
- Chiropractic manipulation. This common form of alternative care treats bulging discs by manually realigning the spine to restore functionality and reduce pressure. ...
- Massage therapy. In addition to relieving muscle tension, massage can increase blood flow and circulation to help reduce muscle soreness or soft tissue injury.
- Restorative yoga. Yoga can both stretch the muscles to relieve tension in the spine and strengthen the muscles that support the spine, promoting better mobility.
- Pilates. Similar to yoga, Pilates is a form of exercise that concentrates on strengthening the body with an emphasis on core strength, flexibility and posture.
- Acupuncture. This ancient Chinese form of physical therapy uses small needles to stimulate specific points in the body, which causes the nervous system to provide temporary pain relief.
What is good treatment for a bulging disc?
What are the Treatments for a Herniated Disk?
- Rest. Take it easy for a few days. ...
- Medications. Take an over-the-counter pain medicine like ibuprofen ( Motrin, Advil) or naproxen ( Aleve, Naprosyn ).
- Physical Therapy. Some exercises can help improve the symptoms of a herniated disc. ...
- Injections. ...
- Surgery. ...
- Protect Your Spine. ...
Is there a cure for a bulging disc?
Treatments of Disc bulge is also depends severity and vary depends upon symptoms also. Your Doctors may prescribed you NSADIs (anti-inflammatory medicine) to relieve pain and inflammation. You can try hot and cold pack, this is natural remedies and have no side effects.
Can you heal a bulging disc?
One of the things your body needs to heal a bulging disc is to increase the space between the vertebrae, which can encourage the bulged nucleus to return to its proper place. This also helps to rehydrate the disc, which promotes the natural healing of the area. This “space increasing” will also relieve your lower back pain.
Can bulging disc fully heal by surgery?
This treatment approach ultimately helps many people avoid unnecessary surgery. For this reason, surgery should be viewed as a last resort treatment for a bulging disc. In some cases, however, bulging disc symptoms may persist or worsen despite six to eight weeks of nonsurgical treatment.

Can a bulging disc heal on its own?
A herniated disk is also known as a slipped, ruptured or bulging disk. It's one of the most common causes of neck, back and leg pain. Most of the time, herniated disks heal on their own or with simple home-care measures.
How do you fix a bulging disc in your back?
Nonsurgical treatment may include:Rest. One to 2 days of bed rest will usually help relieve back and leg pain. ... Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen can help relieve pain.Physical therapy. ... Epidural steroid injection.
What is the fastest way to heal a bulging disc?
How to heal a herniated disc quicklyAlternate applying heat and cold.Stay as active as you can. Take walks to avoid becoming too stiff from resting too often.Try alternative treatments like acupuncture, massage, or chiropractic.
Can a bulging disc go back into place?
Non-surgical treatments can include physical therapy or bracing to try and gradually ease the bulging disc back into its rightful place. When these conservative options fail, and there is still a lot of pain, a minimally invasive surgical procedure can be used to correct the bulging disc.
What happens if a bulging disc goes untreated?
If a bulging disc is untreated, the symptoms will become worse as the constant pressure on the nerve intensifies the sensations. This can also cause issues with walking, and even while holding objects, as the pressure impedes the ability of the nerves to transmit information properly.
Is a disc bulge serious?
A bulging disk can push against the spinal cord and nerve roots, leading to severe pain and problems with mobility. Treatment may include a combination of medication, physical therapy, and self-care. In severe cases, a person may need surgery.
What makes bulging discs worse?
The pain from a herniated disc usually is worse when you are active and gets better when you are resting. Coughing, sneezing, sitting, driving, and bending forward may make the pain worse. The pain gets worse when you make these movements because there is more pressure on the nerve.
What causes a bulging disc to flare up?
In addition to natural wear and tear, other factors that can contribute to a bulging disc include repetitive movements, strenuous lifting, twisting of the body, bone spurs pushing against the disc, and many other degenerative conditions.
What should I avoid with a bulging disc?
What should I avoid if I have a bulging disc?sitting in soft chairs that put pressure on the low back.any periods of long standing or sitting.slouching or poor posture.activities involving bending such as gardening housework or strenuous exercise.
Which is worse bulging or herniated disk?
Herniated discs are considered more severe than bulging discs because they put significant pressure on nearby nerves, which can cause intense pain, inflammation and difficulties with movement.
Can a chiropractor help a bulging disc?
Chiropractic has been proven to be an effective treatment for bulging disc and the associated pain. A herniated disc is a relatively common condition that can occur anywhere along the spine, but most often affects the lower back or neck region.
