Some bulging disc treatments include:
- Rest
- Physical therapy
- Low-impact exercise
- Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications
- Chiropractic treatment
- Epidural steroidal injections
- Open back surgery
- Minimally invasive procedures, including laminotomy and discectomy
How to heal a bulging disc in lower back naturally?
Dec 25, 2021 · Applying heat and/or cold therapy to the lower back can alleviate muscle tension that is commonly present with a lumbar herniated disc.
What to do if you have a bulging disc in your lower back?
Commonly prescribed conservative treatments include: Anti-inflammatory medications Epidural steroid injections Physical therapy Exercise Lifestyle changes, including losing weight and quitting smoking Guidelines for surgery For many patients, these options are enough to help control bulging disc symptoms.
How long to heal a bulging disc?
Spinal decompression therapy, a form of intermittent spinal traction, can also help reduce symptoms of a bulging disc and provide pain relief for longer periods of time. Traction tables can help stretch and open spinal joints to take pressure off the affected disc, which helps the bulge return to its central position between adjacent vertebrae.
How do you fix a bulging disc?
Aug 08, 2018 · Options for therapy include yoga, acupuncture, chiropractic care, physical therapy, decompression, and massage therapy. Get an epidural steroid injection. Injecting a steroid right on the disc herniation sometimes reduces inflammation around the spinal nerves.
Can a bulging disc heal on its own?
The good news is that in most cases — 90% of the time — pain caused by a herniated disc will go away on its own within six months. Initially, your doctor will likely recommend that you take an over-the-counter pain reliever and limit activities that cause pain or discomfort.Sep 1, 2020
How do you get rid of a bulging disc in your lower back?
Nonsurgical treatment may include:Rest. One to 2 days of bed rest will usually help relieve back and leg pain. ... Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen can help relieve pain.Physical therapy. ... Epidural steroid injection.
Is a bulging disc serious?
One of the most significant complications of a bulging disc is permanent nerve damage. Without treatment, compressed nerve roots in the spine can be permanently damaged, leading to chronic pain, weakness, and loss of sensation.
What is the fastest way to heal a bulging disc?
How to heal a herniated disc quicklyAlternate applying heat and cold.Stay as active as you can. Take walks to avoid becoming too stiff from resting too often.Try alternative treatments like acupuncture, massage, or chiropractic.Jan 27, 2022
Is walking good for a bulging disc?
Absolutely. Walking is an excellent choice for patients with herniated discs, as it stimulates blood flow and oxygen to the cells. It also helps keep your discs hydrated, which is important for healing. Other low-impact aerobic activities to try are swimming and cycling.Jan 14, 2019
What happens if a bulging disc goes untreated?
A severe case of a bulging disc can cut off nerve impulses, even causing permanent nerve damage. Additionally, you may experience sharp paints, incontinence, bowel movement irregularity, or even partial paralysis as the issue worsens.Oct 2, 2020
How painful is a bulging disc?
A bulging disc may have no pain at all because it has not reached a certain severity level, and this can make it difficult to identify the bulging disc symptoms before the condition becomes more severe. Most commonly, bulging discs create pressure points on nearby nerves which create a variety of sensations.Mar 8, 2017
When should I be worried about a bulging disc?
Protruding discs that have worsened to the point of herniation or rupture may cause severe symptoms that require immediate medical care. Contact a medical provider if you experience pain or numbness that affects your ability to function or walk, or changes in your bowel and bladder function.
How do doctors treat bulging discs?
Treatments for a bulging disk will depend on its severity and location. Doctors may recommend anti-inflammatory medications to help with pain and reduce inflammation. For people with severe pain, steroid injections may be a suitable short-term solution. If the disk ruptures, bed rest may be necessary.
What makes bulging discs worse?
The pain from a herniated disc usually is worse when you are active and gets better when you are resting. Coughing, sneezing, sitting, driving, and bending forward may make the pain worse. The pain gets worse when you make these movements because there is more pressure on the nerve.May 15, 2003
What should I avoid with a bulging disc?
A person with a disc herniation should avoid heavy lifting, sudden pressure on the back, or repetitive strenuous activities during recovery. People should avoid all exercises that cause pain or feel as though they are making the pain worse.
