Can't Stand Up Straight Due to Herniated Disc? Try This!

The Treatopedia Guide

What's the Problem and What Does It Feel Like?
How Sitting, Standing, and Moving Affect Your Back
How to Avoid Making Your Back Hurt More
Ways to Make Your Back Feel Better

What's the Problem and What Does It Feel Like?

Imagine if you had a jelly donut in your back. Normally, it's soft and squishy, and it helps your back move smoothly. But what if that donut got squished and the jelly started to leak out? That's kind of what happens when you have a herniated disc. The disc, or "donut", gets damaged and the soft part inside starts to push out. This can press on nerves in your back, causing pain, numbness, or weakness that makes it hard for you to stand up straight.

If the herniated disc isn't pressing on a nerve, you might just feel a dull ache in your lower back. But if it is pressing on a nerve, you could feel pain, numbness or weakness in different parts of your body. For example, you might feel like your leg is weak or like there are pins and needles in your foot.

How Sitting, Standing, and Moving Affect Your Back

The way you sit, stand, and move can make a big difference to your back. If you slouch or slump, it can squish the discs in your spine and make your herniated disc worse. It's really important to keep your back straight and lined up, especially when you're sitting down for a long time.

Walking can also affect your back. If you take really long strides when you walk, it can put extra pressure on your herniated disc and make your symptoms worse. But if you walk with good posture, it can actually help reduce lower back pain.

There are also certain activities that can make a bulging disc in your lower back worse. These include sitting for a long time (especially if you're not sitting up straight), bending forwards, lifting heavy things, running, jumping, climbing stairs, doing step aerobics (that's an exercise where you step up and down on a platform), and doing exercises that put a lot of pressure on your lower back like squats and leg presses.

How to Avoid Making Your Back Hurt More

There are lots of things you can do to avoid making your herniated disc worse. One of the most important things is to keep good posture. This means keeping your back straight and lined up, especially when you're sitting down for a long time.

When you're lifting heavy things, it's really important to use your legs instead of your back muscles. If you use your back muscles to lift, it can cause a herniated disc. And if you twist while you lift something heavy, it can also hurt your back.

If you have a herniated disc and need to stand up from sitting down, there's a special way to do it that can help protect your back. Here's how: Bend your knees and keep your feet shoulder-width apart. Stand with one foot slightly in front of the other. Take a step forward with your back leg. Allow the front knee to bend as you lower yourself down towards the ground. Don't put your back knee fully on the ground. Then stand up again and repeat with the other foot.

Ways to Make Your Back Feel Better

We believe that treating a herniated disc as soon as possible is really important. If left untreated, the condition can lead to more severe symptoms such as muscle weakness and even paralysis (that's when part of your body can't move). Moreover, it can significantly impact your quality of life by limiting your mobility (that's how much you can move around) and causing chronic pain (that's pain that lasts for a long time).

There are several risk factors associated with herniated discs. These include:

Age: As people get older, the discs in their spine lose their water content.
Weight: Being overweight puts extra stress on the discs.
Occupation: People who have jobs where they have to lift heavy things or do lots of bending or twisting are more likely to get a herniated disc.
Genetics: Some people might be more likely to get a herniated disc because of their genes.

Here are some quotes by doctors about herniated discs:

"A herniated disk refers to a problem with one of the rubbery cushions (disks) that sit between the bones (vertebrae) that stack to make your spine." - Dr. Mohamad Bydon, Mayo Clinic
"If you have a herniated disk, think about it as a jelly donut." - Dr. Pelle
"Spinal decompression therapy provides optimal healing, relieving back pain and treating a number of spinal disc complications." - Dr. David Tannenbaum

Medication

There are some medicines that can help manage the pain and other symptoms associated with herniated discs. These include ibuprofen (which is a type of painkiller), codeine (which is a stronger type of painkiller), gabapentin (which can help with nerve pain), and metaxalone (which can help relax your muscles).

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy can help reduce pain through exercises and stretching. It can also help improve flexibility and physical function.

Surgery

In severe cases where other treatments haven't worked, surgery might be considered. Diskectomy is one type of surgery where the damaged part of a herniated disk in the spine is removed.

Decompression Belt

One treatment option that stands out is the use of a decompression belt. This device works by providing gentle traction to the spine, helping to relieve pressure on spinal discs. It's an easy at-home solution that can provide immediate relief from back pain caused by a herniated disc. You can find more information about this treatment option at our main page [here]. The decompression belt is risk-free compared to other treatment options which may have side effects or risks associated with them.