Abdominal Workouts For Prolapsed Disc Patients

A prolapsed disc, which is also sometimes called a herniated or slipped disc, can leave you in pain and unhappy for weeks on end. If you're suffering from a prolapsed disc, you may feel like not moving around, sleeping it off, or simply staying still. Of course, none of these will resolve the root cause of the pain, and it won't just go away overnight.

To get rid of the pain, you'll have to take a more head on approach, by following a good abdominal workout plan. If you're already in pain, you may not feel like working out at all, but it will make a big difference. Moving around less won't make it go away, and it may even continue to get worse if you don't take any action.

A prolapsed disc may occur for several reasons, but the pain is usually severe, and often radiates down one leg. Conservative treatment is generally recommended, consisting of therapy, and invasive treatments like surgery are avoided unless it is a persistent or recurring problem.

A good abdominal workout plan may just make the pain go away. If you put together a plan that works for your body, and stick to it, you'll be feeling better in no time.

Get to Know your Back!

Your back is made up of a series of vertebrae. They are like blocks stacked on each other, with a centre space for the spinal cord to run through. In between each vertebrae is a donut shaped disc with a squishy inside. In cases of a prolapsed disc, it bulges out like a hernia, and interferes with a nearby nerve. This is what causes pain, numbness or tingling in the buttocks, or down one leg.

Before you self-diagnose, keep in mind that you may experience the exact same symptoms and not have a prolapsed disc at all! Visit a doctor if you're experiencing any nasty back pain. They'll likely send you for a scan, probably an MRI to get images of your soft tissue before confirming any diagnoses.

Now that you understand the anatomy of your back and what is actually going on with a prolapsed disc, you'll need to treat it!

There are a few steps to treating a prolapsed disc. The first would be to keep moving normally. Staying still won't help you, though you should avoid particularly painful movements. Walking and moving about is fine, but lifting, bending and sneezing would be movements which could aggravate the nerve.

Using Painkillers for a prolapsed disc

Its not a bad idea to treat the pain with acetaminophen (Tylenol), anti-inflammatory (Advil), muscle relaxants, or something with a combination of these is the most common way to treat pain. Though none of these will fix the disc, they will allow you to continue moving and exercising. Be sure to take them regularly and steadily to keep pain at bay.

Keep Exercising!

As we mentioned earlier, you must stay active and keep moving about, even though you may be in pain! Not moving is unnatural and unproductive. However, there is one motion which you should avoid, particularly if you have a posterior disc bulge (this type of bulge is what usually cases pain down the leg). This is called flexion, where the spine is rounded forwards. It is important to keep your back straight during your movements, and it is safe to extend it when necessary.

Stretching And Ab Exercises To Correct A Prolapsed Disc

Here are some great movements which therapists and health professionals recommend to people suffering from the effects of a prolapsed disc.

Mckenzie Press up

This is a stretch designed to relieve pain, and not to actually strengthen the core muscles. It helps to make space for the disc, and relieves tension placed on the nerve root.

Lie face down on a solid surface (in the prone position). Use a mat on a hard floor, and not a bed or sofa, which gives in. Relax with your arms folded in front of your face. Consciously relax the muscles in your butt, lower back and hips.

Phase I: Gradually lift your head up, and prop yourself up on your elbows (imagine a child watching TV from the floor). Keep the back relaxed, hold for a few seconds and return to prone. Perform several times, and move onto phase II when ready.

Phase II: Keep the body in the same position and bring the hands under your shoulders. Gently press the body up, keeping the lower back, hips and glutes relaxed. Press up until the elbows lock. Hold for several seconds, release and repeat.

Back Extensions / Superman

This is to help strengthen the muscles of the back which help with posture, and which support the vertebrae.

Lying prone on a solid surface again, extend the arms and legs completely. Take a deep breath reaching forward with the arms, and slowly lift both arms, legs and chest off the floor. Try to extend your back by engageing the glutes, hips and muscles which support the spine. Hold for 2 to 4 seconds and relax. Repeat this same motion 10 to 15 times. Repeat the exercise a few times each day. After about a week, you can increase the holds to 10 to 15 seconds each.

Leg raises

This is an exercise to strengthen the abdominal muscles which support the lower back.

Lying on your back on the floor, curl your pelvis to push your lower back flat into the floor and extend your legs up to form an 'L' shape. Continue to press your back into the floor as you very gradually lower your legs from 90 degrees to 45 degrees. Hold for a moment and then bring them back up. You can repeat this until you are unable to keep your back pressed into the floor. Relax, and repeat each about 10 times. Perform 2 or 3 sets to start. As you progress, bring your legs lower, towards the floor.

Stop performing this exercise if you feel any kind of pain!

The Plank

This is considered one of the most effective abdominal strengthening exercises.

Lie in the prone position again, with your toes propped up to the floor. Bring the elbows underneath your shoulders, and gently lift your body off the floor. The only contact with the floor should be your forearms and toes. Lift the hips until you are parallel to the floor, and have created a straight line from the shoulders to the ankles. If you feel any discomfort in the back, raise the hips slightly until you find a more comfortable position. Hold for 10 seconds and relax. Repeat 5 to 10 times. As you improve, increase the holding time to 30 to 45 seconds, and repeat 3 to 4 sets once or twice each day.