A disc extrusion describes the soft inside of a disc pushing to the outside. This can result in debilitating symptoms such as pain, numbness and weakness as well as pins and needles. If you’re experiencing the pain of a disc extrusion, exercise treatment may seem counterintuitive. You should keep in mind that immobility can lead to muscle stiffness and decreased circulation, which may slow the healing process of the extruded disc. It is crucial to stay as active as possible without overexerting yourself, as many extruded discs will heal over time with a consistent regimen of nonsurgical treatments, such as the low-impact exercises described below.

Types of low-impact disc extrusion exercises

It’s important to take action immediately over your disc extrusion pain to maximize the effects of nonsurgical treatments, such as exercise. Choose low-impact activities that will not place too much pressure on your spinal joints, discs or vertebrae.

A few low-impact activities include:

• Walking or hiking
• Swimming or other types of hydrotherapy
• Elliptical training
• Cycling on a recumbent stationary bike
• Step aerobics
• Exercise ball therapy

To make exercising effective in treating your disc extrusion, you should create a consistent routine that you can easily follow a few times a week. Be sure to consult your doctor prior to undergoing a new exercise regime to avoid your symptoms from worsening.

Additional treatments for disc extrusion

In addition to disc extrusion exercises, your doctor may suggest pain medications, anti-inflammatories, chiropractic manipulation and acupuncture. Consult your doctor about developing a personalized conservative treatment plan that includes a few of these methods. Depending on the severity of your disc extrusion, you may require more than nonsurgical treatment. If weeks or months of conservative treatment methods do not help you find the relief you deserve, contact USA Spine Care to take the next step toward pain relief.

As the leader in minimally invasive spine surgery, we offer minimally invasive decompression and stabilization procedures that can avoid the highly invasive nature and lengthy recovery of traditional open spine surgery.^ These procedures are able to remove the portion of the disc that is extruded and creating debilitating symptoms that limit the ability to complete your daily tasks.

We offer a no-cost MRI review* to find out if you are a candidate for one of our minimally invasive procedures, which have helped more than 75,000 patients find relief from chronic conditions like disc extrusion.

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