What is the best pain medication for a bulging disc?
What is the best medication for a herniated disc?Best medications for a herniated discMotrin, Advil (ibuprofen)Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugsOralOxyContin (oxycodone)OpioidOralPercocet (oxycodone and acetaminophen)OpioidOralVicodin (hydrocodone and acetaminophen)OpioidOral4 more rows•Oct 5, 2020
So, What Is A Bulging Disc?
To understand what a bulging disc is, we must first understand the anatomy of the spine. Put simply, the spine is made up of individual vertebrae s...
What Causes A Bulging Disc?
● Seated in poor posture for long periods of time (in office, driving, etc..)● Repetitive bending, lifting, and twisting (Esp in poor form). ● Heav...
How Is A Bulging Disc Different from Herniated Disc? and Which Is Worse?
Now that we know what a bulging disc is, let’s discuss disc herniation. ● In most simple terms, a herniated disc is when the fluid material from th...
What Are The Symptoms of A Bulging Disc in The Lumbar Spine?
● Low Back Pain● Pain Can Travel Down Leg ● Decreased Lumbar Lordosis (Lower Back Curvature Becomes Flattened – Flatter Lower Back Over Time) ● Lum...
What Are The Most Effective Treatment Options?
With most bulging discs in the lower back, you want to use an extension based exercise programs. This can reverse the direction of the bulge and pu...
Exercise #1: Lying Figure-4 Stretch (For Piriformis)
In the early stages of a disc bulge, your body’s natural response is to tighten up and protect the spine and buttocks area. Because of this, one of...
Exercise #2: Prone Alternating Leg Raises
The prone leg lift creates spinal extension helping push the jelly-like material back towards the center and reduce bulging disc.
Exercise #3: Half Cobra Pose
The half cobra pose creates spinal extension helping push the nucleus (jelly) back towards the center and reduce bulging disc.
Exercise #4: Full Cobra Pose
The full cobra pose creates even more spinal extension than half cobra helping push the nucleus (jelly) back towards the center and reduce bulging...
Exercise #5: Abdominal Drawing Maneuver
A solid core foundation helps provide stability which in turn prevents re-injury and further injury from occurring. This will help reset the spine...
Numbness Or Pins And Needles
A patient can feel numbness or sensations in the foot. This happens because the bulging disc will prevent the nerves from operating properly. As such, some of the signals will pass completely while others wont. In a nutshell, the sensation you are going to feel wont be normal. Patients describe this symptom as funny, but it is far from that.
Preventing Pain And Injury
Posture. Using correct posture and keeping your spine in alignment are the most important things you can do for your neck and back . The lower back bears most of your weight, so proper alignment of this section can prevent injury to your vertebrae, discs, and other portions of the spine.
Can Further Bouts Of Back Pain Be Prevented
Evidence suggests that the best way to prevent bouts of back pain and ‘slipped’ disc is simply to keep active and to exercise regularly. This means general fitness exercise such as walking, running, swimming, etc. There is no firm evidence to say that any particular back strengthening exercises are more useful than simply keeping fit and active.
What Causes A Slipped Disc
It is not clear why some people develop a ‘slipped’ disc and not others, even when they do the same job or lift the same sort of objects. It seems that some people may have a weakness in the outer part of the affected disc. Various things may trigger the inner softer part of the disc to squeeze out through the weakened outer part of the disc.
The Universal Guide To Herniated Discs: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know Straight From The Experts
You might think of “the spine” as one solid-but-flexible piece but it actually consists of small, moving parts that all have to work in concert for proper mobility. Sometimes, though, that harmony has a few players who are way out of tunenamely your discs, the cushion-like pads between your vertebrae.
What Is A Herniated Disk
A herniated disk is an injury of the spine . You have a series of bones in your spine, stretching from the base of your skull to your tailbone. Between your vertebrae are round cushions called disks. The disks act as buffers between your bones, allowing you to bend and move with ease.
How Is A Herniated Disk Diagnosed
Your healthcare provider will do a thorough exam. During the physical, your provider will assess your pain, muscle reflexes, sensation and muscle strength. Your provider may also order tests such as:
Is there a non surgical treatment for a bulging disc?
