Back Exercises For A Herniated Disk

Exercise is an important component to treating a disk herniation. Limiting your activity by not exercising will decondition your spine and make matters worse. Exercise helps keep the spine healthy in numerous ways including: bringing much needed fluid to the disk; strengthening the muscles; increasing range of motion; and lessening the pressure on the nerves. It is recommended that you find several exercises you enjoy and execute them correctly and consistently. Perform all of your exercises through a pain-free range of motion. If an exercise elicits or increases your pain skip that particular exercise and proceed to another.

Anatomy

The intervertebral disks are shock absorbers or shock distributors located between the individual vertebra. The disk contains tough rings of fibrous material on the outside and a gel-like substance in the center called the nucleus pulposus. At an early age, direct circulation to the disk ceases and the disks must receive their nutrients through the vertebra located above and below. Motion is the only way to bring fluid into the disk, thus stressing the importance of exercise in keeping the intervertebral disk healthy.

Herniation

A disk bulge is when the the disk's nucleus pulposus pushes the concentric outer rings of the disc outward but doesn't breakthrough; a disk herniation is when it does break through. Exercises that move the gel-like center away from the nerves help to alleviate the symptoms of a disk bulge and a disk herniation.

Exercise Ball

The exercise ball is a highly effective tool to supply motion to the spine and provide nutrition to the disks. Sit on a ball in good posture with both feet on the floor. Contract your abdominal muscles by performing a pelvic tilt, which entails tucking your tailbone underneath you and pulling the front of your pelvis toward your belly button. Maintain this position and bounce lightly without losing any contact with the ball. Dr. Ron Daulton Jr. writes on the Disabled World website: "The only way new oxygen and nutrition can enter the disk for improved healing is by physically pumping the disk. This exercise allows you to do that."

McKenzie Exercises

Robin McKenzie, a physiotherapist from New Zealand, created a series of back pain exercises that are recommended by medical professionals worldwide. The McKenzie Protocol includes a series of exercises that emphasize movements that hold the spine in extension. Ted Dreisinger, Ph.D., states, "The goal of McKenzie therapy is to centralize the pain, or move the pain from the leg into the low back." This is accomplished by moving the disk's nucleus forward away from the spinal cord and spinal nerve roots.

Stretching, Strengthening and Aerobic Exercise

Increasing strength, flexibility and endurance will help prevent pain from a disk herniation. Kelly Rehan, a medical writer for SpineUniverse, states "Stretching programs like yoga and Pilates improve strength and flexibility and offer relief of acute pain." Pilates is ideal for strengthening the deeper supporting structures, which are often neglected in other forms of exercise. Simple static stretches for the spine, hips, and legs will increase range of motion and lessen muscle tension. Partial-weight-bearing exercises like cycling and swimming place less pressure on the disks while simultaneously strengthening the cardiovascular system and developing leg endurance.