Exercises for a Herniated Disc

Health & FitnessExercise & Meditation

  • Author Dr. Ron Daulton, Jr.
  • Published December 13, 2009
  • Word count 643

Are you looking for the best exercises for a herniated disc? Look no further - this article will discuss two of the best exercises that you can do from the comfort of your home, as well as provide you with some additional resources.

In order to understand these exercises, though, you have to realize that there are two major problems that a person will face when trying to heal any type of disc problem.

First, the discs of the spine do not receive a very good blood supply. This is very significant, because the body depends on the blood to transport nutrients and oxygen to injured areas for faster healing. Because the discs do not receive a lot of blood, the healing process tends to be very slow, and if you don't take the correct steps, healing may never occur.

The disc is very interesting, though, because it's designed to make up for this character flaw. Each spinal disc is composed of a strong outer covering and a soft jelly in the center. What happens is that the jelly in the center actually stores oxygen and nutrients for healing in order to make up for the lack of blood flow.

More about that in a minute - the second problem that you will face is a change in the muscles that surround the area of the spine where the injured disc is located. Muscles are responsible for maintaining a healthy alignment of the spine, as well as maintaining a healthy posture.

When a person has a herniated disc, the nerves in that area of the spine begin to malfunction, and these important muscles will begin to lose their strength. This creates a huge problem, because if these muscles are not supporting the spine properly, the disc can not heal as easily because it is not being supported by these muscles.

In addition to that, if this problem isn't addressed, you will eventually develop other back problems because of how important these muscles are.

So, how do we address these issues? The following two exercises are a very important part of the answer. These exercises should be done no matter where your herniated disc is located (the neck, upper back, or lower back), because they will help all regions of the spine.

The first exercise involves the use of a mini-trampoline, which you can find at any local sports store. All you need to do is to stand in the center of the trampoline and march in place for 5 minutes a day. Keep your head looking straight forward and your arms to your side if possible.

Do not jump - just march in place. When you do this exercise, you are forced to balance, which will strengthen the muscles that surround the spine. Over time, this will address the second problem that we discussed above (muscle weakness). As mentioned, this helps every area of the spine.

The second exercise involves the use of a therapy ball, which is one of those large balls you see people using sometimes to strengthen their abdominal muscles. All you want to do is to sit on the ball and gently bounce up and down for 5 minutes a day.

This exercise may sound silly, but what is happening is that the bouncing motion is pumping every disc in the spine, which replenishes the oxygen and nutrients within the jelly of the disc and pumps out toxins so healing can occur more quickly.

This exercise is also important for all regions of the spine, because you are pumping every disc from the top of the neck down to the bottom of the spine.

There are other exercises that you will find helpful as well. If you would like to learn more about the most effective exercises you can do to help a herniated disc heal, please visit www.HealYourBulgingDisc.com

Dr. Ron Daulton, Jr. is a chiropractor, author, and national speaker. To learn more about the most effective exercises for a herniated disc, as well as the most effective treatments available, please visit www.HealYourBulgingDisc.com

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Dr. Ron Daulton, Jr.
Dr. Ron Daulton, Jr. · 14 years ago
I don't think I would recommend pole dancing - the problem with this type of injury is flexion and rotation at the same time, and there would be a lot of that movement with pole dancing. You're better to stick with walking, swimming, or bicycle riding.

Belinda
Belinda · 14 years ago
Hi, I was diagnosed with a bulging disc (L5 & S1)in my lower back 2mths ago, was wondering if I could go back to pole dancing as that worked my core really well or is there a risk it would make it come back? I still get sciatica so hoping some core strenth could help.

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