Do you have pain in your back that gets worse when you sit down for a long time, or have neck pain that wakes you up in the middle of the night? Have you ever had pain or numbness that radiates down your arm or leg? Have you had a doctor say that you have a slipped, bulging, or ruptured disc in your back or neck? What does any of this mean and how can you stop it? Before understanding disc bulging and herniated discs, it helps to understand the anatomy of your spine…
You have 24 vertebrae, that begin at the base of your skull and reach all the way down to your pelvis. Between each vertebral bone you have a disc, like a firm gel cushion, that provides support and shock absorption for your spine.
think of 24 bricks stacked on each other with a thick-membraned balloon filled with thick jelly positioned in-between each brick.
This stack of bricks (your spine) also is normally lined up in a way that creates a sort of “S” curve, which is held in place by bungie chords (ligaments) between each of the brick joints (vertebral segments). This “S” shape is situated so that both your cervical spine (neck) and lumbar spine (low back) have an inward curve (towards the front of your body), and your thoracic spine (mid back) has an outward curve (towards the skin on your back). When we stand up straight, our back maintains this “S” shape, but when we sit down we tend to lose the “S” shape in our spine and have more of a “C” shape.
Going back to the stacked bricks and balloons imagery, if you take the top brick and tilt it forward, the material in the balloon will shift backwards from the increased pressure on the front side. If you move the top brick back to the neutral starting position, the material in the balloon shifts back evenly between the bricks. This is similar to what happens to the disc between your spinal bones.
Over many years of frequently sitting or bending forward during your day and your back and neck stay in the “C” shape more than the “S” shape, the disc membranes can get become warped. This causes them to bump into your nerves that exit your spine along the back side. This us where the pain in your back or neck come from. It can also cause the pain to run down your leg or arm if the nerves get really irritated.
So how do you fix this? One of the best ways to help your spine is by correcting your posture!
To help your back pain, when you sit in a chair at work or home, put a small pillow or towel between the lower back and chair and lean back into it. This will help promote a better “S” curve shape when you are sitting and reduce the pressure on the discs.
To help with your neck pain, try to bring your head back over your shoulders and avoid letting your head protrude forward in front of your body. Also try to situate your work computer screen up higher on your desk so that you don’t have to look down towards it. This will help reduce the pressure along the spine in the base of your neck.
Still feeling pain after trying these tips for treating Disc Bulging and Herniated Discs? Or feel like you need help working on these?
Give our clinic a call at 703-450-4300 or CLICK HERE to schedule an evaluation; we will be happy to help get you!
