|
|
Simple Exercises For a Back Disc For Lasting Relief
Back
exercises for a herniated disc can be beneficial or harmful, so
it’s important that you follow some basic guidelines for
exercising with this problem. This article will cover some simple
exercises that you can do for herniated disc healing, but before we can
discuss that, we need to briefly discuss how a spinal disc functions so
these recommendations make sense.
The
discs of the spine are cushions that separate each set of vertebrae in
the back. Their primary purpose is to act as shock-absorbers, which
prevents the vertebrae from absorbing this shock and helps you avoid
quite a bit of pain.
Each
disc is composed of two parts – a strong outer covering
called the annulus, and a soft jelly center called the nucleus. This
structure basically resembles a jelly doughnut.
When
an individual has a herniated disc, the strong outer covering of the
disc tears and the jelly begins to shift out of the center into the
area where the disc is injured. This creates a bulge in the disc, which
applies pressure to the spinal nerves.
This
is really why this problem is so painful and debilitating –
the spinal nerves control everything in the body, so when they have
pressure applied to them, not only is it painful, but whatever they
control in the body will begin to malfunction.
One
of the most frustrating things about healing a herniated disc is the
fact that the discs of the spine do not receive a good amount of blood
flow. The body normally depends on the blood to transport oxygen and
nutrients to an injured area for faster healing.
However,
because the discs of the spine do not receive a good blood supply, they
can be very stubborn and frustrating to heal properly.
This
is actually a very important point to discuss when talking about back
exercises for a back disc, because the discs of the spine receive their
oxygen and nutrients in a very different way. Remember how we were
discussing the fact that each spinal disc has a jelly center?
Well,
this jelly center is very important, because the disc will actually
store oxygen and nutrients in this jelly for proper healing. So, one of
the exercises we’ll be discussing will be helping to refresh
this oxygen and nutrient supply so you can experience faster healing.
Alright
– now that we have that background, it’s time to
talk about some specific herniated disc exercises you can do.
I’m actually going to give you a routine that you can do,
which I use in my clinic for the fastest and best results.
The
first exercise I will recommend will require the use of a
mini-trampoline, which is a small trampoline that’s about 4
feet wide. They’re very inexpensive, and you can find one at
most sports stores.
However,
you will not be using the trampoline in the way you may imagine
– in other words, you will not be jumping on the trampoline.
Basically, I’m going to recommend that you simply stand in
the center of the trampoline and march in place. This should be a very
controlled movement, and you need to make sure you keep your head
looking straight ahead and your arms at your side while you are
marching.
This
exercise should be done for 5 minutes every day. The goal of this back
exercises for a back disc is to improve your balance, which strengthens
the smallest muscles around the spine. When you strengthen these
muscles, it not only balances the spine, but it removes pressure from
the discs, allowing them to heal more efficiently.
The
next exercise I’ll recommend involves the use of a therapy
ball, which is one of those large balls you see in health clubs or
physical therapy clinics. Basically, you just need to sit on the ball,
and gently bounce up and down, keeping your head looking forward and
your arms to your side.
This
exercise should be done for 5 minutes every day, and it’s
best that you do it immediately following the trampoline exercise we
just discussed. This exercise is actually the most important one
I’ll be discussing today, because this is the one
that’s going to help bring new oxygen and nutrients to the
injured disc for faster healing.
Basically,
when you bounce on the ball, you are pumping every disc in the spine.
This pumping action (called imbibition) is actually pumping new oxygen
and nutrients into the disc, and pumping toxins from the injury out of
the disc.
Finally,
we need to discuss stretching and strengthening back exercises for a
back disc. Stretching should also be done every day, but I recommend
that you do your stretches immediately following you do the trampoline
and ball exercise. These exercises combined will act as an excellent
warm-up and prepare your muscles for your daily activity (which reduces
the risk that you will re-injure your herniated disc).
Strengthening
exercises, on the other hand, should be done just 3 days a week. These
exercises are slightly more aggressive, so I don’t recommend
you begin these until you’ve been doing the stretches for two
weeks. The stretches will prepare you for the strengthening exercises,
and you should always stretch before strengthening.
In
other words, I would recommend that you start with the trampoline
exercise, then the ball exercise, then stretch, and finally strengthen.
This routine will gradually warm up the area around the herniated disc,
which ensures the fastest result.
There
isn’t enough room in this article to provide you with
specific stretching and strengthening exercises, but if you click here
(back exercises for disc problems), you can find more information about
specific stretches and strengthening exercises, as well as additional
information about what you can do for relief.
Did you find this article helpful? Here are some other related articles and resources you may also find useful:
|
|
|