Treatment For A Herniated Disc: How Effective Is PT For Relief?

Physical therapy is one of the most typical treatments for a herniated disc recommended, and many wonder how helpful 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 beneficial, but it is only a piece of the puzzle when trying to heal a bulging disc.

Statistically speaking, PT is helpful about 50% of the time with this condition, but that is because most people are not told that they need to continue with their exercises even after they are released from therapy.

Most doctors will prescribe one or two months of PT to an individual who suffers with a bulging disc, but the fact of the matter is that it normally takes years for a disc condition to completely heal if it ever does. So, do you see the discrepancy?

Many will experience relief from physical therapy, but the pain almost always returns because they don’t understand that the exercises you learn are meant to be done for the long term if you are interested in achieving the best results. In addition to this, physical therapy focuses on the muscles that surround the slipped disc (which definitely has benefit), but it doesn’t directly address the main problem which is the bulging disc itself.

The purpose of physical therapy with this condition is to strengthen the muscles that surround the affected disc, thus releasing 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 back 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 a person going through a program of physical therapy when they have a protruding 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 therapist, you aren’t getting the full benefit of their care.

In addition to that, strengthening the muscles that surround the affected 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 physical therapy.

There are actually a number of other treatments that need to be performed at the same time you’re going through 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 (treatment for a herniated disc).

If you’ve found this article helpful, and you would like to get the answers to the 20 most frequently asked questions people have about bulging disc treatments, you can click the following link (bulging disc therapy).