How Do You Exercise With Back Pain From a Herniated Disc?
Many people have the misconception that the only way to correct a herniated disc is through surgery.
In fact, for the vast majority of people with herniated discs or other disc damage, the best form of treatment is exercise therapy.
The exact exercises and stretches you should do depend on both the location of your herniation and the cause thereof.
Accidents are one of the main causes of disc herniation.
A car accident or other significantly injurious event can immediately damage one or more discs in the spine.
Discs are cushions between the vertebrae designed to absorb shock, but they have limits.
When the shape of a disc changes, the alignment of the spine is altered.
This may be only slight at first, but over time it may progress.
Nerves exiting the spine can be impinged by the misplaced vertebra or irritated by the fluid that leaks from a herniated disc.
These nerves can cause muscle spasticity, tightness or laxity.
Often, the muscles on the side of vertebral misplacement are tightened and those opposite are weakened.
Exercising without awareness of muscle imbalance can exacerbate the situation.
Tight, shortened muscles need to be relaxed, not exercised, and weak ones need to be conditioned.
Ask your doctor about obtaining a referral to a physical therapist trained in identifying muscle imbalances before embarking on an exercise regimen.
The goal of exercise therapy for a herniated disc is two-pronged: 1) to strengthen the core muscles (in the pelvis, lower back and abdominal region) to support the spine, and 2) to increase intervertebral disc space, allowing the disc to return to its natural shape and reabsorb its leaked fluids.
Core Strength: The First Prong Your exercise program should be pain-free.
Building core strength can be done gently.
One of the gentlest forms of exercise is water aerobics and strength-training.
Water eliminates the jarring effect gravity has on the spine, taking the weight of the upper body off your damaged disc.
Since water is highly dense, it is a great resistor of movement, making it ideal for conditioning exercises.
Using an exercise ball may be helpful, but only if your core is already somewhat toned.
Sitting on the ball instead of a chair or couch can give you a low-grade, balanced core workout because you must engage your core in order to stay balanced on it.
Restoring Disc Shape: The Second Prong As with your exercise program, your stretching routine will be contingent upon the location of herniation.
Two forms of stretching that may be helpful to any type or location of disc damage are decompression therapy and inversion therapy.
Decompression therapy uses either a large machine or a small home device to stretch vertebrae apart, increasing disc space and allowing fluids, over the course of 20 sessions, to be reabsorbed into discs.
Many chiropractors have large decompression machines in their offices.
The patient lays down on the machine's platform, while a segment of the spine rests on a wedge that stretches the vertebrae apart.
The larger machines have an advantage over the home devices: They contain biofeedback technology.
This means that the machine can measure when muscles are being pulled too much and contracting against the machine's pull.
Home devices are less sensitive to the needs of surrounding muscles, and therefore less efficient.
Inversion therapy involves lying on a platform and being tilted at an angle that puts the head lower than the feet.
Gravity is used to increase intervertebral space.
While this does not include biofeedback, it has been a trusted form of relief long before decompression machines existed, and is less expensive.
While your routine should be tailored to your unique situation, you can see an example of some common exercises and stretches prescribed for those with herniated discs here: http://www.
wisegeek.
com/what-are-the-best-herniated-disc-exercises.
htm.
What To Do After An Accident After any kind of physical trauma, it is generally recommended to apply ice to affected areas and rest for a day or two.
If the accident merits immediate medical attention and damage to the spine is identified, then frequent follow-up exams should be pursued.
A herniated disc can be inconspicuous throughout your life; it could also progress to cause a significant amount of pain.
Chiropractic care can be of great assistance to people whose spines are misaligned due to disc damage.
If the spine is out of alignment because it has adapted to the altered disc space, the above attempts to restore disc shape will be obstructed.
A massage therapist can treat any muscle imbalances that are exerting counterproductive force on the spine.
It is possible to stay active, even with a herniated disc.
