Table 2.

Basic therapies

Basic therapies	Direction for use
Bed rest	Stay in bed for 18 to 20 hours per day including sleeping time.
Dehydration	20% Mannitol injection, 250 ml, VD within 30 min, once a day for the first 5 days.
NSAID	After each SM therapy, the patient will be given 500 mg Paracetamol orally for 2 days (b.i.d.) in order to reduce the adverse regional irritation caused by SM.
Regional fomentation	Low back fomentation is applied with a hot pack of Chinese herbs* for 20 minutes, twice per day during the observation period.
Walking exercise	Patient could take a walking exercise with the assistance of a wheeled walker aid if no serious pain has been induced. The walking time should be limited to less than 20 minutes each time and to three times a day.

NSAID, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug; SM, spinal manipulation.

*The hot pack is filled with more than ten types of Chinese herbs and is produced by the hospital. It has been successfully applied for LDH patients in the hospital for more than 40 years.