Best Exercises to do With Herniated Disc

csman49

L4/5 here too!

The option of surgery was brought up a while back, but at that time, it was my first time of disk issues, so i turned down that option to try and heal naturally... roll forward a few months and i thought i had it beaten! yay! But no. It came back again pretty bad. Currently undergoing physio and have a referral to the specialists again, and this time, i will take the surgery route.

Anyhow, we're all unique. What i find hard/impossible, may not be so bad for yourself etc. So i've bought some resistance bands (waiting delivery) so i can at least start doing some workouts again.

I have the effect that the back issue causes depression and suppresses my appetite, and i lose weight. Rapidly. So i'm trying to put back on what i lost, plus a little more.

mema_king

You poor thing. We all seem to feel your pain- mine was at L5 and as others have said walking and swimming worked best for me. Even when the pain was at it worst walking was the best thing I could do. I got a pedometer and the days that it was at it worst were clearly the days that I wasn't moving.

I also did a lot of Physio and used one of those Core Balls. Lately I'm trying Yoga and Pilates to try and get some of the movement back.

I was supposed to have the back op, but a blood clott and blood thinning tablets stopped that. In the long run that blood clott helped me as it delayed the hospital visit and my family still talk about me walking off the back pain.

I hope it all goes well.
E

Victorusmc77

Well it looks as if we all feel the same pain when it comes to back pain! My L1-L5 are herniated. I'm in so much pain and refuse to take painkillers that I'm staring surgery in the eye in the near future! The pain is definitely affected my life in many ways, from not being able to work a full day, can't eat, I've lost 15 pounds in 4 months and my motivation is very low.

So I decided to do something about it, I'm going to join a gym with a pool and start doing exercises that won't affect my back! I'm glad I found this site lots of helpful information and answers to questions I had!! But I'm still undesisive about getting surgery...??? But with 5 herniated discs my life has completely changed for the worst and think that's probably my only option!?

lessofme43

i was looking for some thread to help me since I suffered a severe back spasm 3 weeks ago that has turned my world upside down. The back/hip muscles released within about a week, but there is serious pain stemming from lower back into hip, down the IT band, calf and through the heel. I've been to physio twice, chiro and therapeutic massage, nothing seems to be the magic cure I'm looking for. I try to stretch several times a day, and I also try to get on my elliptical daily, but sometimes the pain is just too much. The pain meds (OTC and prescription) mostly just take edge off and I have to keep up every 3-4 hours. Is there a point where you just stay off your feet and NOT stretch or exercise?

disneygirl626

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.

fbranch7

Bump...for later.

I too have the herniated disc issue. It is awful. Thank you all for the advice and words of wisdom.

freakhazerd2424

Bump

Dealing with this right now some good info in here.

BrotherBill913

In 2 separate motorcycle crashes ( Yeah, I do my own stunts :glasses: ) I broke my L5 then my C7 / T1 respectively. Have had major surgeries on both. Had to re-learn to walk. Have the videos to prove it. Get off the boards and go see the P.T. this is your spine your talking about.. we are not doctors .. Go see professionals who can tailor your needs to your certain situation. Good luck, I hope you get relief soon...........

caspercb

I had surgery on my L5/S1 15 weeks ago. I tried for two years to avoid surgery, I had two spinal epidurals to relieve the pain so I could exercise in an attempt to naturally help the problem. I did everything correct. Physio exercises specifically for me; having been MRI'd so they could see the disc damage and I had regular core ultrasounds to ensure I was using my core muscles correctly. My core was strong, I was fit and healthy and whilst my L3/l4 l4/l5 did improve, the degenerative damage to my L5/S1 did not and I herniated badly to the right and lost the feeling in my leg, started dropping my foot and lost strength. Surgery was the only way forward for me.

If you've had an MRI the hospital should be able to refer you to a physio who can tailor an program for you. I'd defiantly suggest getting "gym" exercises from an experienced re-rehabilitation physiotherapist rather than a gym personal trainer. A lot of exercises will be focused on getting your core stronger.

DrPill

Hey everyone!
I have herniated my L4/L5 disc (13mm according to MRI) in an acute injury that put serious pressure on my spinal cord... My MRI also revealed a smaller herniation in my L5/S1 disc that seemed to be chronic and could have helped contribute to the massive L4/L5 blow out... I have been a 4 year collegiate athlete and ran marathons, etc. And this last month since injuring it I haven't been able to workout, which equates to the longest gap between workouts in my life... I am 13 of 30 treatments in decompression done but I am very interested in stretches to improve my mobility that I can do while I am unable to workout since I need to do something before I start going crazy!!
I will post tomorrow if my doctor tells me about any but if you know any, I will be happy to take it into consideration! So far my doctor recommends that I never lift anything more than 25lbs until he says I can and I have been cleared to walk a half mile for "exercise" each day... I was also approved today to ride an airdyne or similar bike as long as I wear my brace and stay in an "upright position" (ie DO NOT bend over to handle bars)... My injury happened a month ago (August 24, 2014) and I am a 5'11" 200lbs 25 years old male... I want to use this time to become more flexible and lose fat (through diet) since I cannot seem to do anything else!! Any suggestions on stretches for hamstrings, groin, ankle mobility, or the like?

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.