If you have a herniated disc in your lower back this can cause a lot of pain. Over time the pain will become much worse if you do not do anything about this problem. To help you, below are three tips that will help you feel less pain in your lower back.

Get Rest and Do Low Activities

The first thing you need to do is to rest but if you rest too much you can get more pain. This is because the muscles around the disc will weaken. Get rest for about an hour and then do light activities. Some light activities you can do are walking swimming, biking, Pilates, and yoga. Stretching exercises also work well, and your doctor may suggest dynamic lumbar stabilization exercises. These exercises will help strengthen your back and abdominal muscles to give you better back strength and flexibility

Before you do any kind of exercise talk to your doctor first. The doctor will know the best exercises to do for the type of herniated disc you have, such as where it is located and how bad it is.

Use an Ice Back

Ice treatment will help numb your back nerves, sooth your pain, and reduce swelling.  Never leave the ice pack on your skin for too long, however. In most cases you can do this for approximately 10 minutes and rest for five minutes and keep going though this routine for an hour or so.

Ice is only temporary relief and will not help with the actual herniated disc problem. Instead, it helps with muscle spasms, which can cause a lot of pain in your back.

See a Doctor

If you continue to have pain in your lower back, you need to seek the help of a doctor. The doctor will first give you a thorough checkup to determine where the herniated disc is located. The doctor may also want to do an MRI scan to help them see your back discs and muscles much better.

The doctor will prescribe anti-inflammatory medication to you, which may be over the counter or by a prescription. This type of medicine helps calm inflamed muscles around the disc, which will help relieve your pain.

Physical therapy is often suggested as the physical therapist will know how to stretch your back, as well as provide exercises to help strengthen your back muscles.

In severe cases your doctor may suggest surgery, but this will be a last option.

Talk with your doctor about this information to learn much more about lower back herniated discs.  Contact a clinic, like Southwest Florida Neurosurgical & Rehab Associates, for more help.

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