Most people with a slipped disc in the lumbar region of their spine (lower back) are offered “conservative” treatment, meaning that the treatment does not involve surgery. This mainly involves exercise, relaxation and positioning, painkillers or local anesthetics, and manual and physical therapy.
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.
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.
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.
Most (80-90%) cases involving bulging or herniated discs will heal within 2-4 months, depending on the severity of the injury, as well as your age and overall health.
Generally speaking—as long as they're performed correctly—core and back exercises are beneficial for bulging discs, as are activities like walking, elliptical exercise, swimming, and riding a stationary or regular bike.
An L4-L5 disc bulge or slip-disc (slipped disc) pinches and leads to serious health issues, including impotence, reproduction issues, infertility, loss of bowel and bladder control, or paralysis in one or both legs.
If you leave a herniated disc untreated, you may experience intense, sharp pains, partial paralysis, or the inability to control bowel movements in relatively dire situations.
Your doctor might recommend surgery as an option for your herniated disc if: Your symptoms have lasted at least 6 weeks and make it hard to do your normal activities, and other treatments haven't helped. You need to get better quickly because of your job or to get back to your other activities as soon as possible.
Chiropractic has been proven to be an effective treatment for bulging disc and the associated pain. A herniated disc is a relatively common condition that can occur anywhere along the spine, but most often affects the lower back or neck region.
Herniated Disk (Slipped, Ruptured or Bulging Disk) A herniated disk is also known as a slipped, ruptured or bulging disk. It's one of the most common causes of neck, back and leg pain. Most of the time, herniated disks heal on their own or with simple home-care measures.
Patient improvement will vary. Depending on which disc is bulging and the severity of symptoms, it can take 6-12 weeks to get better. Fortunately, many patients feel a difference within the first 2 weeks of Chiropractic care.
Living with a herniated disc
Most people who have a herniated disc are better in about 4 weeks. Sometimes it takes longer. If you still have pain or numbness after 4 to 6 weeks, or if you feel worse, talk with your doctor. Sometimes it takes surgery to relieve pain.
The average amount of time it takes for a herniated disk to heal is four to six weeks, but it can get better within a few days depending on how severe the herniation was and where it occurred. The biggest factor in healing a herniated disk is time, because most often it will resolve on its own.
Most disc bulges resolve in 6-8 weeks, but it can take longer depending on the size of the bulge (i.e. if the bulge is hitting the nerve behind it like described above).
Daily walks are an excellent way to exercise with a herniated disc, without putting additional strain on your spine and causing painful symptoms to flare up.
Acupuncture, acupressure, and massage may work to relieve your herniated disc pain. Jason M. Highsmith, M.D. Alternative and complementary treatments such as acupuncture, acupressure, and massage may relieve pain associated with a herniated or bulging disc.
A herniated disc can worsen from poor sitting habits, such as slouching or sitting uninterrupted for hours. It is vital to adopt different strategies to manage a herniated disc and improve daily life. Sitting creates the highest compressive force, making it critical to use the proper posture to alleviate pain.
Causes Of Bulging Disc
Body mechanics and poor posture that put stress on the spinal disc. Torsion of disc from repetitive work with a lot of bending, twisting or lifting. Sitting, standing driving or working for long periods of time. Sustaining back injury from a severe fall.
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.
There is a common belief that chiropractors will make your disc protrusion worse. Nothing could be further from the truth! Common treatments for disc injuries involve bed rest, pain relievers, steroid injections, intense physical therapy, and surgery.