Natural Relief for Bulging or Herniated Discs

So you’ve just got your MRI results back and the radiologist says that your back has a bulging disc. 

If you’re like most, this diagnosis comes as a shock and it sounds really bad. For many, just the name bulging disc or slipped disc brings up images of something that can’t be healed. After all, you probably have a family member with back pain who said that they’ve had a bulging disc for years. 

But…there is hope. A lot of hope actually. 

Because… first, discs actually heal(even in people who are still in pain). Recent studies looked into how long it takes for a disc to heal. In most people, if you got a bulging disc today, within 3 months(based on how it looks on an MRI), it will be at least 50% healed. At 6 months, your bulging disc is 75% healed while at a year, they see that the disc is 100% healed(again even if you’re still having pain). 

How can this be?  First we need to understand what a bulging disc actually is. Because it is so deep inside our body we can’t see it without an MRI. But one thing we can see is a sprained ankle. A bulging disc is like a sprained ankle but for our spine. Now, when we get an ankle sprain, it gets red, swells, likely hurts to move and put weight on.  Now, over time, we notice that it feels better(might still be swollen) but this all eventually goes down. 

In our spine, the same process happens. Swelling is actually our body cleaning up the mess of the sprain, bringing healing nutrients to the spot, and carrying away waste. Bulging discs are no different but the swelling irritates the nerves coming off of our spine. 

Plus, bulging discs are found in people with absolutely no pain whatsoever.  

Check this out, 

Bulging discs are found in 40% of pain free people in their 30s, 50% of people in their 40’s, by the time you’re in your 50s, 60% will have a bulging disc and 69% of 60 year olds(again, pain free) will have a bulging disc.

As it turns out, these changes are part of the aging process and are more like our wrinkles on the inside. 

But, you’re in pain, so what does this mean for you? 

First, it means that the finding of a bulging disc is more likely coincidental to your pain than a cause of it. Even if you’ve been told you have the spine of a 90 year old it just means that you have more “wrinkles” than the doctor expected(and usually any doctor who says that is more likely trying to show empathy with you and your pain). 

Key Takeaways about Bulging Discs

• Age is the strongest predictor: By age 50, roughly 60% of people with no pain will show disc bulge on an MRI.

• "Wrinkles on the inside": Radiologists and physical therapists often describe these findings as "the gray hair of the spine"—natural age-related changes rather than injuries.

• Clinical Correlation: Because these findings are so common in healthy people, a finding on an MRI (like  a disc bulge) does not necessarily explain why a patient is experiencing pain. Clinical examination is essential to determine if the imaging matches the symptoms.

How to know if your bulging disc needs immediate medical care: 

If you have developed numbness or tingling to the area around your bottom and genitals to your inner thighs especially when it started with the onset of your pain.

If you have started developing an inability to control your bowel or bladder(either starting or stopping/controlling).

Significant weakness to your legs including but not limited to your foot dropping  or hitting the floor in an uncontrolled way when you are trying to walk. Also if you notice a growing clumsiness to your legs or walking or are having loss of balance associated with your onset of pain.

Now, for the hope. Because bulging discs  happen in nearly everybody who isn’t in pain, it means that it's actually pretty safe to start to try gentle exercise to start relieving the pain.  

How to do this, first, understand(and write down) how long you can do something like standing, sitting, or working before your symptoms start to flare. If you know how long you are able to sit before your back pain or sciatica starts or spreads down your leg, then you want to get out ahead of it...literally. If you are able, take a 5 minute posture break by getting out of the car or walking around  the office. 

More often than not, you are not actually damaging anything by sitting there but it can continue getting worse. Whether that is pain going down the leg or just not being able to straighten your back, taking the 5 minutes sooner rather than later can make it so you can get out in front of debilitating  back pain.

Next, if you have back pain that is worse when bending over, things like washing dishes, picking up laundry, or if your sciatica goes down your leg when bending, try some gentle stretches about every hour to ease back stiffness and give your body a break. 

Try to avoid the same position over and over, especially if bending over at the sink causes back pain. One way to ease this is by switching your stance. 

How to do this? Start with how you normally wash the dishes. Every few minutes then switch so you have 1 leg in front(not quite a lunge stance but just enough so one leg takes more of the load). Then switch every few minutes so your muscles take the load and not your spine.

What and when should I stretch? There are two or three stretches that are  probably my first go to moves when it comes to low back pain. More often than not, there will be 1 stretch that does the most to relieve the pain, calm the sciatica, and help you start to be more active and comfortable. 

