What Should You Avoid when Living with a Herniated Disc?
A herniated disc occurs when the soft gel-like center of a disc slips out of place. Therefore, causing back, neck, and arm pain. At times, you can have a tingling or numbness in either leg or arm. This can be a painful ordeal, and most doctors recommend therapy to treat these symptoms. However, if you do not want to trigger herniated disc pain, here are some of the activities you should avoid.
Activities to Avoid with a Herniated Disc
Doing laundry. Doing laundry involves activities such as bending, carrying a heavy basket, etc. which puts a lot of pressure on your lower back. Therefore, it is advised to seek assistance with laundry until your herniated disc heals.
Feeding your pet. Although this is a simple task, bending down to clean or fill your pet’s bowl can cause severe back pain. And it is in your best interest to seek help until you heal. Or, look for pet bowls that have top tubes built-in to make it easy for you.
Vacuuming. Vacuuming can cause a significant amount of pain on your lower back due to the forward lunging motion of the vacuum cleaner. However, if assistance is not available, you should keep your back straight. Or, invest in a robot vacuum for the time being. The robot vacuum will do all the work! Thus, it is an ideal choice if you are experiencing any pain.
Sitting on a couch or a chair. Surprisingly, sitting down puts a great deal of pressure on your spinal discs, and this can cause pain and discomfort if you have a herniated disc. It is in your best interest to stand up or lie down as much as possible to avoid putting pressure on your lower back. Alternatively, if you have to work, you can try using a standing desk or using a firm non-reclining chair if you have to sit down. You should consider investing in a lumbar support device to put on your chair for support.
Shoveling snow. Come winter, you tend to bend, twist, and lift snow from their driveways. Therefore, worsening your condition. It’s a good idea to use a snowblower, hire someone to shovel it for you, or seek additional help elsewhere.
Healing From this Condition
You need to understand that giving yourself enough time to heal is highly recommended. Always ask for help or find an alternative method when performing any actions such as the above. By finding help instead, you keep from further damaging your back.
Also, there are some exercises you should avoid, which can worsen your condition. Seek professional advice from your doctor or physical therapist for optimal healing time. Typically 6 weeks or less will get back to your daily life, as you are mindful when performing everyday activities, such as the above.
If you are seeking relief from a herniated disc or any other spinal injuries, such as a muscle strain or sprain, call us today at 561-889-4777 or schedule a consultation online, here. We have offices conveniently located throughout South Florida.
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Are we okay to climb stairs carefully with slipped disc issue
Repetitive stair climbing is not recommended when suffering from a herniated disc/ slipped disc. This can cause a flare-up.
I have had 6 lower back surgeries in the past 3 years (L3/L4 fusion after 2 failed discectomys and L4/L5 fusion, also L5/S1 discectomy on the right side on June 30, 2020) , my most recent being 4 weeks ago today, Sunday November 1, 2020 (another discectomy on the right). Everything was great for about a week after coming home then one morning I went to get out of bed because my right foot was 100% numb and I could not feel it (a lot worse than before surgery. I called my neurosurgeon and told him, he said that it can happen when the nerve pain stays and does not get better for almost a year. And it is possible the feeling will never come back, I have heard this all before but I after surgery and up until that morning my leg felt great so I was concerned but my doctor is the head of the department at Brigham & Woman’s Hospital in Boston so he is one of the best in the country, so I didn’t argue. Now because I have been compensating using my left leg it started hurting with all the symptoms of a herniated disc (which I know exactly how they feel…pain from my lower (very low) back down my buttocks and down my leg stopping in the middle of my calf and the worst pain being my back, buttocks and behind my knee. I do not want another surgery at all, but it hurts so bad I have a hard time walking. I don’t know what to do now, I am frustrated and depressed by all of this and I am only 37 with no children and I will never live a normal life now, there was never an accident that started all of this and not one doctor can tell me why it is happening other than saying “you have degenerative disc disease”. Can that cause everything that I have gone through? What can I do to try to relieve the pain in my left leg? Any suggestions you may have are very much appreciated…PLEASE!
Hi Kelli,
we are sorry to hear you are going through these problems with your herniated disc and degenerative disc disease pain. Degenerative disc disease occurs in people during the typical aging process and is often referred to as “arthritis of the back,” or osteoarthritis.
Over time, just about everyone’s discs will break down. Although not everyone will feel pain. If you are experiencing back pain and the cause is from worn-out spinal discs.
You can learn more about DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE here.
Also, It’s very important that we strengthen our core and back muscles when we have DDD and a herniated disc. This will allow the muscles around the affected area to strengthen and keep them safe from harmsway. Many people also report no pain if they keep up with daily exercises. Although, it’s very very important that you get approved exercises from your surgeon or your physical therapist.
We wish you the best and if you are in South Florida, look us up, we’d be glad to help! 888-409-8006