Over time, the spinal discs that support your vertebrae begin to wear down, losing water or tearing, which causes gel inside the disc to seep out. This can cause your vertebrae to rub against each other or to slip out of place, which presses on the nerves in your spinal cord and causes pain. While you may not be able to reverse the degeneration without surgical intervention, you can take steps to reduce pain and symptoms through regular physical therapy exercises.
Ergonomics
One element of physical therapy can be the re-teaching of correct postural alignment. Spinal disc degeneration can cause you to practice incorrect posture when sitting, standing or exercising. This places extra pressure on your back and increases your risk for injury. Your physical therapist also can address proper lifting and bending measures. Over time, practicing proper posture learned in physical therapy can reduce the stress placed on your back muscles and spinal disks, reducing pain.
Increase Flexibility
Another aspect that physical therapy can address after spinal disc degeneration is helping to improve flexibility. When you experience pain related to spinal disc degeneration, it causes muscles to become tense and tightened. Physical therapy exercises that help improve flexibility can include lying on your back and pulling your knees in toward your chest. Leaning backward with your hands on your hips also can help to stretch the lower back. By learning the right techniques from a physical therapist you can engage in beneficial exercises.
Coping with Back Pain
Physical therapy does not focus solely on stretches and exercises. Instead, physical therapy also can involve showing you the best places to apply ice and heat to ease spinal degenerative disc disease. Massage therapy also can help. Medications to reduce inflammation or relax the muscles in your back also can help manage your pain from degenerative disc degeneration. Because spinal disc degeneration sufferers have a tendency to go through flareups of pain, these physical therapy techniques can reduce pain until the flareup subsides.
Considerations
Physical therapy exercises can help reduce spinal disc degeneration pain, but they also require a commitment to completing at-home exercises as well. Your physical therapist will likely suggest an individualized treatment plan that will involve strengthening exercises performed at home or in the gym. Because there is a "self-care" aspect of physical therapy, you must be willing to commit to these exercises after physical therapy sessions.
References
- Spine-Health; Exercise and Physical Therapy for Disc Disease Treatment and Pain Management; Dr. Peter Ullrich; May 2006
- Mayfield Clinic: Degenerative Disc Disease
- Spine Universe; Physical Therapy for Degenerative Disc Disease; Kamiah A. Walker
- NY Physical Therapy & Wellness: Degenerative Disc Disease-Spine Degeneration