Don't think that surgery is the only way to correct the damage done to your spine; knowing the right way to move may be enough to eliminate your pain.
In fact, for the vast majority of people with herniated discs or other disc damage, the best form of treatment is exercise therapy.
The exact exercises and stretches you should do depend on both the location of your herniation and the cause thereof.
Accidents are one of the main causes of disc herniation.
A car accident or other significantly injurious event can immediately damage one or more discs in the spine.
Discs are cushions between the vertebrae designed to absorb shock, but they have limits.
When the shape of a disc changes, the alignment of the spine is altered.
This may be only slight at first, but over time it may progress.
Nerves exiting the spine can be impinged by the misplaced vertebra or irritated by the fluid that leaks from a herniated disc.
These nerves can cause muscle spasticity, tightness or laxity.
Often, the muscles on the side of vertebral misplacement are tightened and those opposite are weakened.
Exercising without awareness of muscle imbalance can exacerbate the situation.
Tight, shortened muscles need to be relaxed, not exercised, and weak ones need to be conditioned.
Ask your doctor about obtaining a referral to a physical therapist trained in identifying muscle imbalances before embarking on an exercise regimen.
The goal of exercise therapy for a herniated disc is two-pronged: 1) to strengthen the core muscles (in the pelvis, lower back and abdominal region) to support the spine, and 2) to increase intervertebral disc space, allowing the disc to return to its natural shape and reabsorb its leaked fluids.
Core Strength: The First Prong Your exercise program should be pain-free.
Building core strength can be done gently.
One of the gentlest forms of exercise is water aerobics and strength-training.
Water eliminates the jarring effect gravity has on the spine, taking the weight of the upper body off your damaged disc.
Since water is highly dense, it is a great resistor of movement, making it ideal for conditioning exercises.
Using an exercise ball may be helpful, but only if your core is already somewhat toned.
Sitting on the ball instead of a chair or couch can give you a low-grade, balanced core workout because you must engage your core in order to stay balanced on it.
Restoring Disc Shape: The Second Prong As with your exercise program, your stretching routine will be contingent upon the location of herniation.
Two forms of stretching that may be helpful to any type or location of disc damage are decompression therapy and inversion therapy.
Decompression therapy uses either a large machine or a small home device to stretch vertebrae apart, increasing disc space and allowing fluids, over the course of 20 sessions, to be reabsorbed into discs.
Many chiropractors have large decompression machines in their offices.
The patient lays down on the machine's platform, while a segment of the spine rests on a wedge that stretches the vertebrae apart.
The larger machines have an advantage over the home devices: They contain biofeedback technology.
This means that the machine can measure when muscles are being pulled too much and contracting against the machine's pull.
Home devices are less sensitive to the needs of surrounding muscles, and therefore less efficient.
Inversion therapy involves lying on a platform and being tilted at an angle that puts the head lower than the feet.
Gravity is used to increase intervertebral space.
While this does not include biofeedback, it has been a trusted form of relief long before decompression machines existed, and is less expensive.
While your routine should be tailored to your unique situation, you can see an example of some common exercises and stretches prescribed for those with herniated discs here: http://www.
wisegeek.
com/what-are-the-best-herniated-disc-exercises.
htm.
What To Do After An Accident After any kind of physical trauma, it is generally recommended to apply ice to affected areas and rest for a day or two.
If the accident merits immediate medical attention and damage to the spine is identified, then frequent follow-up exams should be pursued.
A herniated disc can be inconspicuous throughout your life; it could also progress to cause a significant amount of pain.
Chiropractic care can be of great assistance to people whose spines are misaligned due to disc damage.
If the spine is out of alignment because it has adapted to the altered disc space, the above attempts to restore disc shape will be obstructed.
A massage therapist can treat any muscle imbalances that are exerting counterproductive force on the spine.
It is possible to stay active, even with a herniated disc.
Don't think that surgery is the only way to correct the damage done to your spine; knowing the right way to move may be enough to eliminate your pain.
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