Column Rehabilitation Tips for Disc Herniation: Simple Exercises You Can Do at Home
January 24, 2025
Disc herniation is one of the most common vertebral disorders.
When a herniated disc develops in the lumbar region, symptoms such as pain and numbness occur, affecting daily life.
In this article, we will introduce some rehabilitation methods that you can do at home.
What is disc herniation?
The spinal column is composed of vertebrae that are stacked like blocks that run from the neck to the buttocks. Between the vertebrae are intervertebral discs that act as a cushion layer and help to protect the spine.
Disc herniation occurs when the nucleus pulposus in the disc protrudes for some reason and compresses the nerve.
When the nerve is compressed, symptoms such as pain, numbness, and walking difficulties in the lower back, buttocks, and legs may occur.
If you suspect you may be suffering from a herniated disc, you should first consult a doctor before any further action is taken.
Rehabilitation methods for herniated discs
When most people think of disc herniation, the first treatment that comes to mind is surgery to remove the herniated disc, but depending on the symptoms and the results of the examination, surgery may not be necessary.
If symptoms worsen or ease over the course of a day, or if the pain decreases with each passing day, the patient is often placed under observation and not operated on. Symptoms may disappear after a few months, but daily exercises such as stretching are also effective in preventing the symptoms from aggravating or recurring.
Stretching can help to:
① Make the muscles of the lower back and legs more flexible.
② Keep the lumbar spine in a more physiologically apt forward-leaning posture (without over-arching the hips).
This can help prevent lumbar disc herniation from worsening or recurring.
Stretches for twisting the lower back
- Lie on your back with knees bent.
- Lower the legs to the right and left (rotating the entire lower back).
* Make sure to exhale and take the time to do each movement well.
Repeat the movements for about one minute.
Stretch using a towel to pull the soles of the feet
- Lie on your back and bend your knees.
- Hold the ends of the towel with both hands and pull the sole of a single leg with it.
- While still on your back, extend the leg with the towel at an angle of about 60 degrees relative to the floor.
- Hold the position for 10 seconds while exhaling slowly.
- Repeat the exercise with the other leg.
Try the towel at different lengths to get a good stretch on the back of the calf and thigh without overdoing it, and adjust accordingly.
Stretch for the back of the thighs
This stretch stretches the muscles of the back of the thighs and prevents placing excessive strain on the lumbar spine.
- Squat down from a standing position and grasp both ankles with both hands.
- Extend both knees while keeping the chest and the front of the thighs together.
- Hold that pose for 10 seconds while exhaling slowly.
Be cautious to keep your chest and thighs close together. If it is difficult to fully extend the knees, you may bend them if needed.
Points of caution when performing the rehabilitation exercises
All the stretches should be done to the extent that they do not cause pain.
Start with one or two stretches and gradually increase the frequency. As you continue the rehabilitation program, you will increasingly be able to do them with ease. Do the stretches over a long period of time within a reasonable limit.
Cases when the stretches should be avoided
Do not stretch if you feel more pain or numbness in your leg than usual, if you experience unusual symptoms such as walking difficulties, or if your symptoms become worse after stretching.
In these cases, you should consult a doctor for further guidance.
Our clinic’s treatment
Rehabilitation can provide some symptomatic relief of pain, but if you have already been diagnosed with disc herniation, you need to treat the underlying cause of the herniated disc that is causing damage to the disc.
Our clinic offers the Cellgel method, a fundamental treatment to repair the damaged discs.
With the Cellgel method, a drug is injected to fill the cracks in the disc, which then turns into a gel and repairs the cracks, thus providing a fundamental treatment. It is characterized by the fact that the volume of the disc is not reduced and the drug remains in the disc as a gel-like implant after treatment, thus preserving the disc.
If you have been diagnosed with a herniated disc, please consider a consultation at our clinic.
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