Back pain is no joke. It can be debilitating and keep you from living your life to the fullest. For this reason, it’s important to know what not to do when you have a herniated disc in your back. We’ve compiled 10 things that you should avoid at all costs in order for one to heal quickly and without being left with chronic pain.
1. Avoid contact sports:
This is the most important thing you should avoid. You should avoid contact sports of any kind when dealing with a herniated disc or bulging disc.
Contact sports are especially bad for this because the hit will likely make your back feel worse than before, and could cause more damage to the disc than what has been done already.
2. Avoid heavy lifting:
Heavy lifting can definitely be one of those things you should avoid as well. When we lift something out from under the bed or anywhere else, our back muscles contract in order to pick it up; if a person’s back has been damaged by either an injury or otherwise, lifting objects may aggravate the problem significantly. It is wise for someone who hurts their back due to some kind of activity to avoid lifting anything until the disc is back to its place.
3. Avoid sitting for long periods of time:
Sitting for very long durations can be another one of those things that you should definitely avoid as well. You’ll want to try and stay active while dealing with your bulging disc, so getting up every once in a while to stretch should be something you do on a fairly regular basis. It’s good for our bodies to move around even when we aren’t doing physical activity. The blood circulates through the body more and it helps the injured back muscles.
Here is- how to keep your spine healthy while sitting in a chair.
4. Avoid standing for too long:
Standing too long at once cannot be one of those things that you should also avoid either if dealing with a herniated disc. Just as with sitting for too long, standing for a very long time period may cause your body to get stiff and could cause problems in the back muscles. Remember that when you stand, your spine has no place to bend; it is only gravity that pulls our bodies down into a standing position. So if you are stuck standing somewhere, try stretching out every once in a while. It will help loosen up those muscles quite nicely.
Between do this and don’t do this, the main thing you can do for your herniated disc with Ayurveda to avoid surgery for a herniated disc.
5. Avoid stress:
Stress can be one of those things you should avoid dealing with a herniated disc as well. Anxiety is also something else that people who deal with this type of injury on their backs should avoid because they cannot heal properly if they’re constantly worrying about how their injury will affect them. The stress of the mind can be just as bad for your body as stress of the muscles. So if you feel like your back injury is bothering you a lot, try to get away from it so that you may heal better.
6. Avoid alcohol:
Alcohol can also definitely be something else that should be avoided by someone who hurts their back. Especially when dealing with a herniated disc or bulging disc in particular. Alcohol weakenss one’s stomach, and strong stomach muscles are very important to maintaining proper back posture at all times. If alcohol is consumed too often and too much, the person’s core will begin to lose its strength; this weakness may cause some back injuries that have been there before to re-occur once again, which is obviously not a good thing.
7. Avoid smoking:
If someone already has a herniated disc in their back from before, they should probably avoid smoking as well, because the smoke will make them feel worse – especially if they have just started to heal and are still working on getting better. People with bulging discs will also want to stay away from cigarettes for obvious reasons. Be serious with this type of injury and care for it properly by taking the appropriate steps. Smoking is not an appropriate step.
8. Avoid sleeping on your stomach:
Stomach sleepers can definitely be one of those things that you should avoid dealing with a herniated disc. Laying on your stomach keeps your spine flexed at all times, which can cause back strain. When people are dealing with this type of injury, it is always best to lay on one’s side in order to avoid causing further damage. And although everyone likes a good nap every once in a while. You’ll want to be careful not to sleep too long when your spine is flexed for an extended period of time. It could lead to some serious problems with the muscles and bones that surround the area near the herniated disc.
9. Avoid exercising too much:
Exercising is one of those things you should definitely avoid for people who have herniated discs in their backs and for anyone else dealing with this type of injury as well. The problem with exercising when someone has a bulging disc or a herniated disc on their spine is that it can cause the muscles to spasm. This spasm will lead to more pain and discomfort since these muscles are already pulled at just about all times anyway. It’s best to take rest days here and there, even if you are feeling better – because if your back starts hurting again, you’ll want to be able to tell right away that it’s going on instead of ignoring the signs until it gets really bad later on.
10. Avoid having children:
Here’s one more thing you should avoid when you suffer from a herniated disc or bulging disc on your spine – and that’s having children. This is because the extra weight of the baby can put some serious pressure on an already injured back. That would obviously be painful for everyone. But if someone really wants to have kids after they’ve had problems with their discs in the past, they should try laying on their side while pregnant instead of standing straight up. This way, there will be less stress placed on the back all throughout labor and delivery as well as afterward since one won’t have to lift around any babies with sprained backs for a few months until it heals again.
What the best can you do for your herniated disc?
Between these all don’ts you need to take care the earliest stage of slip disc, that is- the degenerative disc. Once we can stop the progress of the disease in its earliest stage, it will help you to stop and reverse the whole disease. Even if you have crossed to level of the disease, Ayurveda is at your help and you can certainly avoid spinal surgery in case of Herniated disc.