Ruptured discs in the lumber spine are a very common occurrence among all walks of life from athletes to couch potatoes.
If you have a ruptured disc, the most important thing is to remain patient with it. Speaking from experience, surgery for a ruptured desk can definitely be avoided as long as you do stay patient.
The most common type of pain for a ruptured disc in the lumber spine is pain radiating down the leg and it can be very painful. Although rare complications involving the bladder and bowel movements can also occur if you have a ruptured disc if so you should seek medical attention immediately.
Pain can vary with a ruptured disc, one person may be confined to a Mobility scooter for years on end where as another person can walk around freely. Working as a personal trainer, I can definitely vouch for the fact that pain tolerance varies from one person to another, just in general.
The one thing I learnt about a ruptured disc is If you plan on turning into a couch potato because the fear of doing anything strenuous will cause pain, you’re going to be in for one long ride. You must be proactive. The very worst thing you can do is live in fear and be scared to do anything active.
To get over a ruptured disc, avoid surgery and be pain free – these are the things you must do:
1. Make an ice cube your very best friend. I can’t under state this enough, ice massage once or twice won’t pay off however ice massage numerous times a day for three or four weeks will pay off. Be persistent, not lazy. If you’re not willing to make time for treatment, you can’t expect positive results. Ice massage your lower back as well as your leg where the nerve pain is – from top to bottom. You’ll need about four ice cubes that are an inch in diameter. Hold ice cubes in a flannel and gently massage the ice directly onto the skin 3-4 times a day.
2. Start a stretching program for you entire lower body. If you are unfamiliar with stretching, YouTube has a video of every stretch imaginable.
3. Walk for 30 minutes a day. It maybe painful to begin with but it will improve. Focus on keeping your pelvic floor muscles tight while walking, and push off the balls of your feet as you walk.
4. You can do weights, but be smart about it! Strong muscles can only work to your advantage. If you’re not an experienced lifter hire a personal trainer and obviously only hire a personal trainer with experience with ruptured discs. Trust me, dealing with a ruptured disc is not guesswork.
5. When bending, bend as you normally would – don’t start bending like a robot its just going to make your whole body tighten up and make matters a whole lot worse for you. Just remember to keep your pelvic floor muscles tight as you bend as this will help support your lower back.
6. This is an obvious one – when sitting don’t slouch, keep good posture. As it is there is 160 times more pressure on your back when sitting as opposed to standing, so sit up straight and keep those pelvic floor muscles tight.
7. If you’re overweight this is not going to help your lower back so it’s another very good reason to exercise.
8. Stay positive negative thoughts will definitely make your pain worse.
If you apply all these things correctly you can be pain-free in 3 to 6 weeks.
If you take shortcuts you more than likely will be in pain for months and possibly even require surgery.
Good luck.
Contact Craig on: 0274156711 or craig@edgefitness.co.nz