16 Exercises for Herniated Disc (Back or Neck) Pain
Medically reviewed by Amy Kwan, PT, DPT
Exercise is often recommended as a first-line treatment for a herniated disc. A herniated disc can cause many symptoms including pain, numbness, burning, and arm or leg weakness, depending on the location of the spinal disc involved.
Exercises may be started in the days after a herniation. As your symptoms subside, strengthening exercises may be recommended.
The spinal discs are round, pillow-like structures that separate and cushion the vertebrae in your spine. A herniation occurs when the gelatinous center of one of these discs (called the nucleus) pushes through the firm outer layer (called the annulus).
This article will outline some of the most effective exercises and stretches to address a disc herniation in the neck or back.
5 Exercises for Herniated Disc Recovery
Staying active and avoiding bed rest after a disc herniation is very important. Start slowly and focus on gentle movements that don’t lead to pain. In particular, emphasize the techniques that cause your symptoms to move out of your arms or legs and centralize in the spine.
Here are some common recovery exercises to perform in the days after a herniation.
Rest on the Belly
This simple technique often provides some relief immediately after a disc herniation in your low back:
Lie on your stomach with your head turned to the side and your arms next to your body.
Focus on turning off your lower back muscles and allowing them to relax.
Hold this position for 2 minutes at a time.
Choose the Right Exercise
It is very important to avoid exercises that cause your nerve pain to increase or spread into your arms or legs. Recovery exercises should reduce your symptoms or cause them to centralize toward your spine.
Prone Press-Up
If resting on your stomach alleviates some of the symptoms in your leg, you may want to try the following exercise, which also is beneficial:
Rest on your stomach with your palms on the floor just outside your chest.
Press your upper body off the ground as you keep the muscles in your lower back and buttocks relaxed.
Maintain this position for 5 seconds and do 10 press-ups.
Backward Bend
If getting on the floor is challenging, the backward bend exercise is an easy adaptation that can help you recover from a low back herniation. Do it in the following way:
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your hands on your waist.
Without locking your knees, slowly bend backward as far as is comfortable.
Hold this position for a few seconds before standing up straight again. Try 2 to 4 repetitions.
Cervical Retraction
This exercise helps alleviate the symptoms caused by a disc herniation in the cervical (neck) portion of the spine. Do cervical retraction in this way:
Sit in a chair with your arms by your side and look straight ahead.
Without nodding your head or shrugging your shoulders, tuck your chin slightly backward as though you are giving yourself a double chin.
Hold this position for 1 to 2 seconds before relaxing your neck. Complete 10 retractions.
Lateral Neck Flexion
This technique has been shown to reduce the effects of a disc herniation in the cervical spine. Lateral neck flexion is done as follows:
Look straight ahead and slowly bend your ear towards the shoulder on the affected side of your neck. Do not shrug your shoulders as you do this.
Move as far as you can without increased pain, and hold your neck in this position for a second before returning to the starting position.
Complete 2 to 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
5 Exercises for Herniated Disc Strengthening
Once your acute symptoms have begun to subside, it is important to incorporate strengthening workouts into your routine. These techniques add support and stability to your neck and back. They may also prevent a recurrence of your disc herniation symptoms in the future.
Try these exercises to increase your overall strength.
Side Plank
This core exercise, outlined below, targets the oblique muscles in your stomach and the gluteus medius muscle on the side of your hip:
Lie on your side on the floor with your knees straight and your forearm under your shoulder.
Lift your hips and knees in the air without letting your body lean backward.
Hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds before lowering to the floor.
Repeat 2 to 3 side planks on each side of your body.
Bird Dog
This technique focuses on the abdominal, glute, and shoulder blade muscles by challenging your postural stability. To do the bird dog:
Get on your hands and knees.
Contract your abdominal muscles as you flatten your lower back.
Raise one arm out in front of you while you extend the opposite leg behind you.
Hold this position for 5 seconds before repeating the exercise with the other arm and leg.
Perform 10 repetitions on each side.
Dead Bug
This challenging exercise, outlined here, targets the transverse abdominus muscle deep in your stomach. Do it as follows:
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor.
Flatten your lower back against the ground by contracting your stomach muscles.
Raise both arms towards the ceiling.
Slowly lift one foot a few inches off the ground. As you do this, move the arm on the same side a few inches over your head.
Lower your arm and foot to their initial position and repeat the movement on the other side.
Continue to slowly alternate from side to side until you’ve completed 15 repetitions with each arm and leg.
Shoulder Row
Shoulder rows target the scapular muscles that surround the shoulder blades. Keeping this area strong helps reduce the pressure on the discs in your neck. Perform it as follows:
Secure a resistance band in a door and hold on to one end of the band with each hand.
