If you are experiencing back pain that typically worsens during physical activity and lessens when resting, you might have a herniated disc. Fortunately, you don’t have to use conventional medications to relieve the pain. Other alternative and complementary treatments have been proven to alleviate herniated disk pain. Exploring alternative treatments not only relieves pain and makes you feel more relaxed but also keeps you out of the operating room. Here are some alternative and complementary therapies for herniated disc pain.
- Physical Therapy
Physical therapy helps to strengthen your core and back muscles, offering more support to your spine. This offers pain relief and prevents extra damage to the herniated disc. A physical therapist will guide you on exercises to strengthen the back muscles, which can enhance posture, relieve pressure on the nerves, and decrease pain. Most of these exercises strengthen muscles, improve flexibility, and accelerate recovery.
- Exercise
Regular exercise, particularly low-impact exercises such as swimming, can help alleviate herniated disc pain and promote recovery. Some of the recommended exercises to help alleviate herniated disk pain include cobra pose, standing lumbar extension, sciatic nerve floss, prone on elbows, and standing row with a resistance band. Gentle stretches, exercises, and activities will help relieve pain and even prevent herniated disks from recurring.
- Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese therapy that can offer pain relief. The process is based on the concept that a person experiences pain or illness due to an imbalance of energy force in their body and it targets to restore the perfect balance. This therapeutic technique involves the doctor inserting thin, tiny needles into the body’s surface affected by pain. By targeting specific points that correspond to nerve pathways affected by herniated discs, acupuncture helps stimulate healing by enhancing blood flow and prompting the body to release endorphins, the natural pain relievers.
- Hot and Cold Therapies
Applying cold or heat can help relieve the pain of a herniated disc. Hot therapy promotes healing by enhancing blood circulation, while cold therapy helps to relieve inflammation and pain. While Hot and cold therapies work remarkably separately, their effectiveness will double when used in combination. It would help if you began with cold therapy to relieve pain and then do hot therapy to enhance blood flow to the spine and boost healing. Each treatment has its benefits in treating herniated discs.
- Yoga and Meditation
Yoga and meditation have been proven to relieve herniated disc pain by enhancing relaxation and stress relief. Yoga poses, such as asana, can be especially effective in reducing the discomfort caused by herniated discs, improving spinal health, and promoting overall well-being. Through the series of poses and stretches, yoga and meditation strengthen back muscles, promote flexibility, and enhance posture.
In conclusion, these are some of the best painkiller alternatives and complementary treatments for relieving herniated disc pain. However, these treatments often work best in combination with conventional medicine. If your symptoms continue, Dr. Wiederholz. Specialists at Performance Pain and Sports Medicine can offer a variety of other minimally invasive treatments, like the Discseel Procedure, that provide permanent solutions.