Is it necessary to stay in bed for lumbar disc herniation? What kind of exercise is suitable for lumbar disc herniation?

When the lumbar disc herniates, there will be persistent pain in the waist and legs. Generally, people with lumbar disc herniation need to pay attention to rest, especially during the acute attack period. On the contrary, exercise cannot relieve the pain, which will aggravate the condition. You can do some activities during the recovery period.

Is bed rest necessary for lumbar disc herniation?

Lumbar disc herniation is different from lumbar disc herniation. Lumbar disc herniation is caused by external force on the lumbar spine, which causes the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc to break through the annulus fibrosus, resulting in herniation. However, some people have herniation for many years without any symptoms. When the herniation touches the nearby nerve roots, it will cause corresponding symptoms. This condition is called lumbar disc herniation.

When in the acute stage of lumbar disc herniation, it is necessary to strictly rest in bed. At the same time, you cannot sleep on a soft bed, as a soft bed will increase the degree of lumbar curvature, increase lumbar pressure and thus aggravate the symptoms.

Generally, the pain will be relieved after lying in bed for about half a month, but you can no longer rest in bed. After a period of bed rest, the muscles and nerves will degenerate. At this time, you must get out of bed every day to do some exercise rehabilitation to promote lumbar rehabilitation. There are many exercises for lumbar rehabilitation, including arch bridge, swallow flying, goat extension, etc.

What kind of exercise is suitable for lumbar disc herniation

There are two situations for patients who have passed the acute stage. One is that the condition has worsened and they need to follow the doctor's advice. The other is that most of the condition has been relieved. For the latter, there is no need to strictly rest in bed. You can reduce the bed rest time and gradually return to normal. In addition to bed rest as a rehabilitation method, it is recommended to perform back and waist muscle function exercises, and activities such as walking, hanging on the horizontal bar and swimming will help with recovery.

1. Walk backwards

After just passing the acute phase, it is better to avoid general strength exercises. Instead, you should focus on exercises to restore your body coordination. Backward walking is recommended. You can do backward walking training for about half an hour every day. It can mobilize your body's flexibility and strengthen your waist muscles. It should be noted that you should choose a safe section of road for backward walking and have family and friends accompany you to avoid falling and causing secondary injuries.

2. Hanging horizontal bar or hanging stool

The principle of hanging horizontal bar is the same as that of hanging stool, which is to use gravity to stretch the lumbar intervertebral space and promote the absorption of protrusions. Fifteen minutes of self-weight training every day is very effective for rehabilitation. When there is no horizontal bar around, you can use a chair to operate it. Hold your hands on the back of the chair, use your arms to exert force, and completely relax below the waist. It can also play a role of physical traction, as shown in the following figure.

3. Press the ball

Lie flat on the bed, place the baseball under your body, find the tender point, and massage it using the force of body gravity. When the pain at this tender point disappears, look for the next painful or numb point. Do this for about 20 minutes a day.

Should I quit smoking and drinking if I have lumbar disc herniation?

The effects of smoking, drinking and recovery from lumbar disc herniation are not obvious. Although smoking will affect the nutritional supply of the intervertebral disc, walking will be unstable after being drunk and the chance of injury will increase. However, the impact of smoking is small enough to be ignored, and you don't have to drink that much.

Of course, after the onset of the disease, whether you can smoke and drink during treatment should be discussed with your doctor. If your doctor asks you to quit smoking and drinking, you should actively cooperate so as not to affect the recovery effect.