Discs or rubbery cushions are essential parts of our back’s anatomy. However, suppose some of the disc’ nuclei are misaligned; we experience a herniated disc that may affect other parts of your body. It results in nagging back pain and numbness that is uncomfortable and hard to tolerate.
Many people who suffer from herniated discs choose to take painkillers, relieving the pain for a while. However, some Herniated disc treatment options, such as chiropractic care, are more reliable, effective, and don’t use harmful drugs to reduce your back or leg pain. This article explains some of the several herniated disc treatment approaches, including:
1. Heat and Cold Therapy
This treatment method is popular and often used by many experts when treating the lumbar herniated disc. One of the most popular causes of a herniated disc is muscle tension. This treatment involves applying either cold or hot therapy on your lower back to release muscle tension.
How does heat therapy assist a patient? Heat aids in loosening muscle tightness, improves blood flow, and improves the elasticity of the nucleus. As for cold therapy, it reduces the temperature of the local tissue producing an anti-inflammatory effect to reduce pain. You can position a heating pad or a cold pack on your lower back. Note that you must utilize a physical buffer to avoid cases of thermal injury. Try out any of the two options to determine which option suits you best.
2. Moderate and controlled Physical exercises
Probably this approach seemed juxtaposed since it’s difficult to perform physical activities while suffering from a backache.
However, this approach is perfect, especially when suffering from a lumbar herniated disc. Generally, every time you undertake physical activities, your body responds by releasing endorphins, improving your mood. As a result, it reduces your pain perception. There are several physical activities you can undertake, including walking, cycling or utilizing a trainer. Note, if your pain is severe, an expert can recommend water exercises to reduce the pain.
3. Unique sleeping positions
Suppose you are observant when you are around people suffering from herniated discs, you notice that they seem to settle down in certain sleep positions. Why is that? A herniated disc can either worsen or improve when taking a nap, depending on your sleeping posture. As a result, there are two well-proved options to consider using when facing a lumbar herniated disc.
- Place a pillow under your knees
- Lie on your side and include a pillow between your knees to keep the spine straight
Your pillow placements and sleeping position depend on the position of the herniated disc; hence, it would be best to try out various positions to find the one that suits you best.
4. Massage therapy
This approach is one of the most famous methods to relieve back pains. As mentioned earlier, a herniated disc may result from muscle tension; hence with the correct hands-on massage on your back, there is muscle tension release. Therefore, massage therapy is an effective approach. However, it is essential to do it right to avoid worsening the injury.
5. Lifestyle modification
One of the main reasons why backaches are popular is because many people rarely listen to their body’s limits. This herniated disk treatment involves modifying some of the activities that strain your back and taking a break when necessary.
Final Words
Herniated discs are common and often occur in various parts of our spine. Imagine having to take painkillers every time you experience back pain from a herniated disc. This move is something many of us would like to avoid. Therefore, the five ways to deal with herniated disc back pains above are something we should all consider. Read through the information above to understand some of the herniated disc treatment approaches that can help reduce back pains.