The intervertebral discs are pieces of fibrous cartilage that appear in every joint of the spine. These small masses of tissue play a hugely useful role, connecting bone to bone and dampening impacts that would otherwise be painful or injurious. Unfortunately, strain or physical trauma can cause one or more discs to become herniated, or bulge out and deform. This type of injury can cause lasting back pain and limited motion due to stiffness, as well as irritating sensations of tingling. Although moving the affected portion of the back may be difficult when you have a disc herniation, specific forms of exercise are actually among the best ways to reduce pain from this condition and recover better and faster.
At JAG Physical Therapy, New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania’s source for back pain relief, we offer comprehensive treatment for herniated discs, including detailed exercise guidance. And if you need surgery for a severe disc herniation, our pre- and post-operative PT programs can help you prepare better, get back on your feet faster, and have an improved long-term outcome. Schedule your appointment at your local JAG PT clinic today or see below for further information on exercises to relieve back pain.
What Types of Exercises Help with Herniated Disc Pain?
When an intervertebral disc is herniated, part of the stiffer outer layer of tissue becomes worn away or torn, allowing part of the softer, jellylike inner layer to push into the joint. This disc contents then can press on the spinal nerves, which is the immediate cause of symptoms. Therefore, there are three main principles to alleviating the issues that come from disc herniation: core stabilization, spinal decompression, and posture correction. All of these considerations help reduce pressure on affected nerves or keep the nerve fibers on their normal path in some way.
Strengthening and consistent activation of the core muscles works to keep the spine in a healthy position and absorb some of the shock from everyday forces that would otherwise send pain signals through a compressed nerve. Decompressing the spine directly relieves pressure on the nerve roots and can prevent other causes of neuropathies in the back. And posture correction can shift a lot of weight off parts of the spine that are less able to bear it. All together, these forms of gentle exercise tend to be better than complete rest, as pain from a herniated disc can get worse over time if you don’t deal with it. In fact, exercising in the right way means that you can get more comfortable and have fewer symptoms even when you are at rest.
Which Exercises Are Safe to Try at Home?
As long as you don’t push your limits, you can exercise to relieve herniated disc pain at home, as you usually will not need special equipment. In fact, many of the movements recommended for disc herniations in particular sections of the spine are simply retractions and extensions done in a certain pattern. These exercises can all be done while seated, making them easy to perform at the same times daily.
If you have a herniated disc in the cervical section – the vertebrae of the neck – you can start off by moving your head forward while looking out straight and keeping your back upright, then slowly moving back again, in the manner of a chicken bobbing its head. Once you are comfortable with repeatedly performing this movement, you can combine it with tilting your head back and looking straight upward as a form of cervical traction extension. If the issue is your upper back – the thoracic vertebrae – you can reach both hands behind your back to touch your shoulder blades, make sure you are sitting somewhere in the middle of the chair, and lean slightly forward, slowly alternating between arching your back and rounding it. These exercises all have the purpose of taking some pressure off the discs themselves, while also stretching the back and neck muscles so that the vertebrae can be better supported.
Some slightly more involved exercises that are helpful for herniated discs include the following:
- Prone Press-Ups: In cases of lumbar disc herniation, prone press-ups are especially useful as they can help stop neuropathic pain from radiating down into the leg. In general, this exercise is an easy form of spinal extension that decompresses many of the discs at once. To perform prone press-ups, lay down on your stomach in push-up position – hands lined up with your shoulders – but with your feet extended, soles up. Use your hands to gradually raise your upper body while your lower body stays still, assuming a position similar to the cobra pose in yoga. Bring yourself back to the starting position just as gradually and repeat up to 10 times per set.
- Supine Marching: Many exercises for the deep core muscles would put undue strain on the spine – although core stability is helpful for disc herniation, these exercises would be unsuitable. Fortunately, supine marching activates much of the deep core and will not cause spinal discomfort. To do this exercise, lay down on your back with both knees bent and soles flat on the floor. Flexing your abdominal muscles (pulling your navel inwards), lift one knee to your chest without arching your lower back, return the leg back down, and alternate and repeat.
- Pelvic Tilts with Marching Progression: Performed in a way similar to the above exercise, pelvic tilts with marching can greatly improve your spinal alignment over time and also increase your muscle coordination to help avoid future injuries. Starting on your back with feet flat and knees bent, engage your abdominals and raise your hips without moving your lower back, thus tilting your pelvis toward the ceiling. Holding this position, you can then “march” in place – you don’t need to lift your leg as far as in supine marching, but try to begin moving one leg up as soon as the other one is coming down in order to train your coordination.
No matter which exercises you use, you should do them gently and go easy at first. And if you cause yourself pain, stop exercising immediately and slowly stretch the affected area.
How Often Should You Do Herniated Disc Exercises?
When exercising with any injury – and a herniated disc especially – consistency is better than intensity. You should never skip exercising for the day unless your PT or physician has advised you to. However, one to two sets of each type of exercise per day is all you will need – your routine should never cause you further pain, so you should do two sets if the first one doesn’t lead to discomfort. Finally, don’t change your routine without professional advice – your physical therapist will monitor you and continually evaluate you. Their experience will tell them when and how you can benefit from new or altered movements.
When Should You See a Physical Therapist for a Herniated Disc?
You may have been diagnosed with a herniated disc as soon as you felt a new source of back pain. However, you should definitely follow up – or get seen for the first time – if the pain worsens or if the tingling from the herniation progresses to numbness. Mobility limitations beyond stiffness and weakness of the back muscles should also be considered red flags. One concern, for example, is cauda equina syndrome, which may cause debilitating low back and leg pain and loss of bladder or bowel control and requires surgery to treat.
There are 23 intervertebral discs in total, and each one can present with subtly different symptoms and pose different treatment challenges than the others when it becomes herniated. Therefore, a personalized care plan is key for disc herniation. At JAG PT, our skilled therapists will check your spinal alignment, your posture, the condition of your back muscles, and many other factors in order to make sure we treat you correctly.
Get Relief from Herniated Disc Pain at JAG Physical Therapy
The team at JAG PT combines various evidence-based therapy modalities to treat each of our patients in a way that works for them and fits their lifestyle. Thanks to manual therapy, guided exercise, and more specialized methods for herniated disc pain, you can get relief without using more invasive treatments. And if you have been prescribed medication or need surgery, getting empathetic care at a JAG PT clinic can make your treatment much more effective overall. Book your appointment now – we’re here to help you relieve your spinal issues and help you return to your pain-free daily life.