Can A Herniated Disc Heal Itself Without Surgery?

What Can Be Done To Heal A Herniated Disc Without Surgery?

You CAN'T speed up how long it will take for a herniated disc to heal.

You CAN, however, slow down the healing process.

These Things Slow Down Herniated Disc Healing

1. Smoking

The carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke binds to hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying part of your red blood cells, more easily than does oxygen. In turn, this lack of oxygen can keep herniated discs from healing.

Now, if you're a smoker, it should be no news to you that smoking is bad for your health.

But quitting smoking is hard!

Ultimately what you have to ask yourself is: "Do I GAIN more pleasure in my life from smoking, or do I LOSE more pleasure from my life from back pain, sciatica, and other negative consequences of smoking?"

2. Excessive Mechanical Stresses

Mechanical stresses that cause excessive loading of the discs can slow down the healing process.  Essentially things that "re-injure" the disc can set back the clock on the healing time.  Some examples include:

• Heavy lifting - especially from low surfaces

• Frequent vibration - like driving a truck or bus for a lifting

• Twisting - the low hips and mid back are anatomically designed to twist.  The lower back is not.

3. Lack of Activity

Activity, especially aerobic activity is important in helping herniated discs to heal as fast as possible.

Again, spinal discs have poor blood supply, and the way they get their oxygen is by diffusion from the vertebra above and below the disc.

When you do aerobic (literally meaning "with oxygen") you increase overall blood flow in your body.

Furthermore, when you do weightbearing activity such as walking, the rhythmic loading of the discs that happens each time you take a step helps oxygen to move from the vertebrae above and below the disc into the disc itself.

What Exercises Help Herniated Discs To Heal Without Surgery?

Again, aerobic exercise, particularly walking is best to help herniated discs to heal without surgery.

However, many people with herniated discs have back pain or sciatica when walking.
(Learn how to relieve back pain and sciatica when walking)

These are some other exercises that can help herniated discs to heal

1. Swimming or walking in the pool

The buoyancy of the water can unload your discs and make exercise less painful

2. Recumbent bike or elliptical

Biking is a good aerobic activity, but sitting upright on a bike seat while balancing yourself and using your hip flexor muscles as you pedal can actually create more compression on your discs.

However, riding a recumbent bike that has a back support is a good option if you have back pain when walking.

Alternatively, you can use a recumbent elliptical cross-trainer, which allows you to exercise your arms and legs at the same time while still offering back support.

What about McKenzie Exercises?

McKenzie exercises (a.k.a. extension exercises or backward bending exercises) were once thought to make the herniated disc material "go back in".

Subsequent research has found that this in fact is not the case.

Repeated end-range backward bending can actually make discs bulge or herniated more.

However, repeated extension exercise is good for some people to help relieve back pain and sciatica.

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