, Dr. Bromberg refers. That usually means a physiatrist or spine specialist for an epidural injection or a surgical consult, and the exam notes and imaging go with you so no one starts from scratch. A small share of disc cases do need surgery, especially those with progressive weakness or a herniation too large to resorb, and recognizing those early is part of good non-surgical care. Patients who have had surgery and still have pain are also treated here; see chiropractic after back surgery.
Disc injury treatment is for people with a bulging or herniated disc in the lower back or neck, with or without radiating pain, and for people with degenerative disc disease that flares or limits them. It fits the person who has an MRI showing a herniation, has been told it is not surgical, and has been handed a prescription and no plan. It fits the person whose sciatica has not changed after weeks of rest and medication. It fits the lab or software worker whose back has gone out twice in a year and who wants to stop the cycle. And it fits patients who have been told their only options are injections or surgery and want a serious attempt at the alternative first.
It is not for everyone with a disc on an MRI. Disc bulges show up on scans of people with no pain at all, so the finding only matters when it matches the exam. If your pain pattern, exam and imaging do not line up, Dr. Bromberg looks elsewhere rather than treating the picture. He also does not treat the following with decompression or adjustment at the affected level: a spinal fracture, severe osteoporosis, a spinal tumor or infection, a fusion or artificial disc at that segment, an abdominal aortic aneurysm, or pregnancy, where decompression is avoided and other gentle care is used instead.
The emergencies are worth naming once more: progressive or sudden weakness in a leg or foot, numbness around the groin or inner thighs, a change in bladder or bowel control, or fever with back pain. Those are not appointments; go to the emergency room. Back pain red flags lists them with what each means. The honest limit of non-surgical disc care is that it works for most cases and not all, and part of the service is knowing the difference early.
Disc treatment is billed per visit, with each component, the exam, the adjustment, the decompression session, the soft tissue work, billed as the service it is. There are no prepaid packages and no commitment to a set number of sessions; the course is reset on real progress at each re-evaluation. Most major insurance plans are accepted. Before treatment starts, the office verifies your specific benefits, including whether your plan covers decompression as part of a disc treatment plan or classifies it separately, and tells you what you will owe. See the insurance page, and for the decompression component specifically, decompression pricing.
If the disc was injured in a car accident, Massachusetts PIP on your own auto policy covers reasonable care regardless of fault, with a statutory minimum of $8,000 per person, and the office bills the auto insurer directly. Details are on the auto PIP page.
No referral is needed, even for a disc case with an MRI; Massachusetts allows direct access to chiropractic care. Walk-ins are welcome during office hours, and same-day slots are held for patients in pain, which a fresh disc flare qualifies as. Same-week appointments are the norm otherwise. Hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 8am to 1pm and 3pm to 6pm, closed Tuesday, Thursday and weekends.
The office is at 201 Broadway, first floor, a six-minute walk from the Kendall/MIT Red Line station and about ten minutes from Lechmere. If walking is hard with the current flare, there is free street parking and metered spots on Broadway and the side streets, and the entrance is at street level with no stairs. Bring any imaging reports and, if you can, the images themselves. The new patients page has what else to bring. Call (617) 494-1166 with questions.
Questions about your own case? Call (617) 494-1166 or request an appointment. Walk-ins welcome Monday, Wednesday & Friday: 8am–1pm & 3pm–6pm.
For over 40 years, Dr. Bromberg has provided chiropractic care in Cambridge, MA. He personally evaluates and treats every patient, combining adjustments, muscle therapy, and modern technology for lasting results.
Meet Dr. Bromberg →"Dr. Bromberg found the root cause of my lower back pain on my first visit. After three adjustments, I felt like a new person. 40 years of experience really shows."
Lower back pain, 3 sessions
"I was in a car accident and thought I'd need surgery. Dr. Bromberg's rehab program got me back to normal without a single operation. The insurance paperwork was painless too."
Auto accident whiplash recovery
"The Active Release Technique on my shoulder was remarkable. Years of frozen shoulder pain resolved in about six sessions. I can finally sleep on my side again."
Frozen shoulder, ART therapy
Yes. Many herniated disc patients respond well to spinal adjustments and decompression, avoiding surgery. Dr. Bromberg evaluates each case individually.
It varies by severity. Many patients see real improvement within 4-6 weeks of consistent treatment.
Possibly. Dr. Bromberg may refer you for imaging to confirm the diagnosis and guide your treatment plan. We coordinate with imaging centers.
Yes, when done by an experienced chiropractor. Dr. Bromberg uses gentle techniques designed specifically for disc-related conditions.
A bulge is a disc whose outer ring has weakened and pushed outward but not torn. A herniation is a disc whose ring has torn and let some of the gel center through. Both can press on a nerve, and both are treated the same non-surgical way, but a herniation is usually more painful at the start and more likely to cause leg or arm symptoms.
Because the disc is pressing on the nerve root that runs to the leg, and the nerve reports the irritation as pain along its path rather than at the disc. As treatment unloads the disc, that pain usually moves back up toward the spine, which is the clearest sign the nerve is being freed.
Often, yes, over months. The body gradually resorbs displaced disc material and the inflammation around the nerve settles. Treatment speeds that, keeps you moving while it happens, and addresses the mechanics that caused the disc to fail so it is less likely to happen again.
Stay as active as the pain allows. More than a day or two of bed rest makes a disc injury worse, not better, because the muscles weaken and the segment stiffens. Dr. Bromberg gives you specific movements and positions to use and the ones to avoid, which is more useful than a general instruction either way.
Yes. Cervical disc injuries, which typically cause neck pain with pain, numbness or tingling into the shoulder blade or arm, are treated with the same combination of decompression, low-force adjustments, soft tissue work and exercise, with the table and the harness set up for the neck.
Ready to get started? No referral needed.
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(617) 494-1166Dr. Bromberg's team will reach out within one business day. In-person & virtual available.