A herniated disc can occur along the spine, usually on the lower back. Over time, the back handles numerous amounts of weight that will lead to gradual wear and tear which can lead to loss of fluid in the center of the vertebral. This causes less flexibility and increased risk to tear or rupture. A herniated disc can also press on the nerves in our spine that can cause weakness, pain, and numbness throughout your entire body. Even Though, the symptoms of a herniated disc sounds major and permanent, it can be preventable and can easily improve within the next few weeks.
At Home Treatments
Resting your back is a great way to help alleviate the pain. A way you can do this is taking a few days off from lifting heavy objects or twisting and bending your back. We also don’t recommend not just laying in your bed because it can lead to stiffness and increased pain. After resting for a few days, start with low-active activities like walking, yoga and stretching to keep your body moving.
The position that you sleep can help decrease the pain levels of your back pain as well. Sleeping on your stomach will aggravate the pain even more because your spine is not in the natural alignment. Sleep on your back with your knees below to elevate the legs to rest your spine even more.
Physical Therapy
If at home treatments are not improving the herniated disc, then seeing a physical therapist might be the next step. A physical therapist can help teach you which kind of exercises will help strengthen your back and neck muscles.
Some physical therapy programs that your doctor might suggest for you is:
- Stretching out your back to improve posture.
- Ice and heat therapy that will relieve pain and swelling in your back.
- Electrical muscle stimulation will help stimulate the nerves in the musclesto restore the function and strength of your back.
A herniated back can prevent you from doing daily tasks throughout the day. These simple tasks can help alleviate the pain and can improve the strength of your back as well.
To learn more about the services we offer for your pain management, you can check out our website here. If you have different pains in your body and want to check out more treatment solutions, you can check out our blogs here!