Non-Surgical Treatment Options. Alternative Treatments for a Bulging Disc. Although no single treatment plan is right for every patient, there are some bulging disc treatment guidelines that are often effective in relieving symptoms. While a bulging disc is not necessarily painful, nerve compression can result if displaced disc material causes ...
Can a bulging disc cause neck pain?
Upon diagnosing a bulging disc as the source of neck pain, back pain or radiating pain in the extremities, doctors will usually begin with a course of conservative treatments. Since a bulging disc can improve with time, initial treatment is generally aimed at pain management while the progress of the condition is monitored.
Can a bulging disc be treated?
For many patients, these options are enough to help control bulging disc symptoms. Most doctors view surgery to treat a bulging disc as a last resort because it is such an invasive process, requiring a large muscle-tearing incision, overnight hospitalization and a long recovery period.
How do you know if you have a bulging disk?
The symptoms of a bulging disk depend on its severity and location in the spine. Some people may experience no initial symptoms. However, with further disk degeneration and herniation, a person may have the following symptoms: back pain that worsens with movement, such as sneezes. spasms in the back muscles.
Why does my spine bulge?
Bulging disks result from a reduction of gel in the disk center. Less gel causes the disk to become compressed and start to bulge. The gel in a spinal disk naturally wears away over time. A bulging disk is usually the result of aging, but it can also be due to spinal injury, such as the result of a car accident.
Why do my vertebrae bulge?
Bulging disks occur when the spongy disks between the vertebrae become compressed and bulge out. A common cause of bulging disks is aging. If this degradation continues, it can lead to a herniated disk. Herniated disks can cause pain, numbness, and mobility issues.
What is the term for the spongy disks that make up the spine?
A bulging disk occurs when the spongy disks between the bones in the spine become compressed and bulge out. A series of interlocking bones, called vertebrae, make up the spine. These vertebrae provide support for the spine and enable the back to bend and move. Between each vertebra is soft tissue, known as a spinal disk, ...
What is a herniated disk?
Sometimes, the outer layer of the disk breaks down and causes a herniated disk. A herniated disk, also known as a ruptured or slipped disk, is when the gel-like center leaks out through a tear in the disk’s exterior wall.
What is the soft tissue between vertebrae?
Between each vertebra is soft tissue, known as a spinal disk, which prevents bones from rubbing against each other. The disks also act as shock absorbers to prevent damage during movement. Each disk contains a tough outer later with gel in the middle. This gel may decrease with age, become compressed, and push out.
What is the pain in the back?
back pain that worsens with movement, such as sneezes . spasms in the back muscles. weakness and numbness in the legs and feet. reduced mobility in the legs, knees, and ankles . decreased bladder and bowel control. difficulty walking.
What is the best treatment for a herniated disc?
Options for therapy include yoga, acupuncture, chiropractic care, physical therapy, decompression, and massage therapy. Get an epidural steroid injection . Injecting a steroid right on the disc herniation sometimes reduces inflammation around the spinal nerves.
What to do if you can't handle a disc herniation?
If you can’t handle it, try the next option. Take medication. When a disc herniates there’s a chemical reaction that creates an inflammatory response as the body tries to calm it down. That inflammation presses against the nerve even more.
How many people with no back pain had MRIs?
A study published in the July 1994 New England Journal Of Medicine took MRI scans of 98 people with no low back pain (recruited randomly with flyers and newspaper ads); the scans were examined for signs of disc bulges, protrusions, and extrusions. Fifty-two percent of participants without back pain had one or more bulging discs.
How long does it take for a herniated disc to heal?
Studies show that about 80% of herniated disc cases resolve themselves within approximately six weeks, though it’s not an exact science. Taking the time to try some or all of these options may help you to avoid surgery.
How long does it take to heal a bulging disc?
That’s a good idea, considering most patients gradually recover from disc abnormalities on their own, without surgery, over the course of several weeks to a couple of months. All the options listed below can help to manage pain.
Why does my lower back hurt?
Bulging discs in the lower back are a common cause of back pain. By definition, this condition is a weakening of the outer lining of the disc that allows the inner layers to push out and bulge the outer rim of the disc.
How to reduce swelling in back?
Try anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen to reduce the inflammation, or try muscle relaxants. Try therapy. Once you get the swelling down, you could try therapy to create stability and strengthen the muscles around your core and back, and help improve the function of the spine.
