Physical therapy is one of the most typical bulging disc therapies recommended, and many wonder how helpful it is and if it’s worth the time and effort you need to put into it.
The short answer is yes, it is worth it and it is helpful, but it is only a piece of the puzzle when trying to heal a bulging disc.
Statistically speaking, physical therapy is helpful about 50% of the time with this condition, but that is because most individuals are not told that they need to continue with their exercises even after they are released from physical therapy.
Most physicians will recommend one or two months of physical therapy to a patient who suffers with a bulging disc, but the fact of the matter is that it can take years for a disc injury to fully heal if it ever does. So, do you see the discrepancy?
Many will experience relief from physical therapy, but the pain almost always comes back because they don’t realize that the exercises you learn are meant to be done 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 definitely provides benefit), but it doesn’t directly address the main issue which is the herniated disc itself.
The purpose of physical therapy 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 functions of the disc is to act as a ligament, holding the vertebrae of 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 definitely good reason for an individual going through a program of therapy when they have a protruding disc. The problem is that it takes at least 3 months before a muscle will show considerable improvement in strength, so if you stop after your recommended treatment plan with your physical therapist, you aren’t experiencing 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 understand that this condition is very complex, 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 additional treatments that need to be done at the same time you’re receiving physical therapy treatments if you are wanting to experience the best results that last for a longer period of time. You can learn more about the most effective combination of treatments by clicking the following link (herniated disc treatment).
If you’ve found this article helpful, and you would like to get the answers to the 20 most frequently asked questions individuals have about treatments for a herniated disc, you can click the following link (herniated disc treatment).
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