Exercises For A Herniated Disc – Simple Tips For Every Situation

Exercises for bulging discs are a necessary part of any healing program. However, a person suffering with a bulging disc needs to proceed with caution when it comes to exercises, because there is a good possibility that you could aggravate your symptoms if you don’t follow some simple rules.

This article will discuss some specific back disc exercises, as well as some simple recommendations and rules you will want to follow for the best results. Before we can discuss this information, we need to briefly talk about how the discs of the spine work so the exercises we talk about will make sense.

The spinal discs are shock absorbers that separate each set of vertebrae in the spine. They are composed of a strong outer covering called the annulus, and a soft jelly center called the nucleus.

The nucleus is very important for our discussion about exercises for a herniated disc, because this is where the discs of the spine store oxygen and nutrients for proper healing.

If you’ve been dealing with this condition for any period of time, you’ve probably heard your doctor tell you that a bulging disc is a very difficult problem to heal, and tends to be quite stubborn. This is because the spinal discs do not have a very good blood supply going to them.

The body normally relies on blood for transporting oxygen and nutrients to an injured area for faster healing, so without normal blood flow, the affected disc has to find another way to bring oxygen and nutrients for healing. One of the exercises we’ll talk about will help with this, but for now, just realize that the nucleus of the disc is going to be very important for this.

A bulging disc develops when the strong outer covering tears, and the jelly begins to shift into the weak area of the disc. This creates a bulge, which will tend to apply pressure to the spinal nerves.

This is actually why a bulging disc can be such a painful problem – the spinal nerves control everything in the body, and they are very sensitive to any type of pressure. This is also why the symptoms of a disc problem are not usually limited to the spine – the pain and dysfunction will tend to radiate because of the nerves affected.

Now, there’s one more concept I would like to talk about before we talk more specifically about exercises for a herniated disc. There is one movement in particular that will make a bulging disc worse, so this motion needs to be avoided at all costs when learning and utilizing exercises for a bulging disc.

The movement I’m referring to is flexion and rotation at the same time. For example – if your bulging disc is in your low back, you would never want to bend forward at the waist and twist at the same time. The same is true for the neck – you would never want to flex your head forward and turn your head to the side at the same time.

This position is where the discs are weakest, so you need to avoid it at all costs. What does this have to do with your exercise routine? Well, there are certain exercises that place your spine in this position – especially certain abdominal exercises.

A common exercise to work the abdominal muscles on the sides is to do a sit up while twisting at the waist. Sure, this exercise will target those muscles, but you are placing a lot of strain on the discs of the lower back at the same time. So, if you are suffering with a bulging disc, this type of exercise needs to be eliminated from your routine.

It’s important that you review your current exercise program and look for any exercises that place your spine in this position. Avoiding them will go a long way in helping your disc heal.

Let’s talk more specifically now about back disc exercises. I’ll be teaching you a simple routine that will help you, no matter where your injured disc is located (in other words, you can use these exercises whether the problem is in your neck, middle back, or low back).

Before you perform any type of exercise, you need to start with a warm up. There are two simple exercises you can do that will not only help you warm up, but are also incredibly beneficial for a bulging disc.

The first exercise I would encourage you to do is to march in place on a mini-trampoline. A mini-trampoline is just a small trampoline (usually 3 – 4 feet wide), and can be purchased at a sports store (such as Sportmart).

I want to be very clear that I do not recommend that you jump on the trampoline – all you want to do is stand in the center of the trampoline, keep your head looking straight forward and your arms at your side, and simply march in place for 5 minutes every day.

This exercise forces your body to balance, which strengthens and warms up the small muscles surrounding the spine. These muscles are very important for providing support to an injured disc, which is why it will help with your problem.

After you perform this exercise, I would encourage you to do a simple exercise using a therapy ball. A therapy ball is one of those large balls you see in health clubs or physical therapy clinics. Simply sit on the ball, keep your head looking straight forward and your arms to your side, and gently bounce up and down for 5 minutes every day. I want to stress that the bouncing should be done gently – do not get crazy with this, or you could aggravate your pain.

This exercise pumps every disc in your spine, which transports new oxygen and nutrients into the disc for faster healing. This is the exercise I was referring to earlier when we were discussing how important the jelly in the center of the disc is.

Finally, let’s talk about stretching and strengthening exercises. Stretches should be performed every day, while strengthening exercises should only be performed 3 days each week. These should always be done after you have done the first 2 exercises we just discussed.

This article is too short to give you specific stretches and back disc exercises, but you can get more details, as well as specific stretches and exercises by clicking here (back exercises for disc problems).

Did you find this article helpful? Here are some other related articles and resources you may also find useful:

• Here is a list of the best resources I've found for Bulging Disc / Herniated Disc relief
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• Back Exercises For A Back Disc - Avoid Set-Backs With These Simple Rules
• Exercises For A Back Disc – Basic Tips For Every Situation
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