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.
Don't do anything you've been advised to avoid, such as climbing stairs, lifting objects over a certain weight (typically 5 lbs), twisting your neck or back at exaggerated angles, bending at the waist, or partaking in activities that might compromise your repair and ultimately prolong your herniated disc recovery time.
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.
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.
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.
Self care: In most cases, the pain from a herniated disc will get better within a couple days and completely resolve in 4 to 6 weeks. Restricting your activity, ice/heat therapy, and taking over the counter medications will help your recovery.
Unfortunately, there is no clear-cut answer as to whether your disc herniation will fully heal. With treatment, a disc herniation can dry up, shrink or go away. Your body may have an autoimmune response and aid in healing the herniation.
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.
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.
Signs Your Herniated Disc is Healing
However, the first symptom that will reveal that you are on the way to healing is that the sharp, shooting pain in your legs or arms will go away, followed by some muscle weakness in that nerve path. However, if you have numbness, it might take longer to heal.
While some people may think they need to stop exercising if they have a disc herniation, this is not the case! Exercise is recommended for people with a disc injury with the main goal of strengthening the muscles of the back to support the spine.
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.
Stretching should be done carefully. It's important also to do the right types of stretches since some types actually make your disc herniation worse. Before beginning any exercise routine, it's always a good idea to consult with your pain management physician.
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.
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.
After a slipped disk in one area of your spine, with or without having a surgery called diskectomy, most people recover in 1 to 6 months. You must do exercises to strengthen the muscles that surround your spine and hip for a safe return to sports. Many people are able to return to a competitive level of sports.
In about a week, most patients are able to return to work; those with very physical jobs will need to wait until they have fully recovered, however. Full recovery usually occurs in about 8 weeks, and at that time patients can go about all their normal physical activities with no restrictions.
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.
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.
Once a healthy disc herniates, it will never return to its normal anatomical state—the disease or injury is permanent in nature.