Best Exercises to do With Herniated Disc

oimullett

disneygirl626 wrote: »

I had a massive herniation at L5-S1 as well and I did have to end up having surgery because my sciatic nerve was being crushed and I couldn't walk correctly, plus I was losing sensation in my left leg. You may want to consider asking about a micro-discectomy. That's what I had . They basically just cut out the part of the disc that was herniated and left everything else alone. I walked out of the surgery center a few hours after the procedure - on my own without assistance, unlike how I walked in.

Having my pre-op on 28th December (don't know when I go under the knife)… this is pretty much my exact situation and very encouraging to read!

shaf238

With extent and location of injury very different between individuals, the best thing I can say is shuffle along to your doctor and ask for advice.

Azdak

Also have a herniated l4-l5 (and likely others).

What really helped in the beginning was a series of strength exercises that required torso stabilization.

Superman (although some folks are now questioning its usefulness)
Bird dog (slow and controlled)
Step up (12” height)
Push-up
Lat Pulldown
Straight arm Pulldown
Single Leg balance and reach (almost like a single leg Romanian deadlift)
Oly plate front raise
Biceps curl—> OH press
Side steps with band

I found that this not only cut down on pain, it gave me a lot of confidence that i could do a lot more than I thought when I first suffered the injury

All1971

I've had pretty severe low back pain at times. Losing weight definitely helps and so do back/core strengthening exercises. I tried inversion tables to help with spinal decomprerssion but hated hanging upside down. What has helped me the most is the "Sit and decompress" device - you can see it on amazon or the company website www.sitanddecompress.com

oimullett

For me I've settled in to a 2k row (ergo), a full body kettlebell routine, and then a run on the treadmill (intervals, not too intense) as my regular workout, it's working well, taking it easy and building up the core in particular. Kettlebell "renegade rows" are horrific, but seem to work!

robertw486

Some great info being passed on a zombie thread bump.

I've got both herniated and a fragmented disc, and most likely a surgery in my future. But I just want to stress, do what works for you and keep your doctor/physio/neuro in the loop. In my case it was suggested to me that biking might be a poor choice for exercise, due to sitting most of the time. But I love to bike, and in my case it never aggravates my back. Usually quite the opposite, and even hard rides loosen my back up most of the time. The professionals involved give me a pass since it works for me.

Planks, side planks, other stuff they gave me.... I hate many of them but do them. Any balance and core work seems to help.

For me, the vast majority of the time at least, I'm more likely to aggravate my back when doing the mindless weird stretch to one side or the other. My biggest single setback was leaning over strange in my office chair to pop some stuff in the printer to scan. For that reason I just try to stay conscious of those "little things" that put my back at strange angles or stretches.