Bulging Disc

What is a Bulging Disc?

A disc is the soft padding that sits between the vertebrae to provide a cushioning that stops one vertebrae resting on another.

A common condition that develops in the back is a bulging disc. Not the most serious of back problems but it can be very debilitating nonetheless.

A bulging disc occurs when the uneven pressure builds up around a disc, to the point where the fluid contained within the disc is forced to one side causing a ballooning effect outside the lines of the vertebrae above and below it, causing the side of the disc to encroach on a nerve.

When this happens the person can feel nerve pain running into their hip or buttocks or down either or both legs to various points, such as pain in the groin or testicles, weakness in the legs, bladder or bowel and any number of other symptoms that can arise for the spinal column being pressured at a particular level.

If a bulging disc is further irritated it can progress to a complete rupture which is a much more serious problem to deal with.

People who get a bulging disc, usually confirmed through a scan or x-ray of the spine, are advised to rest and not continue any physical activity that might contribute to it becoming worse. Normally this is not a problem because the level of discomfort is such that a person has trouble doing anything too physical.

Bulging Disc Treatment.

If you visit the larger sites on the internet such as Wikipedia or Physioadvisor or Spine health you will get lots of nice images of the spine and discs and a very technical explanation of how the disc can encroach on the nerve to ’cause’ pain. Unfortunately you won’t get practical advise on what really sets this problem up or what you need to do to take your pain away for good.

They all take a very scientific approach and recommend the same approach that 99% of sites on the net will. It is effectively a comprehensive list of what doesn’t work for most people with a bulging disc and has the effect of making the sufferer very depressed.

The normal bulging disc treatment involves rest, drugs and some stretches but this is normally a very ineffective way of getting relief from a bulging disc. When relief has not been forthcoming after a period of time surgery is often recommended to either trim or remove the disc and in some case perform a laminectomy to fuse the vertebrae above and below the disc to stabilize the spine at that level.

Unfortunately this sort of approach is largely ineffective as a long term solution for a bulging disc pain because it is only treating the symptom of a more sinister and less obvious problem.

Bulging Disc Relief.

Most bulging discs are set up through the body becoming out of balance whereby the muscles on one side of the body are working differently to those on the other side. This causes the leg length to end up uneven and the pelvis to either tilt or rotate as a result.

Getting relief for a bulging disc is never properly achieved until the muscle imbalances are corrected and the mechanical problems caused by having a pelvis out of alignment are properly addressed.

If a bulging disc treatment includes this full body approach to deal with the mechanical problems and muscle imbalances, pressure on the disc can be removed and it can recover to a healthy condition again without the need for surgical intervention.

A good way to start treatment for a bulging disc is to release pressure from the spine, discs and nerves by unlocking the erector spinae muscles. You can do this by using a deep compression technique explained in a free video I have put together for you.

Another great way to deal with a bulging disc is the use a Bioflex inversion machine which allows you to decompress the spine and do core strengthening exercises while in that position. Being inverted with the pressure taken off the disc these exercises can be performed without irritating the existing pain. Watch this video to see how the Bioflex works.