by MayfairClinic | Jun 18, 2018 | Back Pain, Neck Pain
If you’re regularly going to the gym, or perhaps you’re looking to start getting into shape, having a disc bulge can really interfere with your training if you don’t know what you should be avoiding. But there are exercises that you can do at home or in the gym that can help to avoid worsening the injury, or applying more pressure that can result in increased pain levels after your gym session has been completed. If you’ve already been going to the gym and you’ve been experiencing pain afterwards as a result of a disc bulge, it’s likely you’re doing exercises that compress the area of the spine that is bulged.
Depending on the severity of symptoms there are a few options available to help you get your back fixed. In this post we will discuss these as well as talk about what you can do to help fix your back from home if youve got a L4/L5 or L5/S1 disc bulge.
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The role of your spinal discs
Bulges can occur when too much compression occurs on the delicate disc area that cushions in between each vertebrae of your spine. The discs are an incredibly important part of the spine, as they serve as shock absorption for things we do on a daily basis – for example walking, running, jumping or lifting. When you consider we do a lot of these activities, but usually to a higher degree, in the gym they become all the more important. Now if you already have a disc bulge, there is going to be a reduced amount of cushioning in between your vertebrae, leaving them more vulnerable to further injuries. You could also potentially worsen the disc bulge to the point where it compresses on the sciatic nerve (in the lower back), if this has not been affected already, which can cause radiating pain into the lower back, buttocks, legs and feet.
Types of exercise to avoid
Generally speaking, as the L4 and L5 discs are located right at the bottom of the lumbar spine you’ll want to avoid exercises that involve any kind of forward bending that can cause further compression from the waist down. Weight lifting exercises that involve this movement can be, for example, bent over rows using dumbbells, deadlifts, squats or lunges. If you’re not receiving any treatment for your back pain, it’s important to stop doing these exercises until you’ve sought help. But if you’re currently seeing a professional for help, it may be only necessary to stop doing these exercises for simply a couple of weeks while you start to make important steps in starting to repair your spine and prevent any further damage. Most importantly, a professional can even help to guide your exercises so that you know exactly when you can go back to doing these exercises again without potentially risking a relapse.
The road to recovery and returning to exercise
If you are currently undergoing treatment and you feel like your back is starting to heal, with a reduced amount of pain, you can gradually start to introduce exercises that may involve some compression. But it is important that you use machines at first in order to introduce the exercises in a controlled manner. Exercises using machines can include doing chest presses or machine rows, or those that target other muscle groups away from the disc bulge can be beneficial. You will however want to avoid shoulder presses as these can be too compressive. Your healthcare professional will also, at the right time during your treatment, be able to recommend some exercises or stretches that you can do in your own time at home to help with strengthening your body. This combination of treatment, stretching and careful exercise will help to protect your spine and prevent an injury from reoccurring.
It is all too common that the more pro-active amongst us will be anxious to return to the physical exercise that they love and will push things too hard too soon. It’s important that you recognise that if this is you, the pain from the discs often subsides long before the disc has ‘healed’ and returned to normal strength and stability. Given the chance you can recover very well, but there does need to be a degree of caution even after symptoms subside. This is where good practices pay dividends.
Cardio & return to fitness with a bulging lumbar disc
It’s also great to focus on more low impact aerobic exercise. You may wish to get your cardio training on the treadmill, but running can be high impact and put a lot of pressure on the lower back. For the meantime, it’s better to focus on lighter cardio exercise such as swimming, using the elliptical machine (cross trainer) or walking. Lower impact exercises can help to improve your flexibility by reducing stiffness and increase the blood flow in your body which can increase your rate of healing, without compromising your lower back discs.
How can treatment help the recovery process?
If you’re not currently seeking professional help for a disc bulge, it may be worth researching clinics in your local area to find someone you trust to help you. By seeking treatment you will help to avoid further problems with your spine in the long term, and help to reduce your pain levels so that you can get back to your everyday activities. This could mean going back to the gym again without the need for painkillers, safe in the knowledge that your not doing any more damage!
How you can help the recovery process at home
We’ve found all too often that patients are unaware that certain practices and activities are problematic. This includes doing the wrong types of stretches, and the wrong type of core strengthening exercises. To help remove the doubt we have created an at home Back In Shape membership site, which includes education content, advice and guidance videos as well as curated protocols to help you get your back in shape. It’s ideal for anyone with trouble in the discs in the lower back.
Fix Your Back Pain From Home
The Back In Shape Membership is helping thousands of people just like you work on relieving their back pain from home, and then strengthening their back to protect it from future injuries. Learn more about how you can get your back in shape by clicking the button below.
If you’re in or around London, The Mayfair Clinic offers treatment specifically tailored for disc bulges in the lower back. Once we’ve completed our initial assessment of your spine, we may take x-ray imaging in order to confirm a diagnosis unless scans have already been completed in the past. We will then be able to recommend which treatment will give you the best results. Our spinal decompression therapy is designed to treat disc bulges located in the lower back or neck. By using a small amount of your body weight, the IDD Therapy spinal decompression is able to perform a gentle stretch on your spine in order to alleviate pressure on the disc. Where the pressure has been compressing on nerves, the treatment can relieve this which can help to alleviate the pain. The act of stretching on the compromised area of the spine can allow for vital nutrients to enter the disc space, helping to re-hydrate and heal the injury further. Once your recovery is well underway you’ll be guided back into the exercise process safely, to complete rehabilitation and a return to normal life.
If visiting the clinic is not possible, we would definitely recommend joining the Back In Shape Membership to remove the doubt and start doing the right things to help get your discs on the road to recovery and your Back In Shape, learn more and sign up by clicking here.
Join our Online Back Pain Relief Program Today
It couldn’t be easier to start your online back pain program today. Click the button below and on the next page you can sign up straight away.
