Bulging discs

[Supermofo]

Anyone have any effective treetments, successful supplement regimines or any other methods that been effective for bulging discs?

[Bountyhunter]

Surgery cleared mine up right away! You might want to try extensive streching and calistenics first.

[vulcan]

I injured mine (bulging disc) 3 weeks ago. At first, I thought it was a torn muscle. I can still feel something there but I am not in any pain. I have been going to the chiropractor and he has helped me Big Time! I could hardly walk when I first injured it. It's between L4 and L5.
I am going back to the gym for the first time today. Doc says...light weight and high reps. I was using lots of ice and ibuprofen for about the first week.

[Dilaudid]

I have "crunched" discs in my back from crashing a motorcycle.
So I am not sure if what helps me will help you but I am sure its kind of the same as to where if I sit to long my back starts to ache and waking up in the morning it's really stiff and hurts.
What I have found that works best for me throughout the yrs is:
About a 1/2 hr of light stretching in the morning. My buddy actually showed me some weird stretches cas he has a bad back and although I thought they were weird they worked for me or at least helped.
Instead of heavy back exercises go light with 12-20 reps. It used to hurt like a mf'er to do heavy barbell rows. After about 2 yrs of going light I can now do heavy rows for 6 reps and no pain during or after. During that time I also did a lot of stomach exercises. I believe that doing abs really helped me.
So to sum it up I did:
Back stretching
Back exercises-light weight n more reps
Oh yeah... I really concentrated on slow stready reps and good form...
Abs - a sh*t load of exercises
Ohhh and lots of massages... cant forget them. lol

I have yet to go to a chiropractor but I hear some people feel like a million bucks after you leave so you might want to give them a try...

And if all else fails I would take a prescription painkiller
and put a heating pad under my back.. That always worked...

[~R~F~G~]

Lay flat on the floor on your stomach. Get into a push up position and do a push up, only do your best to keep your pelvis on the floor. Hold that for 30 seconds. Repeat 15 times.

Next Get on all fours like your going to crawl. Move your arms about a fott past your shoulders. You'll have to adjust to get it right but that is a good starting point. Now move your torso forward keeping your arms straight up and down so your shoulders stay up and lower your pelvis to the floor.. Hold that for 30 seconds for 15 reps....

What those exercises do is open up the spine to allow the disk to go back...

It alleviates alot of the pressure that the disc is putting on the nerves...

[akamai]

Brother go find the book "pain Free" By Pete Egoscue change my life as well as many others..

Akamai

[fulforb]

I might have to look into this book. I have a bulged disc between L3 & L4, another between L4 & L5 and a herniated disck between L5 & S1 so I am in pain all day every day and can't take time off for surgery.

[great]

I have been going to a physical therapist for the same issue. When i started i was barely walking. The excercises he said to do were just as RFG posted, however what worked the best for me was a machine that stretched you apart. don't remember the name of it but i was feeling almost normal again immediately.

[Die2Live]

Suffered through many back injuries and lots of "slipped disc" ones. Luckily never herniated any- I learned over the years that I couldn't screw around with heavy weights if I wasn't willing to put in plenty of time on core area strenghtening exercises. Pretty much all straight out of the lower back strenghtening exercises recommended by all ortho docs. I also incorporate slightly heavier work with stiff legged DL's and Romanians but that is in addition to regular ab work and back hypers - both free and machine. Also had to completely avoid all lifting for up to 9-12 mos at times to get through some real bad disc injuries, but mine always healed up. It does suck to hear you may need an extended break to let the disc heal but I have been there and the only way to get past it was a good long break. In my time off from lifting I just tried to get more work in on the stationary bike and elliptical, two cardio machines that allow my to work hard with minimal effect on my back and little pain during exercise.