slipped disc

Slipped disc #4 – Excercises for your back

27. March 2017 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

Excercises for your back and your abdominal muscles

Only 15 minutes sports and movement per day are enough to prevent slipped discs. Targeted exercises for your back to strengthen the muscles in your back. It is important to avoid unilateral training. This might only lead into pain and malpositions. Try to connect exercises for your back with exercises for your abdomen, legs and buttocks.

Exercise for the lumbar region – bridge

Goal of this exercise is to strengthen the muscles in the lumbar region. Lay down on your back with bended knees, place your hands and arms at your side and lift your buttocks. Underneath your back and your legs now is a hollow space. Try to pull in your belly. Then, put your back and your buttocks flat on the floor again. Repeat 15 times.

Exercise for abdominal muscles

This exercise strengthens your abdominal muscles and supports strengthening both sides of your torso. Lay down on your back with bended knees, interlock your hands behind your head, tilt your pelvis downwards. Your back touches the floor. Your abdominal muscles are flex. Now, lift your left knee, bring your right elbow together with the outer side of your left knee. Change sides. Repeat 15 times. In case your head becomes too heavy, place your chin on your chest.

Try to integrated the exercises for your back into everyday life as a daily routine.

Imagesource: @fotolia

Slipped disc #3 – prevent a herniated disc

23. March 2017 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

The first step is prevention. To prevent a herniated disc it is important to strengthen the musculature. This ensures support and relief of the spine at the same time. And this in turn reduces the pressure on the intervertebral discs. Often, simple measures in everyday life generate prevention.

What else does help? Other measures to prevent a herniated disc

Movement: A lack of movement leads to shortened back and spine supporting muscles. Sports like hiking, Nordic walking, backstroke, yoga and special training for spine and back lead to a targeted strengthening of the corresponding muscles.

Ergonomic body posture at home and at work: Sitting for a long time is strainful for your intervertebral discs. Here, the gelatinous core is pressed under great pressure and the blood flow is impaired. This obstructs the nutrient supply of the intervertebral discs. Therefore, it is important to sit in an upright position and at the proper sitting height – at home and at work. When sitting longer, vary the sitting positions and stretch once in a while to prevent tensions.

Correct carrying and lifting: An incorrect carrying and lifting overloads the spine resp. the intervertebral discs. Therefore, care for spreading the weight evenly on both hands. When lifting, bend your knees and car for an upright back.

Proper bedding content: A perfect relief of the back, the spine and the muscles during night cares for a balance of the water loss in the gelatinous core. It is important to use an adaptable sleeping underlay; this enables the spine to take the same position like when standing upright.

In the next article you will find exercises for the abdominal- and back-muscles when already suffering under a herniated disc.

Imagesource: @istock

Slipped disc #2 – Symptoms of a slipped disc

22. March 2017 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

Are you suffering under sever back pain? That doesn’t automatically mean that you are having a herniated disc. Often, muscular tensions trigger back pain. Read more about typical symptoms of a slipped disc:

Symptoms of a slipped disc

Is the slipped disc located in the lumbar region severe back pains that might radiate into your legs occur. Is the slipped disc located in the neck region the pains are felt in the shoulders, arms and hands. Furthermore, sneezing or coughing might cause a stabbing pain. Sensory disturbances like numbness, tingling, muscle weakness up to paralysis are possible.

Immediately seek medical advice should symptoms like numbness in the intestinal and sphincter muscles as well as in the inner thigh occur. This is an emergency that needs surgical treatment. A herniated disc in the thoracic area is seldom.

Diagnosis of a slipped disc

At first, your doctor is making a diagnosis. After physical examination, imaging techniques like CT or MRT reveal a possible herniated disc.

Treatment of a slipped disc

Due to different physical pre-conditions and different lifestyles of the patients the complaints differ. Likewise, the ways of therapy are very individual. Normally, a herniated disc can be treated with pain therapy and subsequent physio therapy. Rest and a change in personal habits complement the therapy.

In case no relief of pain is achieved surgery is the last possibility. A severe disc herniation that is accompanied by paralysis and functional disturbances of bladder and intestines must undergo surgery immediately.

Read in #3 how to prevent a slipped disc.

Imagesource: @fotolia

Slipped disc #1

21. March 2017 von Redaktion Leave a Comment

Back pains rank among the most common widespread diseases. Overweight, lack of movement, overstrain and stress are just some reasons for back pain. But, sometimes back pain is a sign of a slipped disc. Here, severe pain in the cervical- or lumbar-spine arise; this pain also radiates into other body parts (arms or legs).

Intervertebral discs

The intervertebral discs serve as connection between single vertebral bodies. At the same time, they damp vibrations and impacts. The intervertebral discs consist of a soft gelatinous core that is surrounded by an outer ring. During daytime, our vertebras are highly stressed and the water content of the gelatinous core is reduced. This leads to a smaller space between the vertebras; and to a smaller body height in the evening (up to 2 cm). At night during sleeping, the water content rises again. When laying, the vertebras are relieved.

With increasing age, a physical wear of the intervertebral discs is very likely. The elasticity of the gelatinous core diminishes, the outer ring becomes brittle. In case the outer ring breaks, the fluid of the gelatinous core might leak, protrude or shift. When the leaking gelatinous core puts pressure on the proximate spinal cord nerves and nerve roots we are talking about a herniated disc. With the precursor of a herniated disc – a disc protrusion – the outer ring still is intact.

Further causes of a disc hernia/slipped disc

Besides the age-related wear and tear there are further causes for disc hernia:

malpositions (e.g. long sitting)
lack of movement
incorrect loading (e.g. heavy lifting)
poor musculature in the back
overweight
sometimes injuries or accidents
genetically caused weakness of the connective tissue

Read more about symptoms, diagnosis and treatment in slipped disc #2.

Imagesource: @fotolia