While a doctor may advise the patient to maintain a low, painless activity level for a few days to several weeks, bed rest is not recommended. Here are a few non-surgical interventions that you can try:. Alternate between applying ice and heat: Applying ice or a cold pack can help ease initial inflammation and muscle spasms associated with a lumbar herniated disc. Ice is most effective for the first two days after the back pain has started.
Applying heat heating pads, a hot compress, adhesive heat wraps, and even a hot both can also help relieve painful muscle spasms after the first two days. Some people find alternating hot and cold packs provides the best pain relief balance. Try pain medications and muscle relaxants: A doctor may recommend non-prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications NSAIDs such as ibuprofen to treat pain and inflammation.
Some prescription medications may offer relief from the painful muscle spasms that accompany a herniated lumbar disc. Go to physical therapy: PT is important in teaching targeted stretching and exercises for rehabilitation.
The program may also teach the patient safer ways to perform ordinary activities, such as lifting and walking. The McKenzie Method is one type of physical therapy approach for lumbar herniated disc pain, where the goal is to shift pain away from your leg and centralize it more in your lower back.
To use ice, put ice or a cold pack on the area for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. Put a thin cloth between the ice and your skin.
Your doctor may recommend a physiotherapy program, where you learn exercises to do at home. These exercises strengthen the muscles that support your lower back and prevent re-injury. Stay at a healthy weight. This may reduce the load on your back. Quit smoking if you smoke. If you need help quitting, talk to your doctor about stop-smoking programs and medicines. These can increase your chances of quitting for good. To avoid hurting your back when lifting: Lift with your legs, not your back, by squatting and bending your knees.
Avoid bending forward at the waist when lifting. Rise slowly. Keep the load as close to your body as possible, at the level of your navel. Avoid turning or twisting your body while holding a heavy object.
Get help if you need to lift a heavy object. Ibuprofen, acetaminophen and naproxen are a few of the most popular choices for OTC pain meds. Because these provide only temporary relief from pain, a doctor should be consulted before making this a part of your daily pain relief regimen. This option is reserved for only the most severe cases as most herniated discs can be successfully treated with physical therapy and conservative measures.
Many herniated disc surgery options are minimally invasive and have high success rates, but the recovery process can be long.
If surgery is needed, physical therapy is necessary to rehabilitate your spinal muscles and improve spinal joint function for a full recovery and prevention of further herniated discs, above or below the operated area. There is much that can be done to relieve your back pain or neck pain from a herniated disc. Physical therapy is the first line of treatment to a successful recovery. Learn more about our back and neck program today by giving SportsCare Physical Therapy a call and talking to one of our specialists.
There are so many causes of hip and knee pain, from excess weight to sports injuries, advancing age to repetitive motion injuries. Whatever the cause. Think about it: steak knives are sharp and serrated.
Telling the difference can be tricky for both patients and professionals, but basically it boils down to whether you suffered a nasty enough accident to have actually damaged tissue. But necks do get injured more often than backs.
Necks are thinner and therefore easier to ice thoroughly, when ice is called for. However, without a clear and recent injury almost always a car or skiing accident , icing neck pain should be avoided for the same reasons that you should avoid icing back pain.
Over the years I have seen some nasty-ish reactions to icing, particularly in the back, when the patient is feeling anxious and vulnerable and would prefer to be heated but is given ice. Some of those reactions seem out of proportion to the limited powers of ice or heat to do anything to back pain.
I was receiving a pleasant massage from an RMT for a low back or sacroiliac joint problem. Everything was going well, and I was feeling quite a bit better, when suddenly she put an ice pack directly on my skin. She gave no warning at all, just put it on. It was a disaster! Obviously, I never went back there Did you find this article useful? I am a science writer in Vancouver, Canada. Full bio. See you on Facebook or Twitter , or subscribe:. More info. Five updates have been logged for this article since publication
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