General information on exercises for a herniated disc
Sport plays an important role in the therapy of herniated discs. Which exercises are suitable for strengthening the back muscles is described below. In general, you should pay attention to regular breathing and a calm execution.
The exercises are repeated daily and the pain threshold is not exceeded. A relaxed sitting position is adopted on a stool. The arms hang down on both sides, the sternum is moved forward and the navel is retracted.
The gaze is directed forward and a slight double chin is made. Then the shoulder blades rotate in a slow, circular movement backwards or forwards. The exercise is repeated ten times in both directions.
In this way blockages in the cervical spine can be released and the muscles can relax. Another exercise for a slipped disc of the cervical spine serves to strengthen and mobilize. The right palm of the hand covers the auricle, while the left palm lies relaxed on the left thigh.
The head now actively presses against the right hand for five to ten seconds. The same is repeated with the left side. The exercise can also be performed forwards and backwards.
For this, one hand exerts counter-pressure on the forehead or both hands exert counter-pressure on the back of the head, while the head presses backwards or forwards. To relieve and relax the back, the upper body is placed on a thin pad and the lower legs are placed on a large gymnastics ball or on the seat of a chair. A right angle is formed between the upper body and the thighs, and between the thighs and the lower legs.
The exercise should be performed for about ten minutes. – The following exercise serves to mobilise the lumbar spine. At the same time the abdominal muscles are trained.
In supine position, the legs are bent at a 45-degree angle and the feet are placed on the floor. First, the navel is moved inwards for about five seconds and the lumbar spine is pressed onto the floor. This is followed by a counter movement, also for five seconds.
While the belly button is moved outwards, the lumbar spine moves slightly into the hollow back. Each movement is repeated five times. – In the next exercise, the lumbar spine is also mobilised.
This also has the side effect of improving the supply of nutrients. The feet are positioned on the floor again at a 45-degree angle in a supine position. Both knees are now tilted to the right as far as possible to the floor.
The position is held for five seconds. Afterwards the same movement to the left takes place. This movement is also repeated five times.
The treatment of a herniated disc using a laser device is a minimally invasive procedure that can be performed under local anesthesia and takes about 25-35 minutes. The indication for laser therapy is that the herniated disc must be fresh and should not be too complicated. The aim of this therapy option is to reduce the volume of the disc to relieve the pain symptoms, which are caused by compression of surrounding nerves due to the prolapse of the disc.
The principle is implemented with a special diode laser. The procedure proceeds as follows: First, the corresponding intervertebral disc must be made accessible via puncture using laser technology. This puncture is performed under CT control to ensure that the correct disc has been punctured.
The intervertebral disc consists of a fibrous ring structure (lat. Anulus fibrosus) with a gelatinous nucleus (lat. Nucleus pulposus) in its centre.
The laser device is advanced into the nucleus pulposus, where flashes of light in the infrared range are emitted. Through very high temperatures, these laser beams vaporize the gelatinous core, so that the entire intervertebral disc shrinks. This effect is also called the “shrinking effect” in medicine.
In principle, the laser beams can also be released in the annulus fibrosus. The main thing is that the shrinkage releases the compression of surrounding nerves. In addition to pain reduction, laser treatment can also restore a stabilization of the fibrous ring structure of the intervertebral disc, since small tears in the fibrous ring can close again.
The pain reduction is based on the destruction of the pain fibers. In addition, due to the heat in corresponding areas, certain transmitter substances (glutamate, substance P, etc.) can no longer be produced, so that the transmission of pain stimuli no longer works.
