Though exercising can't necessarily heal a bulging disc, it can strengthen your back, increase spine stability, and help decrease stress on the disc. It's important to note that every injury is different, so it's in your best interest to contact a medical professional before participating in any strenuous exercise.
Walking is a gentle form of exercise that has the potential to be beneficial if you have a bulging or herniated spinal disc. We explain why below. Walking isn't too strenuous, which is one reason it tends to be beneficial even with a bulging disc.
Generally speaking, as the L4 and L5 discs are located right at the bottom of the lumbar spine you'll want to avoid exercises that involve any kind of forward bending that can cause further compression from the waist down.
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.
Sitting is not really the preferred position when you have a herniated lumbar disc. Most physical therapists will recommend standing up, moving around or lying down over sitting.
If you have herniated discs, sit up straight and your knees should be level with your hips. To offer extra support, put a small pillow or a rolled-up towel between the arch of your lower back and the chair. Also, you should be able to keep your feet flat on the ground.
The optimal sleeping position for a herniated disc is on your back. Lying on your back keeps your spine in a neutral position so you have less chance of pinching the nerve. For added comfort, nestle a small pillow or rolled-up towel under your knees and lower back.
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.
In addition to natural wear and tear, other factors that can contribute to a bulging disc include repetitive movements, strenuous lifting, twisting of the body, bone spurs pushing against the disc, and many other degenerative conditions.
Bending over is a guaranteed way to irritate your herniated disc and experience back pain. That's why you should avoid any activity that requires you to bend over. That includes picking up items while cleaning up, feeding your pets, doing laundry, etc.
Your physiotherapist will also show you movements and positions to help relieve the pain and symptoms of disc herniation. Exercises to prevent further pain and damage also forms part of treatment. In most cases, the symptoms tend to improve over a few weeks.
You can feel better while the original damage or weakness may remain. Or your disc can fully heal, it just takes time for the protruding material to be resorbed by your body. Factors like your age and the cause of the herniation come into play.
Some common symptoms that come from bulging discs are pain and tingling throughout the entire upper body, muscle spasms, and lower back discomfort or pain. If you suffer with this condition, then a chiropractor may be able to fix a bulging disc and relieve your pain.
While direct manual pressure to the spine is contraindicated, massaging the surrounding muscular tissues can ease the symptoms of a herniated or bulging disc. In addition to relieving the discomfort, massage can also increase the chances of the disc healing on its own without invasive measures.
A herniated disc can worsen from poor sitting habits, such as slouching or sitting uninterrupted for hours.
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).
Sit up straight with your knees slightly higher than your hips, and keep your chin pulled in so that your head sits straight on top of your spine. Sit a comfortable distance from the steering wheel.
Caution: Seated forward bends are riskiest to the lumbar spine, as the hips are fixed so any brunt of the movement will go into the body. The safest forward bend for disc damage of any kind in the lumbar spine is Apanasana, where the spine is completely supported by the floor.
1) Side-lying position: This sleeping position is achieved by lying on your side with a pillow between your legs. It will help keep your spine aligned and take pressure off your herniated disc. 2) Back-lying position: When you sleep on your back, using a pillow under your knees is vital to keep your spine in alignment.
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.
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.
A L4–L5 disc bulge (or slip-disc) in the L4-L5 region can cause severe health issues such as impotence and reproduction issues. It can also lead to infertility, loss or control of the bowel or bladder, paralysis in one or both of your legs, and even death.