Treatment options for a bulging disc in the lower back
No matter what has caused your bulging disc, if it is triggering lower back pain, it probably requires treatment. Some bulging disc treatments include:
Am I a candidate for minimally invasive spine surgery?
If a physician determines that a bulging disc is causing your lower back pain and other treatments have failed to offer relief after several weeks or months, you may want to discuss your treatment options with USA Spine Care.
What to do for a bulging disc?
Bulging disc treatment options depend largely on your symptoms. Doctors often recommend acupuncture, electrotherapy, ice packs, or soft tissue massage for minor and moderately bulging disc injuries. You might also want to consider chiropractic treatment.
What is the best treatment for a damaged disc?
You might also want to consider chiropractic treatment. Another option is stem cell disc regeneration. This procedure stimulates the formation of new disc cells, which helps restore and rebuild damaged discs. Patients experience a reduction in pain and discomfort – and improved quality of life.
Why do my discs bulge out?
As we age, our discs dehydrate and their cartilage becomes stiff, which may cause them to bulge out. While aging is the most common cause of bulging discs, there are other factors that may contribute to this condition. These include: A family history of spinal problems.
How many discs are there in the spine?
Their role is to absorb shock and allow movement at each spinal level. The spine has a total of 23 discs. These anatomical structures are subject to wear and tear. At birth, about 80 percent of their content is water.
How to treat a compressed spinal nerve?
Ice packs reduce inflammation and swelling around the compressed spinal nerve. All you need to do is to apply ice on the affected areas for about 10 minutes; repeat several times a day.
Why does my lower back hurt?
In some cases, the pain can worsen and become chronic. This condition can have a variety of cases, from poor posture to arthritis and injuries. Sometimes, it results from a bulging disc.
Where does disc protrusion occur?
Sometimes, it results from a bulging disc. Also known as a disc protrusion, bulging discs typically occur in the lower back between vertebrae L5 and S1 or L4 and L5. Their symptoms vary from one individual to another. Some people may experience no symptoms at all, while others report excruciating pain.
How long does it take for a bulging disc to heal?
With proper exercise and healthy spine habits, a bulging disc rarely requires surgery. In fact, it can typically be treated at home and can usually heal on its own within 6 to 12 months. The most important thing is to give the bulging disc the opportunity to heal by: 1 Changing the movements and habits that put unhealthy loads through the disc. 2 Building strength in the appropriate muscles to give the disc the support it needs.
How to heal a bulging disc?
The most important thing is to give the bulging disc the opportunity to heal by: Changing the movements and habits that put unhealthy loads through the disc. Building strength in the appropriate muscles to give the disc the support it needs. Written by Dr. Jeremy James.
How to tell if a disc is bulging?
A bulging disc can be diagnosed by a thorough evaluation by a health care professional and also by imaging such as an MRI. Symptom patterns common to bulging discs include pain with forward bending, pain with coughing, sneezing or bowel movements, and pain with prolonged sitting. The pain can occur in the back, ...
What is the difference between a disc and a donut?
Each disc is like a jelly-filled donut, with a gelatinous inner layer and firm outer layer. Typically, pressure created by everyday activities like walking, bending, sitting, and lifting is distributed evenly across discs. But bad posture, repetitive movements, and a lack of strength in the muscles that support the spine can cause unhealthy ...
What causes a disc to be uneven?
The weight that is usually distributed evenly through the disc by daily activities (walking, sitting, and bending over) is now distributed in an uneven pattern, putting unhealthy pressure on the affected disc and the surrounding discs, joints, and ligaments. Eventually this pressure causes problems which can result in pain.
What happens when the pressure gets too great in one part of the disc?
When the pressure gets too great in one part of the disc, the inner liquid can push into the outer layer causing a “bulge” to form— this is referred to as a bulging disc. When pressure and the bulge become extreme, the outer layer tears and the inner liquid spills out, resulting in a disc herniation —a herniated disc is a potentially much more ...
Why does my disc hurt?
Pain and/or dysfunction can be caused in four general ways: If the other structures around the disc become overloaded because the damaged disc in unable to absorb shocks, they wear down and become inflamed, resulting in arthritis .
