I often come across people living with the uncomfortable and often painful effects of disc herniation, or as it is more colloquially termed ‘slip disc’. Not to be confused with what we might normally think of when hearing the word ‘hernia’, this unfortunate condition could affect any part of the spine. Due to the location of the centre of gravity of the human body and the associated biomechanical principles governing our movements, disks in the lower back region specifically are the ones so often injured.

Intervertebral discs separate and absorb shock between each of the vertebral bones that collectively make up the spinal column. Any sudden movement or accident causing excessive loading on the spine could result in one or more discs becoming ruptured. The herniated contents of the disc may then interfere with surrounding structures. Unfortunately for us, since one of the primary functions of the spine is to house the spinal chord, a complicated network of nerves emanate from it and could become directly affected.

Nerves connect the spinal chord with muscles, which is why pains associated with the condition are often described as ‘shooting’ or spreading across vast stretches of the body. Sciatica, for instance, affects the sciatic nerve, which runs down the buttocks from the lower back and continues down the back of the legs.

Pains tend to come and go, get worse with physical exertion and can become quite tiresome and debilitating for those afflicted. When the condition is bad enough, surgery may be required to repair the damaged discs. Perhaps the shortest straw, however, is drawn by those whose herniated discs are not of sufficient severity to warrant surgery, because in such cases, there really isn’t much one can do other than live with it.

And, alas, many people do. If you aren’t struggling with disc herniation, chances are you know somebody who is, but the future needn’t be so completely bleak. There might not be a cure for the condition in such cases, but this doesn’t mean we cannot work towards ‘managing’ it.

If you’re apparently healthy, the world is your oyster when it comes to selecting a new and interesting form of physical activity to try out, but if you have a herniated disc, you’re going to have to be more careful

There are a range of effective treatments and methods one might like to try, and with a little research one can quickly find there are indeed some viable and effective options out there. One such option that needn’t break the bank and can actually lead to additional benefits aside from a reduction in pain and restoration of function is exercise.

We so often present exercise as a magical solution for so many things on these very pages, and while here is yet another of its wonderful applications, caution must be urged. I rarely find myself pulling the reigns on people’s enthusiasm to exercise, but this is certainly one of the cases in which I so often do. If you’re apparently healthy, the world is your oyster when it comes to selecting a new and interesting form of physical activity to try out, but if you have a herniated disc, you’re going to have to be more careful, patient, selective and critical of anything that could potentially present a risk of worsening your condition.

Exercise is indeed a powerful weapon, but certainly in this context, only when yielded and targeted correctly. Research tells us that those under professional guidance do a lot better than those who go it alone, so speaking to an experienced fitness professional familiar with your condition is the best place to start. Consider the following three principles to make the most out of the power of exercise in enhancing the quality of your pain-free and active life.

The first point regards activity selection. A quick internet search will yield plenty of exercises that can help you with your condition. Unfortunately, however, many of them aren’t necessarily ideal, since they are quite skill intensive. This basically means that yes, performed right, they’re great. Performed wrong, however, they will almost certainly set off an undesirable bout of pain, or worse, injure your herniated disks further. I’ve seen exercises being recommended, that people tend to find quite difficult to perform correctly without guidance or coaching from a pretty good instructor or trainer.

When you take medicine, it would be quite strange to have a doctor recommend a specific medicinal product, only to leave you to your own devices in figuring out how much to take, and how often. We could say the very same thing about exercise. Even with a great set of exercises in tow, the wrong dosage could spark off an adverse reaction. Progressions in intensity should be made in small incremental steps, with adequate time between for recovery of the relevant muscles. The second crucial consideration for exercise with herniated discs is, therefore, that the correct application of finely-tuned overload is essential whatever the goal, but even more so for those with health challenges like disc herniation.

The third principle of safe and effective exercise in this context involves staying faithful to the big picture. The exercise programme as a whole needs to be tailored towards rehabilitating your back over an appropriate period of time.

Some of the major driving strategies behind the programme should include correcting muscular imbalances, strengthening the core, and improving flexibility while staying faithful to the principles of progressively applied overload interspersed with ample recovery time.

matthewmuscatinglott@gmail.com

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