The key is to understand what needs stretching and often it isn’t the low back muscles or hamstrings(i.e. You don’t need to keep bending forward to force more flexibility). To figure out what needs stretching, you need to first look at what positions make your back pain worse. Is it worse after sitting, worse lying down, worse trying to stand but eases off after a few steps. 

This is your back saying that it really wants to go into a gentle back bend(aka lean backwards against your counter). The key is not to push too far into pain on your first rep. To do this, we’re going to try about 10 repetitions trying to go deeper into the stretch with each rep and then once you’re done, walk around for about 30 seconds. Then answer the question, am I better, worse, or the same. 

Test this for several rounds. If you notice that you’re gradually getting better, you’ve found your stretch. Now, try 10 reps every hour and see if you are able to get on top of your pain. 

Why stretching your hamstrings isn’t fixing your back pain

The hamstrings are probably the most targeted area that people want to stretch, they try all sorts of positions to get them to loosen up but in the workshop, we’re going to look at why those poor hammies may be the victim and not the culprit for sciatica and back pain. 

Ok, for starters, what are the hamstrings and what do they do. The hamstrings are part of 3 separate muscles one having 2 heads, the biceps femoris as well as two others, the semitendinosus and semimembranosus, They mainly do 2 things which is bend your knee and bring your leg back. They are all provided power by the sciatic nerve. 

When this nerve is giving a little too much juice to the hamstrings, they are going to hold themselves tighter making them feel both stiff and tight to you. This is called tone and all muscles have it to some degree. If you’ve ever had those sore spots and knots between your shoulder blades, that is those muscles with a bit of higher tone and it forms painful knots.  

Those sore spots are called trigger points and are areas of higher tone and every muscle can get them. The hamstrings are no exception. So-why are they the victim? When we go back to your sciatic nerve, if it is being irritated by the spine, it is going to tell the muscles that it connects to to become stiffer to “protect”.  Often when we are stretching the muscle, we are often trying to get that tone to turn down.

 Unfortunately, if we are doing things like toe touches, pulling on them with a strap, or laying down with our legs on a wall, we are more often than not, irritating the very same nerves that are causing the tightness in the first place.

Should I strengthen?

The short answer is yes but the muscles you need to be focusing aren’t your abs.

Why doing crunches will never fix your back pain(the core strength myth)

We’ve all been told that to avoid or fix back pain, all we need is a stronger core. Many turn to machines for their abs, we’ve all seen the ab coaster, ab roller, the shake weight and people even electrocute themselves in pursuit of a stronger core but many of these training methods don’t actually stabilize the spine or use your core muscles in the way that they actually work when you’re running, lifting, or golfing. This is especially true with crunches which can actually irritate your back and flare your sciatica.  

What to do instead. Start by training your back with a couple of types of holds(called an isometric).  Load the side of your spine with a 5-10 pound weight and walk 100’ with it(this turns on the spinal protectors). Next, use your counter to hold yourself straight(modified plank on counter) making sure to not be provoking your spine while doing it. Last, focus on cardio. If you can do a 10 minute walk without provoking your pain, then make sure you are trying to get 3 of these in per day. 

You’ll start to notice that by doing these movements and exercises you are starting to get a measure of control over your back pain. 

But what happens when your back pain isn’t so cooperative? More often than not, it is either a mobility problem(like tight tender muscles)  or your stretches need more personalization in order to make them work. 

Confused about where to start? Book a call from the comfort of your home or office and  on your schedule with one of our Chronic Pain Specialists. You can schedule your call here.  Need help now? Come by and talk with one of our Doctors of Physical Therapy at no charge. We offer FREE consultations, which give you the opportunity to come in and meet us and see for yourself how we can help you.

Here are just a few of the things you will learn in one of our free consultation:

• What is the underlying cause of your pain? (hopefully nothing too serious!)

• Roughly, how long will it take to fix the problem?

• What to do to help – which doesn’t include painkillers, resting or surgery etc.

• What other, natural, drug free methods are there to speed up recovery alongside treatment?

Our consultations are great for anyone that may be “unsure” if physio is right for them, and they give you the opportunity to ask questions and see for yourself if we can help you.

If you’d like one of our limited free consultation sessions, please click here to schedule your free consultation or CALL us on 850-765-2779 to make a no-obligation enquiry.

Dr. Brandon is the owner and a Physio at Body Mechanix Physiotherapy and Fitness. Four of his favorite people call him daddy while he's been married to his other favorite person for 23 years. He enjoys teaching martial arts and is a Mestrando in Capoeira while in the mornings, he can be found working out with the guys in F3 around town.  He's the author of 4 pain relief guides for sciatica, low back, shoulder, and knees and the lead contributor to the Active Tallahassee Blog.