291221 Now that we know what Mary did wrong, let’s talk about what she can do to start experiencing pain relief (and what you can do if you have the same type of pain).
Here are 3 tips to help relieve this type of pain:
1. Avoid sitting for more than 5 minutes (too much pressure on the discs). When you do sit for short periods, make sure your lower back is supported by your chair or by using a small rolled up towel placed in the small of your back.
2. Start to slowly stretch your spine backwards. Try standing with your hands on your hips, and then slowly try to bend back and hold for 10 seconds. This may be a bit uncomfortable at first but ease your way into it and perform throughout the day.
3. When the pain is severe, lie flat on your back with your legs supported on your couch or by placing several pillows under your knees (resist the urge to curl up into a ball on your side – like sitting, this may feel good at the time, but it is actually making the disc worse). If you can follow these 3 tips, you have a good shot at starting to reduce your disc bulge and removing the pressure from your sciatic nerve.
One word of caution before you start: these tips and principles work extremely well when you’re treating sciatica pain caused by a bulging disc. However, they don’t work as well for other types of lower back pain. Next week, we’ll discuss the other top 2 causes of lower back pain and sciatica, which will help you decide if these exercises are right for you, so stay tuned!
The author, Luke Gordon, is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and owner of Gordon Physical Therapy, https://physicaltherapyspokane.com/
He’s happy to answer any questions about back pain and sciatica by phone at (509) 892-5442 or by email at Luke@GordonPhysicalTherapy.com
[1] The author, Luke Gordon, is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and owner of Gordon Physical Therapy. He’s happy to answer any questions about back pain and sciatica by phone at (509) 892-5442 or by email at Luke@ GordonPhysicalTherapy.com Back Pain: The #1 Biggest Mistake Back Pain & Sciatica Sufferers make.
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