STOP doing the WRONG exercises for your lower back pain and START seeing results! Bulged or herniated lumbar (lower back) discs require specific exercises to see improvement. You must get the pain under control and then you must strengthen and stabilize your lower back. In this video, a physical therapist will guide you how to do just that.
This is actually "PHASE TWO" of the treatment progression I would take you through if you're experiencing low back pain and sciatic nerve pain due to a bulged disc. PHASE ONE would be some simple stretches to get your pain under control and decrease sciatic symptoms. Please click this link for PHASE ONE of this two-part series: https://youtu.be/fDkw-Zi5MBg
OTHER HELPFUL VIDEOS:
5 SIMPLE CORE EXERCISES YOU SHOULD DO EVERYDAY: https://youtu.be/dGgSI_Js_GY
FIX YOUR BULGED/HERNIATED LOW BACK DISC: https://youtu.be/qriB5Z9DfNU
HOW TO DIAGNOSE YOUR SCIATIC NERVE SYMPTOMS: https://youtu.be/KhTDej-LKRM
HOW TO SLEEP WITH LOW BACK AND SCIATIC NERVE PAIN: https://youtu.be/-Qxmc4E7IwA
Before we start, it's crucial that you understand one concept: NOT ALL BACK PAIN IS CREATED EQUALLY!
**It’s crucial to mention that not all low back pain and not all disc pain is the same. Depending on where your pain is coming from and what symptoms you present with I might recommend a different treatment plan for you. The exercises I present in this video are for a “bulged”, “herniated”, or “protruding” disc. If you have a diagnosis of “stenosis” or “degenerative disc disease” these are NOT the exercises I would recommend. You can see the best exercises for stenosis or DDD when you click on this link: https://youtu.be/bgY7uWPOlRA
CORE EXERCISES FOR STENOSIS: https://youtu.be/Fv3lKPAy53c
HOW CAN I TREAT MY LUMBAR DISC PAIN AND SCIATICA?
The majority of lumbar disc herniations happen posteriorly - meaning the inner disc materials bulges out into the outer layer towards the back. Often this is caused by activities where we bend forward or lift a heavy load or rotate our spine just right.
If the disc is bulging posteriorly (towards the back) our goal is to move it back anteriorly (towards the middle) where it belongs. To do that, we want to introduce primarily extension-based exercises (bending over backwards) that are going to help this action to occur.
First step - get the pain under control
Our first step is to always get the pain/symptoms under control. We do this with stretching and mobilization with emphasis in extension to help ourselves out of this pain.
To see the “PHASE ONE” exercises in treatment of this condition, please click on the following link: https://youtu.be/fDkw-Zi5MBg
OUR SECOND STEP IS TO STRENGTHEN AND STABILIZE THE SPINE IN THIS PAIN-FREE POSITION
Once we get pain under control and the sciatica symptoms are localized primarily to the lower back/buttocks, we then want to introduce gentle core strengthening exercises to hopefully alleviate some of your pain/symptoms. That’s the goal of this video - to demonstrate the right strength training exercises to stabilize the lumbar spine in this extension motion and hopefully help you out of pain.
I’ll be presenting four of my favorite core extension exercises that you can do at home with zero equipment. I will present them in a progression of “least aggressive/difficult” to “most aggressive/difficult”. Hopefully you will be able to do at least 2-3 of these exercises if not all four.
Quick caveat - if ANY of these are painful to your lower back or increase pain/symptoms down your leg stop immediately. That’s a sign that we’re progressing the wrong direction and need to consider taking a different approach.
1. Bridges - Lay on your back with your knees bent. Contract your glutes and lift your buttocks up towards the ceiling. Hold 3 seconds and slowly return to the starting position. 3 sets of 10-20 reps.
2. Bird dogs: Start on all fours. Extend your left leg straight back behind you while bringing your straight right arm straight forward. Hold 3 seconds and slowly return to the starting position. 3 sets of 10 reps on each side.
3. Swimmers - Lay on your stomach with your arms straight overhead. Lift your right arm and left leg up off the floor, hold for 2 seconds and slowly return to the starting position. Repeat with the left arm/right leg. 3 sets of 10 reps on each side.
4. Superman back extension: Lay on your stomach with your arms straight overhead. Contract the muscles in your back to lift your chest and both knees up off the floor. Hold 2 seconds and slowly return to the starting position. 3 sets of 10 reps.
You don’t have to live with back pain or disc symptoms. In fact, there’s a lot that conservative care including physical therapy, stretching, and strength training exercises can do to alleviate your pain/symptoms and help you to feel better.