Ruptured discs in the lumber spine are a very common occurrence among all walks of life from athletes to your average person who does little or no intense exercise.
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 and massage therapist 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. Massage therapy. I have found that general massage is not the best way to go about relieving and eliminating either the back or nerve pain. Active pressure point therapy is a lot more successful on the large surrounding muscles groups. Gentle massage can be applied. It will give some temporary relief to the sciatic nerve itself. However I have found after many years of treating localised back pain or either a bulging or ruptured disc that active pressure point therapy can give up to 50%-75% relief after the first one hour treatment.
2. 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. 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 glutes and 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.
3.Start a stretching program for you entire lower body. If you are unfamiliar with stretching, YouTube has a video of every stretch imaginable.
4.Walk for 30 minutes a day. If you have been completely inactive because of the pain begin with 10 minutes and build up slowly. 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.
5.Yes you can do weights, in fact it’s crucial to have strong pelvic floor muscles aswell as a strong upper and thoracic back to maintain correct posture but be smart about it! Strong muscles can only work to your advantage. If you’re not an experienced lifter hire a personal trainer with experience in treating back injuries.
6.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. Admittedly this can be easier said than done. Just remember to keep your pelvic floor muscles tight as you bend as this will help support your lower back.
7.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.
8. If you apply all these methods you can be pain-free in 4 to 6 weeks.
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