Once you sustain a herniated disc, you are unfortunately susceptible to future herniations or other back pain symptoms. The good news is you can take some measures to minimize risk of a recurring herniated disc and/or other back injury to the original herniated location.
1. Exercise
Exercise is tremendous for maintaining a healthy back. Be sure to pursue you exercise regimen under the guidance of a medical doctor … especially in the early days, weeks, and months after recovery from your herniated disc.
There are many types of exercise you can do:
- walking
- resistance training (be careful here – get proper instruction on the movements)
- stretching and yoga. A note about yoga. Yoga is touted as excellent for preventing back pain injuries including herniated disc. As a person who does yoga, I agree. However, some yoga postures are intense and target the back. You may need to avoid some yoga positions because of the stress they place on your back.
- cardio generally. With technology, there are many low-impact cardio exercise machines you can use. Two very common machines are elliptical trainers and exercise bikes.
- Swimming
2. Ongoing Physical Therapy
You may be directed to visit a physical therapist on an ongoing basis for “check-ups” for long term care. Moreover, your physical therapist may prescribe additional exercises designed specifically to treat your herniate disc.
3. Learn Proper Lifting Technique
Be sure to learn proper lifting technique (bending at the knees, not at the waist). Once you recover from a herniated disc, you may feel well enough to bend at the waist or perform some other movement that puts you at risk for another herniation or some other back injury. Be mindful of your movements – especially when lifting. Don’t believe because you’re pain free that you are risk-free (actually nobody is risk from from a disc herniation – it’s just people who have a herniated disc history may be at higher risk).
4. Proper Diet
A very simple diet improvement for back health is drinking enough water. Poor hydration can contribute to a herniated disc. Human tissue, including the spine discs, are made up of water. If you don’t hydrate properly, you deprive your discs and other tissue the water they require for proper health, shape, and function.
Moreover, not enough water in your diet can cause your muscles to become out of balance (in the long run). A muscle imbalance can contribute or cause a disc herniation or other back pain injuries.
The common “eat your fruit and veggies” adage applies to proper diet. Fruit and vegetables contribute to proper hydration as well as overall nutrition.
5. Proper Posture
If you maintain an exercise program, especially stretching, you’ll likely improve your posture. However, it helps to be mindful and aware of your posture. Practice improves posture. Work at it – whether standing or sitting.
You might look into buying a better chair for your desk to help with posture if you sit at a desk for long periods of time.
6. Proper Bed Mattress
You can help prevent another herniated disc by ensuring you have a proper sleeping mattress. The key is that your mattress is not uneven. An uneven mattress occurs with age. We don’t commonly think much about replacing a mattress – but if your mattress is not even, it could hurt your back in the long run.
7. Lifestyle
Avoid smoking.
Furthermore, if you like reading or using a computer in bed, then you might consider buying a motorized bed that maneuvers into a sitting position. This results in an even sitting position rather than rigging up pillows or lying on your stomach for long periods of time.
If you’ve suffered a herniated disc, you know you don’t want to go through that experience again. Consider some or all of these measures to avoid a recurring herniated disc.
