Herniated Disc Treatment: How Helpful Is Physical Therapy For Relief?
Physical therapy is one of the most typical treatments for a herniated disc recommended, and many wonder how effective it is and if it’s worth the time and effort you have to put into it.
The short answer is yes, it is worth it and it is helpful, but it is only a part of the puzzle when trying to heal a bulging disc.
Statistically speaking, physical therapy is effective about 50% of the time with this condition, but that is because most people are not told that they have to continue with their exercises even after they are released from physical therapy.
Most doctors will prescribe one or two months of physical therapy to a patient who has been diagnosed with a bulging disc, but the fact of the matter is that it can take years for a disc injury to completely heal if it ever does. So, can you see the discrepancy?
Many will experience relief from PT, but the pain almost always comes back because they don’t realize that the exercises you learn are supposed to be continued for the long term if you are looking for the best results. In addition to this, therapy focuses on the muscles that surround the protruding disc (which certainly provides benefit), but it doesn’t directly address the main issue which is the protruding disc itself.
The purpose of PT with this condition is to strengthen the muscles that surround the injured disc, thus removing pressure on the disc so it can heal properly. One of the major purposes of the disc is to act as a ligament, holding the spine in proper alignment.
If the disc becomes injured, this purpose can not occur because the disc is too weak. So, the muscles have to take on this purpose in order to stabilize the spine. In addition to that, if the muscles that surround the spine are weak, the disc will have additional pressure on it and it will become more damaged over time.
So, there is certainly good reason for a person going through a program of therapy when they have a slipped disc. The problem is that it takes at least 3 months before a muscle will show noticeable improvement in strength, so if you stop after your prescribed treatment plan with your physical therapist, you aren’t getting the full benefit of their care.
In addition to that, strengthening the muscles that surround the injured disc is only a part of the solution. You have to realize that this condition is very complicated, and if you don’t do anything to encourage the disc itself to heal, the problem will never heal properly even with therapy.
There are actually a number of other treatments that need to be done at the same time you’re going through physical therapy treatments if you are looking for the best results that last for a longer period of time. You can find out more about the most effective combination of treatments by clicking the following link (treatment for a herniated disc).
If you’ve found this article beneficial, and you would like to get the answers to the 20 most frequently asked questions people have about herniated disc therapies, you can click the following link (herniated disc therapy).
