Exercises for a Herniated Disc

Are you looking for the best exercises for a Herniated Disc?  Look no further – this article will discuss two of the best exercises that you can do from the comfort of your home, as well as provide you with some additional resources.

In order to understand these exercises, though, you have to realize that there are two major problems that a person will face when trying to heal any type of disc problem.

First, the discs of the spine do not receive a very good blood supply.  This is very significant, because the body depends on the blood to transport nutrients and oxygen to injured areas for faster healing.  Because the discs do not receive a lot of blood, the healing process tends to be very slow, and if you don’t take the correct steps, healing may never occur.

The disc is very interesting, though, because it’s designed to make up for this character flaw.  Each spinal disc is composed of a strong outer covering and a soft jelly in the center.  What happens is that the jelly in the center actually stores oxygen and nutrients for healing in order to make up for the lack of blood flow.

More about that in a minute – the second problem that you will face is a change in the muscles that surround the area of the spine where the injured disc is located.  Muscles are responsible for maintaining a healthy alignment of the spine, as well as maintaining a healthy posture.

When a person has a herniated disc, the nerves in that area of the spine begin to malfunction, and these important muscles will begin to lose their strength.  This creates a huge problem, because if these muscles are not supporting the spine properly, the disc can not heal as easily because it is not being supported by these muscles.

In addition to that, if this problem isn’t addressed, you will eventually develop other back problems because of how important these muscles are.

So, how do we address these issues?  The following two exercises are a very important part of the answer.  These exercises should be done no matter where your herniated disc is located (the neck, upper back, or lower back), because they will help all regions of the spine.

The first exercise involves the use of a mini-trampoline, which you can find at any local sports store.  All you need to do is to stand in the center of the trampoline and march in place for 5 minutes a day.  Keep your head looking straight forward and your arms to your side if possible.

Do not jump – just march in place.  When you do this exercise, you are forced to balance, which will strengthen the muscles that surround the spine.  Over time, this will address the second problem that we discussed above (muscle weakness).  As mentioned, this helps every area of the spine.

The second exercise involves the use of a therapy ball, which is one of those large balls you see people using sometimes to strengthen their abdominal muscles.  All you want to do is to sit on the ball and gently bounce up and down for 5 minutes a day.

This exercise may sound silly, but what is happening is that the bouncing motion is pumping every disc in the spine, which replenishes the oxygen and nutrients within the jelly of the disc and pumps out toxins so healing can occur more quickly.

This exercise is also important for all regions of the spine, because you are pumping every disc from the top of the neck down to the bottom of the spine.

There are other exercises that you will find helpful as well.  If you would like to learn more about the most effective exercises you can do to help a herniated disc heal, please click the following link (Exercises For A Herniated Disc).

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What Is A Herniated Disc and How Does It Happen?

A herniated disc occurs when the outer covering of the disc tears for some reason.  A normal disc is composed of two parts – a strong outer covering called the Annulus and a soft jelly center called the Nucleus.

What happens in a disc herniation is that the inner layers of the Annulus tear and become weak.  Then, the nucleus begins to shift into the weak area, causing that part of the wall of the disc to bulge.  This is the reason that some will refer to this condition as a “Bulging Disc.”

The most common causes are trauma (an injury, such as a car accident or a slip and fall), too many toxins in the body (for example, smokers are more likely to develop this condition because the toxins will weaken the disc wall), and genetics (if you have a family member who suffers with this condition, you are more likely to develop it).

What makes this condition so complicated is the fact the symptoms will tend to vary, and are usually not localized to the spine.

For example, a person with a herniated disc in the neck will not only experience pain in the neck, but can also experience headaches, pain shooting into the shoulders or arms, chest pains, difficulty breathing, pain when swallowing, etc.

The reason for this is because, when the disc bulges, it usually applies pressure to the nerves in that region of the spine.  These nerves control everything in the body, and whatever they control will begin to malfunction.

A herniated disc in the low back will lead to symptoms such as low back pain, pain shooting down the legs (sciatica), difficulty walking, weakness in the legs and feet, problems going to the bathroom, and problems with the sexual organs.

The most common treatments for a herniated disc are medications, pain injections (such as cortisone and epidurals), physical therapy, and surgery in the worst cases.

These treatments are usually not very effective, though.  Alternative treatments such as chiropractic, massage therapy, and acupuncture have been found to be helpful as well, but I’ve actually found that it’s a combination of treatments that are most effective with this condition.

If you would like to learn more about the most effective treatments available for a herniated disc, click the following link (Exercises for a Herniated Disc).

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