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.
Better alternatives are sleeping on your side or back. Side-sleepers can place a pillow between the knees to relieve any stress in the hips, or elevate their legs on a pillow. You can also slip a rolled-up towel between your waist and the mattress as you sleep on your side.
Sleeping on your back is one of the best positions to sleep for herniated discs. It allows your weight to be evenly distributed and spread across your body. As a result, you can put less strain on your pressure points.
If you suspect you have a herniated disk or your doctor has confirmed this diagnosis, there are a few things you should avoid. Avoid lifting heavy objects or bending at the waist at any time. Avoid wearing high-heeled shoes. They put pressure on your lower back and send your spine out of alignment.
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.
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.
In general, a flare-up can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks. However, it is important to note that every individual is different, and there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.
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.
If you continue to stay dehydrated, this can cause permanent damage to the spinal discs and create painful lifelong conditions such as bulging and herniated discs. Proper hydration is important to prevent this type of damage and improve not just your spinal health but your health overall.
Research has found and we have first-hand experienced patients with disc bulges that go through rehab from our Physiotherapists and Chiropractors and have repeat imagine (CT or MRI) which finds a resolution and no disc bulge. It can be reversible with the right type of management and treatment.
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.
Sleeping on the stomach is typically preferred, as this position can relieve pressure on the disc space. People with degenerative disc disease may feel most comfortable using a relatively firm mattress while placing a flat pillow under the stomach and hips.
The recommended sleeping position with a lumbar herniated disc is on your back. This maintains neutral spinal alignment, which reduces the risk of related nerve issues. But if you are a side or stomach sleeper, the shifts in your spinal alignment could be why your disc pain is more noticeable at night.
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.
You can expect to resume light exercise within a couple of weeks after a herniated disc injury. “We recommend getting back to light exercise such as an elliptical machine, brisk walking, or swimming after pain has minimized with daily activity,” says Dr. Butler. “This is usually two to four weeks after injury.”
Heat Therapy
Methods for applying heat include taking a warm bath, using a wrap that applies continuous low-level heat to the area, or by using a heating pad. Again, if you are using a compress or heating pad of any kind, always make sure that you use a barrier between your skin and whatever heat source you are using.
By treating the inflammation with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, swelling and the resulting pain may go away. The most common nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications are ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin. All are available without a prescription, and your doctor can recommend how best to use them.
Heat or Ice for Herniated Disc Pain Treatment
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 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.
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. Following that, the goal is to restore function and fix the underlying cause of your bulging disc.
Over time, disks dehydrate and their cartilage stiffens. These changes can cause the outer layer of the disk to bulge out fairly evenly all the way around its circumference — so it looks a little like a hamburger that's too big for its bun.
If you have a bulging spinal disc, you may be wondering if you can physically feel it. You are not likely to be able to feel the disc itself, since it is located between the bones of your spine. However, you may be able to determine the affected area by touching various points along your back that you can reach.
Discs that become herniated usually are in an early stage of degeneration. The spinal canal has limited space, which is inadequate for the spinal nerve and the displaced herniated disc fragment. Due to this displacement, the disc presses on spinal nerves, often producing pain, which may be severe.