Pain killers, Injections, endless physical therapy, and then surgery.
This is what you’ll face if you choose the conventional herniated lumbar disc treatment.
Here you’ll find non of this. Instead, I’ll offer a few tried and tested home treatments and natural remedies for eliminating the symptoms of lumbar herniated discs.
This post may contain affiliate links, at no extra cost to you.
Overview
How to Know if You Have a Lumbar Herniated Disc?
First, you should know that if you’re only experiencing back pain, with no other symptoms, you don’t need to jump to conclusions and assume you have a herniated disc.
On the flip side, you’ll be surprised to know that many people have a ruptured disc without even knowing it since the pain is felt only when the disc touches the nerve next to it.
The pressure causes pain.
According to Mayo Clinic, a herniated disc in the lower back usually feels like local back pain with radiating leg or arm pain (depending on where the herniation is located), sometimes accompanied by numbness or tingling.
But, if you experience loss of bowel control along with these symptoms, you should go to the emergency room as quickly as possible.
Loss of bowel or bladder control is a medical emergency, so you should get to the emergency room as quickly as possible if either of these things happens to you.
What Causes a Low Back Herniated Disc?
Technically, a disc herniates when the outer part of the disc begins to weaken and the inner soft part starts to press outward.
Most people don’t even know they have a herniated disc until the herniation is touching the nerve.
The two most common causes are trauma and muscle imbalances.
Muscle Imbalances, also known as “postural dysfunctions, put abnormal pressure on the disc that will cause increased wear and tear over time.
Eventually, the weak spot will give way and make contact with the nerve, bringing a world of pain to your life.
This does not happen overnight (unless the cause was trauma, like in a car accident).
It takes a long time for the nerve to suffer enough pressure to cause pain.
How to Relieve Herniated Lumbar Disc Pain at Home
Herniated Disc is by far one of the most common conditions associated with chronic back pain, and most people get the best results when they combine multiple treatment approaches.
Natural home treatments for bulging discs are cheaper in the long run, they are non-invasive, more effective, and in my opinion, much healthier for you.
1. Home Back Traction/Spinal Decompression
As I’ve explained before, the pain you experience comes from the pressure on your nerves. If you go to a chiropractor or a physical therapist, the first thing he’ll do is spinal decompression.
He’ll use a professional back traction machine to separate your vertebrae and lift the pressure off your nerve, which usually results in immediate and long-lasting relief.
Other than being an effective drug-free pain relief for herniated discs, this “negative pressure” will help a misaligned disc to be sucked back into place and create space between the vertebrae for more blood and oxygen to get there.
This is the real and natural way to completely heal a herniated disc.
No pain pill or injection can do this.
There are many ways you can do spinal decompression at home – whenever you need it (without depending on a physical therapist) and for a fraction of the cost of treatment.
2. Infrared Heating Pad
Another amazingly helpful way to relieve herniated disc pain without medication is infrared light therapy.
Infrared rays, which are completely invisible to the naked eye, can penetrate deep into your tissues (literally right down to your bones) where they gently elevate the body’s surface temperature and activate major bodily functions.
An infrared heating pad will boost your blood circulation in the area, bringing pain-relieving agents, oxygen, and healing agents.
The result is quick pain relief, which usually lasts for 6 hours, while “working” on healing the disc herniation in the long term, too.
(Don’t worry; far-infrared rays are 100% safe. They’re NOT the ultraviolet rays that cause sunburn and skin cancer.
It’s been my family’s favorite “home doctor” for almost all pains, aches, and ailments for years now.
3. Proteolytic Enzymes
About 40 years ago, a doctor named Dr. Max Wolf, from Columbia University, discovered that when the body reacts to pain, the bodies of younger adults respond by flooding the painful area with something called “proteolytic enzymes”.
But for some reason, the older folks he studied showed dramatically reduced levels of proteolytic enzymes and therefore felt more pain.
Since then scientists have found that proteolytic enzymes are the first line of defense against pain and inflammation.
Proteolytic enzymes can also “eat” fibrin and scar tissues, cleanse toxins from the blood, fight viruses, and boost your immune system.
My favorite Proteolytic enzyme supplement is called Heal n’ Soothe – Here’s my Heal n’ Soothe Review
4. Walking
Daily walks are an excellent way to stay in shape, and keep a good blood flow (critical for faster recovery) with a herniated disc, without putting additional strain on your spine and causing painful symptoms to flare up.
Walking can also help to strengthen the muscles in the back. When they are stronger, they can act as better supporters of the spine and reduce the risk of future injuries.
Also, walking can help improve overall flexibility and range of motion, which can be beneficial for those recovering from a herniated disc.
Can Herniated Discs Heal on Their Own?
Look:
You’ll get different answers to this question, depending on who you ask.
Through my research, I’ve found that small herniations tend to heal on their own after about 6 weeks.
Larger herniations may not completely heal, but may definitely feel like it, since you can get rid of most, if not all, symptoms.
As I’ve mentioned before, the best approach would be to combine more than one of these natural treatments. If possible, all of them.
Do regular spinal decompression at home, fight inflammation through systemic enzyme therapy, mind what you eat, carefully exercise (swimming is best), and use infrared heating to relieve your pain fast, without medication.
Bottom line is that natural remedies for herniated discs cost less, in the long run, are painless, and most importantly – are effective.
(Spinal decompression, for example, was proven time and time again to be able to prevent back surgeries.)
I hope you’re convinced as I am, because when it comes to healing, nothing will be more effective than you believing in your ability to heal.
Do you have any questions or comments? Looking forward to reading them in the comments below.
To your health and happiness,
Meital
Studies
Choi J, Lee S, Hwangbo G. Influences of spinal decompression therapy and general traction therapy on the pain, disability, and straight leg raising of patients with intervertebral disc herniation. J Phys Ther Sci. 2015 Feb;27(2):481-3.
Kang JI, Jeong DK, Choi H. Effect of spinal decompression on the lumbar muscle activity and disk height in patients with herniated intervertebral disk. J Phys Ther Sci. 2016 Nov;28(11):3125-3130.
Gale GD, Rothbart PJ, Li Y. Infrared therapy for chronic low back pain: a randomized, controlled trial. Pain Res Manag. 2006 Autumn;11(3):193-6.
Naeem H, Naqvi SN, Perveen R, Ishaque F, Bano R, Abrar H, Arsalan A, Malik N. Efficiency of proteolytic enzymes in treating lumbar spine osteoarthritis (low back pain) patients and its effects on liver and kidney enzymes. Pak J Pharm Sci. 2020 Jan;33(1(Supplementary)):371-378. PMID: 32122870.
I appreciate the information on helping your herniated disc. I had no idea that having muscle imbalances could cause herniated discs, I though that you would have to have some sort of accident to get a herniated disc. My brother thinks he may have a herniated disc but he has never gotten in an accident or anything, I will be sure to share this information with him.
Does it makes sense, or might it even be a bad idea, to supply proteolytic, fibrinolytic enzymes to a damaged annulus (made of fibrin) which is trying to repair itself by producing new fibrin?
That could be a problem I think. In your case I would opt for infrared therapy in the form of infrared heating pad to boost blood circulation and promote more fibrin production. I would also use back traction as another aid to healing.
I hope this helps!
My dad suffers from a herniated disc so I’ll have to share these natural treatment tips. He has used conventional treatments and they have helped but without a lasting solution. I don’t think that he’s tried proteolytic enzymes so I’ll recommend he tried that, like you said. Thanks for the helpful article.