Pull backward with both arms as you squeeze your shoulder blades together. Be sure not to shrug your shoulders as you do this.
Complete 2 to 3 sets of 10 rows.
Bridge
The bridge exercise, which is outlined below, targets the gluteus maximus muscle, which provides support to your lower
(lumbar) spine:
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor.
Contract your abdominal muscles and lift your buttocks off the ground as high as you can without pain.
Hold this position for 10 seconds before lowering to the floor.
Try 1 to 2 sets of 10 repetitions.
Related: 8 Exercises for a Pinched Nerve in the Neck (Cervical Radiculopathy)
3 Exercises for Herniated Disc Weight Loss
Maintaining a healthy body weight is one of the hallmark ways to manage a herniated disc and prevent symptom recurrence. This is because excess pounds place added strain on the spinal discs and can lead to worsening symptoms. Along with eating a healthy diet, these exercises can be useful for losing weight.
Walking
Walking is a cheap and easy cardio exercise that can help you lose excess pounds. Start off by walking at a moderate pace for as long as you can without increasing your symptoms.
While walking about 250 minutes each week is recommended to lose weight, any amount of movement is better than inactivity. Try to slowly build up your exercise duration each week or break up your walking into multiple, shorter sessions each day.
Swimming
Regardless of which stroke you choose, swimming is another excellent option for weight loss following a disc herniation. This form of aerobic exercise is particularly useful as it has less of an impact on the spine than other forms of exercise.
It is recommended that people looking to lose weight swim for 30 minutes on most days of the week.
Strength Training
Strength training is beneficial for people trying to lose weight. Building muscle mass increases your metabolic rate. It also causes your body to burn fat faster when you exercise. The ideal strength training routine should last about an hour and should be completed 3 to 5 times weekly.
A physical therapist can help create a well-rounded strength training regimen that is safe for you to complete after a disc herniation.
Movements and Exercises to Avoid
If you are experiencing symptoms after a disc herniation, there are several types of activities and movements to avoid. These include:
Rounding your spine when lifting or bending to the floor
Lifting heavy objects or holding objects far away from your body
Wearing high-heeled shoes
Prolonged standing or sitting
Any other activities that cause your pain to increase
In addition, it is important to avoid any exercises that cause your symptoms to spread (peripheralize) farther down into your arms or legs.
How to Get a Physical Therapy Referral for Herniated Disc Pain
Physical therapy (PT) is one of the best ways to improve the symptoms of a disc herniation. Studies have shown exercise-based physical therapy leads to reduced pain and disability after a lumbar disc herniation and improved pain levels after a herniation in the cervical spine.
Following an evaluation by a healthcare provider, a referral to physical therapy is often placed. Your medical provider can also provide recommendations for a physical therapist in your area who is experienced in treating this condition. Be sure to speak to an insurance representative beforehand to ensure that physical therapy is covered for your condition.
Related: Physical Therapy as Treatment for Lower Back Pain
Timeline for Relief
It is important to have realistic expectations about the healing time associated with a herniated disc. While exercise and PT are often helpful, it may take eight weeks or more to experience lasting relief.
Bonus: 3 Herniated Disc Stretches
Along with strengthening exercises, stretching may also help reduce disc herniation symptoms. As with any technique, starting slowly and avoiding forcing movements that cause pain is important. Try these techniques:
Piriformis Stretch
Low back herniations frequently cause pain in the buttocks. This stretch, performed as follows, targets the piriformis muscle deep in this region:
Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet on the floor.
Rest your ankle of the affected leg on the knee of your unaffected leg.
Pull your unaffected thigh toward your stomach until you feel a gentle stretch in the affected buttock.
Hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds and complete 3 stretches.
Pectoral Stretch
Stretching the pectoral muscles in your chest can help prevent forward-shoulder posture and alleviate strain on your neck. Do it as follows:
Stand in a door and rest your forearms on either side of the frame.
Slowly lean your body forward until you feel a light pull in the front of your shoulders and chest.
Maintain this position for 15 to 30 seconds and try 3 repetitions.
Cat Camel Stretch
This stretch helps restore movement in the middle and lower back after a herniation. To perform a cat camel stretch:
Get onto your hands and knees.
Begin by letting your chest and stomach sag towards the ground.
When you’ve moved as far as you can without pain, reverse the movement and arch your back away from the ground.
Continue to slowly alternate between the two positions for 10 to 15 repetitions.
Summary
Exercise is one of the more effective, conservative treatments for a disc herniation. Immediately after the injury occurs, specific exercises may be able to centralize and alleviate your acute symptoms. As the immediate symptoms improve, strengthening and weight-loss workouts may reduce the likelihood of recurrence.
A physical therapist can provide an exercise program tailored to your specific condition.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