How painful is a bulging disc?
A bulging disc may have no pain at all because it has not reached a certain severity level, and this can make it difficult to identify the bulging disc symptoms before the condition becomes more severe. Most commonly, bulging discs create pressure points on nearby nerves which create a variety of sensations.
Common Symptoms of a Bulging Disc
When a bulging disc causes nerve compression, there are a variety of symptoms that can develop and cause once-routine daily activities to become a chore.
Diagnosis of a Bulging Disc
If you have a bulging disc, you should consult your doctor or a spine care specialist about whether you need treatment for your condition. There are a variety of different doctors who treat conditions of the spine, so make sure you find the one that is right for you. Options include:
Bulging Disc Repair: Conservative Treatments
The goal of conservative bulging disc treatment is to relieve the excess pressure on the disc so it can potentially return to its natural shape and perform its role as a shock absorber for the spine.
Alternative Treatments to Repair a Bulging Disc
Though their clinical effectiveness is still up for debate, alternative treatments are yet another possibility to consider when trying to repair a bulging disc. Popular options include:
Surgical Treatments to Repair a Bulging Disc
If you have attempted conservative treatment for several weeks or months and your symptoms haven’t responded, you may need to consider your surgical options.
How to heal a bulging disc?
The most important thing is to give the bulging disc the opportunity to heal by: Changing the movements and habits that put unhealthy loads through the disc. Building strength in the appropriate muscles to give the disc the support it needs. Written by Dr. Jeremy James.
How to tell if a disc is bulging?
A bulging disc can be diagnosed by a thorough evaluation by a health care professional and also by imaging such as an MRI. Symptom patterns common to bulging discs include pain with forward bending, pain with coughing, sneezing or bowel movements, and pain with prolonged sitting. The pain can occur in the back, ...
How long does it take for a bulging disc to heal?
With proper exercise and healthy spine habits, a bulging disc rarely requires surgery. In fact, it can typically be treated at home and can usually heal on its own within 6 to 12 months. The most important thing is to give the bulging disc the opportunity to heal by: 1 Changing the movements and habits that put unhealthy loads through the disc. 2 Building strength in the appropriate muscles to give the disc the support it needs.
What is the difference between a disc and a donut?
Each disc is like a jelly-filled donut, with a gelatinous inner layer and firm outer layer. Typically, pressure created by everyday activities like walking, bending, sitting, and lifting is distributed evenly across discs. But bad posture, repetitive movements, and a lack of strength in the muscles that support the spine can cause unhealthy ...
What causes a disc to be uneven?
The weight that is usually distributed evenly through the disc by daily activities (walking, sitting, and bending over) is now distributed in an uneven pattern, putting unhealthy pressure on the affected disc and the surrounding discs, joints, and ligaments. Eventually this pressure causes problems which can result in pain.
What happens when the pressure gets too great in one part of the disc?
When the pressure gets too great in one part of the disc, the inner liquid can push into the outer layer causing a “bulge” to form— this is referred to as a bulging disc. When pressure and the bulge become extreme, the outer layer tears and the inner liquid spills out, resulting in a disc herniation —a herniated disc is a potentially much more ...
Why does my disc hurt?
Pain and/or dysfunction can be caused in four general ways: If the other structures around the disc become overloaded because the damaged disc in unable to absorb shocks, they wear down and become inflamed, resulting in arthritis .
What is a bulging disc?
To understand what a bulging disc is, we must first understand the anatomy of the spine. Put simply, the spine is made up of individual vertebrae stacked on top of each other. Between each vertebrae is an intervertebral disc that provides a cushion so the vertebrae don’t rub together. The discs between the vertebrae, ...
How to tell if a disc is bulging?
What are the Symptoms of a Bulging Disc in the Lumbar Spine? 1 At times NO symptoms at all. [2] [7] 2 General Low back pain. [4] 3 Pain can travel down the leg if it pinches on a nerve. [4] 4 Decreased lumbar lordosis (lower back curvature becomes flattened). [6] 5 Muscle spasm [4]
How to relieve back pain from piriformis?
Exercise #1: Lying Figure-4 Stretch ( For Piriformis) In the early stages of a disc bulge, your body’s natural response is to tighten up and protect the spine and buttocks area. Because of this, one of the the simplest things you can do yourself to relieve radiating back pain caused my a disc bulge is stretching piriformis muscle.
What is the best exercise to strengthen your core?
Exercise #5: Plank – To Strengthen Core/Abs. A strong core will protect the spine and improve one’s posture. Therefore this exercise is great at targeting those deep core muscles. ● Begin lying on your stomach with your forearms against the mat.
