Bulging disc treatment comes in many different forms. Once you have been diagnosed by your doctor, he or she can recommend several different treatment methods to help you manage your symptoms and improve your quality of life. For instance, your doctor might suggest avoiding activities that could worsen your symptoms, and may prescribe hot and cold compression therapy or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications to relieve your bulging disc pain.

Exercise as a treatment method

Your doctor might also suggest a series of stretching techniques and exercises that can improve your flexibility and relieve any nerve compression that may be causing your discomfort. Here are four exercises that doctors commonly recommend for bulging disc treatment:

1. Lie face down on your stomach with your arms by your sides. This position forces your back to arch and improves the natural curve of the spine.
2. Stand up straight and place your hands on your lower back behind your hips with your palms facing inward and your fingers pointed down. Push your hands into your pelvis so that your lower back arches, but don’t use your lower back muscles.
3. Lie face down with your arms bent and your hands, palms-down, beneath your shoulders. Push up on your hands until your elbows have completely straightened and your lower back stops you. Holding this position for a couple of seconds, lower yourself back to the floor. Start with a few repetitions and work your way up to more repetitions over time. You can repeat this exercise every two hours or as needed.
4. Stand in front of a chair as if you are going to sit on it, placing your feet slightly more outward than your knees. Lower your body until you touch the chair and then stand back up again. Start with a few repetitions and increase to more repetitions as you are able. As you get stronger, you can perform this exercise without the chair and lower your body until your knees are bent at a 90-degree angle.

Always remember to consult with your doctor before starting any new exercise program for the treatment of your bulging disc. If conservative treatments and gentle exercise fail to improve your symptoms after several weeks or months, then surgery may be an option.

How USA Spine Care can help relieve your bulging disc

At USA Spine Care, we offer minimally invasive surgeries for patients who need more advanced bulging disc treatment. Our board-certified surgeons+ use a small incision that is muscle-sparing to either remove a portion or all of the bulging disc in order to relieve the pressure on the nerve root. Contact our dedicated team today so we can help you on your journey to wellness.

As the leader in minimally invasive spine surgery, we have helped more than 75,000 patients find relief from chronic neck or back pain. To find out if you’re a potential candidate, reach out to us and ask for our free MRI review.* We can help you learn if our outpatient procedures would be effective in relieving your bulging disc symptoms.