Deep Tissue Massage: There are more than 100 types of massage, but deep tissue massage is an ideal option if you have a herniated disc because it uses a great deal of pressure to relieve deep muscle tension and spasms, which develop to prevent muscle motion at the affected area.
Herniated discs can cause symptoms like numbness, weakness, stiffness, or limited muscle mobility. Massage therapy can help release the tightness within muscle tissue from nerve compression that is triggering pain in other parts of your body.
“There are some types of back pain that can get worse when you get a massage,” says Walsh. Specifically, he says, sciatica (sudden-onset pain that extends down the back and into the butt or legs) stemming from a herniated disc can be aggravated by deep tissue stimulation.
Skip movements that involve significant axial loading on the lower back, such as squats and leg presses. Avoid toe-touches, sit-ups, and yoga poses that worsen the pain and lead to significant bending of the back.
In theory the disc should be able to be popped back into its natural state, but it is very difficult to just “pop” a herniated disc back into place like a displaced gear. In fact, trying to pop a disc back into place can make the issue worse if the person doing the “popping” doesn't know what they are doing.
Treatment with rest, pain medication, spinal injections, and physical therapy is the first step to recovery. Most people improve in 6 weeks and return to normal activity. If symptoms continue, surgery may be recommended.
Results: Spontaneous resorption of herniated disk was found in all patients in a mean time of 8.7 ± 3.2 months.
Signs Your Herniated Disc Is Healing
Often, the most severe neurological symptoms of a herniated disc feel better first. Radiculopathy—sharp, shooting pain down a nerve and into an arm or leg—will be one of the first symptoms to go away, followed by muscle weakness along the path of the nerve.
The good news is that in most cases — 90% of the time — pain caused by a herniated disc will go away on its own within six months. Initially, your doctor will likely recommend that you take an over-the-counter pain reliever and limit activities that cause pain or discomfort.
The pain from a herniated disc usually is worse when you are active and gets better when you are resting. Coughing, sneezing, sitting, driving, and bending forward may make the pain worse. The pain gets worse when you make these movements because there is more pressure on the nerve.
Massage helps disc herniation by reducing tension in the muscles around the spine. By relieving muscle tension, pressure on the disc is reduced, which eases disc compression. Regular massage treatment may even help prevent future disc degeneration.
Seek emergency medical attention if you have: Worsening symptoms. Pain, numbness or weakness can increase to the point that they hamper your daily activities. Bladder or bowel dysfunction.
One of the best treatments for the symptoms of a herniated disc is stretching exercises. By gently stretching the muscles in the back, their flexibility is improved, helping them stabilize the disc herniation area. Overall endurance and circulation are also improved with herniated disc exercises, and symptoms improve.
Sit with the Right Posture
It is proper to sit up straight without slouching. When you slump, you put extra pressure on the discs in the spine and can aggravate your herniated disc. Additionally, you want to ensure your knees are level with your hips. Your hips should be slightly above your knees if you sit at a desk.
Therapy may include massage, heat and cold therapy, electrical muscle stimulation, and stretching. Following a regimen by your therapist which includes exercising 30–45 minutes a day, helps you to manage herniated disc pain relief at home.
Applying heat and/or cold therapy to the lower back can alleviate muscle tension that is commonly present with a lumbar herniated disc. Heat helps loosen the muscle tightness that causes spasms, increases blood flow, and improves elasticity of connective tissue.
You may continue to experience pain for many reasons. Sometimes, the nerves are actually damaged by the pressure from the disc herniation and may not recover completely. You may also develop scar tissue around the nerves weeks after the operation that causes pain similar to what you had before the operation.
According to Spine Universe, chiropractic care is a non-surgical option for herniated disc treatment. This makes choosing a chiropractor to address problems with a herniated disc a viable option if you want to avoid undergoing any surgical procedures.
For up to 90% of people, herniated disk pain gets better on its own or with simple medical care. You'll probably feel better within a month. If you don't, you should see your healthcare provider. Some people need more aggressive medical measures, such as spinal injections or surgery.
Disc herniation is pathologically divided into 4 stages of herniated nucleus pulposus: 1) bulging, 2) protrusion, 3) extrusion, 4) sequestration.
Rest. Most often 1-2 days of strict bed rest will calm severe back pain. Bed rest should not exceed 48 hours. Once you are back into your daily routine, you should take frequent rest breaks throughout the day- but avoid sitting for long periods of time.
It is not possible to feel a herniated disc with your hand. The intervertebral disc is much too far forward in your body for it to push that far out to feel it. If this were the case, this would mean that you could poke your spinal cord with your finger, which also isn't possible… and would be very bad if you could.
How long does a herniated disc take to heal without surgery? How long a herniated disc takes to heal often ranges between six and eight weeks. Additionally, patients with this condition often heal just fine without surgery.
Heat and ice can be used to treat the symptoms of pain associated with the muscle spasm from a cervical herniated disc. As a general rule, use ice for the first 24 hours after this injury and then use whichever feels better after that. Some people alternate using heat/ice or ice/heat and that is okay to do.