Does a bulging disc hurt?
[1] [3] * It is important to note that a bulging disc doesn’t always touch the nerves , and for many a bulged disc doesn’t even produce any pain at all. [2] [7] However, it could progress ...
Can you reverse a bulging disc?
Leon’s Notes: There’s some research showing that a bulging disc can in fact be reversed with exercise and posture modifications. Meaning you could actually push back the disc material, so it doesn’t bulge. With most bulging discs in the lower back, you want to try an extension based exercise program (Mckenzie method is a popular one). [5] .
Can you do a plank with a low back?
Notes: The most important thing is NOT to arch your low back when doing the Plank exercise. Only hold the plank for as long as you can engage your core muscles without straining the low back muscles. Other forms of exercise that may help, that were not mentioned above include core strength, walking, pilates, and yoga.
How to heal a bulging disc?
One of the things your body needs to heal a bulging disc is to increase the space between the vertebrae, which can encourage the bulged nucleus to return to its proper place. This also helps to rehydrate the disc, which promotes the natural healing of the area. This “space increasing” will also relieve your lower back pain.
What does a bulging disk look like?
A bulging disk looks like a hamburger that’s too big for the bun. The disc extends outside its normal place and the bulge typically affects a large portion of the disc. Bulging is considered part of the normal aging process of the disk. A herniated disk, on the other hand, happens when a crack in the tough outer layer of cartilage allows some ...
What is a herniated disk?
A herniated disk, on the other hand, happens when a crack in the tough outer layer of cartilage allows some of the softer inner cartilage to “escape” out of the disk . Herniated disks are also called ruptured disks or slipped disks, and cause much more pain than compressed discs.
How long does it take for a back inversion table to work?
Inversion Therapy. The first option is by using a high-quality inversion table. An inversion table brings a dramatic pain relief in as little as 10 seconds (for some people). Regular inversion allows your back muscles to relax, your spine to elongate, and create space for your discs.
Why do you invert your back?
Regular inversion allows your back muscles to relax, your spine to elongate, and create space for your discs. This space is vital to the discs’ ability to naturally realign, rehydrate, and return to health – providing flexibility, shock absorption, and improved posture.
Can a Nubax table decompress your back?
The Nubax Trio can decompress your back just as powerfully as a gravity table but is portable and much smaller – making it ideal for small places. The Nubax Trio is easier to get in and out of and it allows you to apply as little or as much traction as is needed.
Can you do spinal decompression at home?
This process is called spinal decompression (or back traction). It relieves the pain and allows your body to heal itself naturally – Faster. No medication, no surgery. And you can do spinal decompression at home – by yourself, whenever you need it.
How to stop a bulging disc?
One of the best ways to stop the pain and heal a bulging disc is to see your chiropractor. Not only can a chiropractor diagnose the root cause and find out if you have a herniated or bulging disc, but they can treat it as well. After imaging, your chiropractor will set up a treatment plan that is designed for you and your exact needs.
What happens if your disc is bulging?
If a disc is already bulging, an incorrect posture will increase the severity of the problem. If you are unsure about your posture, whether sitting, standing, lifting, or exercising, speak to your chiropractor. They can guide you and advise you on the best methods for improving your posture. Your mom will be proud.
How long does it take for a herniated disc to heal?
It takes approximately 4 weeks for a bulging or herniated disc to heal itself, then another 12 weeks of chiropractic care and physical therapy for you to return to your usual daily activities and exercise program.
What is it called when you have a bulging disc?
This is called a bulging disc. If the pressure remains intense or if the bulging disc is damaged enough times, the outer layer of the disc can split, allowing some of the softer inside material to squeeze out. This also touches on a nerve and causes intense pain. When this happens, it is called a herniated disc.
Why does my lower back hurt?
Perhaps one of the most common sources for low back pain comes from a herniated or bulging disc. Disc problems cause excruciating pain for most people, with pain so intense that they go immediately to the emergency room. A herniated disc can even cause sciatica pain.
How to heal a herniated disc?
Perhaps one of the best-kept secrets about healing a herniated disc and preventing a reoccurrence is to practice yoga. While every pose is not going to be suitable for you while you are healing, many of the poses can help shift the weight on the spine, allowing the disc to return to its correct position.
Why do discs bulge out?
As we age, these cushions become harder and less flexible. When too much pressure is put on the spine, these discs can bulge out from between the vertebrae, touching a nerve. The nerve reacts by sending pain signals to the brain. This is called a bulging disc.
