Working at your desk all day can create significant pressure on your lower back. This pressure can contribute or even cause an L5 S1 disc bulge. In this article, we’ll explain how you can get relief from the pain and get back to working and living comfortably. Here’s how you can get rid of the pain from an L5 S1 disc bulge:
- Mackenzie exercises
- Piriformis stretch
- Belly breathing
Why desk workers suffer from disc bulges
If you find yourself working from a seated position frequently throughout the week, you may be vulnerable to a disc bulge. A bulging disc is prone to a flexed position. In other words, when a person is bent or leaning forward. This causes pressure on the disc and forces it to the edge of its comfort zone. Over time, the resilience your disc has may diminish and evenutally lead to the disc pushing out further than it was designed to go. This would be an example of a disc bulge.
The problem isn’t the disc as much as it’s spending too much time in the seated position. Office workers may also create a disc bulge in the the l5/s1 area during heavy lifting or strenous phsyical activity. This is because a disc bulge is more likely to occur after sitting for too long and then moving into intense exercise. The discs aren’t use to going from 0 mph to 100 mph. This kind of polarity may leave them vulnerable to a disc bulge, herniation, or worse.
Symptoms of an L5 S1 disc bulge
If you have an L5/S1 disc bulge, you’re likely experiecing one or multiple symptoms below:
- Pain in the low back
- Radiating pain down the back of the leg (sciatica)
- Numbness
- Tingling
- Loss of Strength
What are the standard medical procedures for a disc bulge?
- Physical Therapy
- Injections
- Surgery
If you’re looking to get out of pain and back to your given activity as fast as possible, you may be happier with the standard medical procedures focusing on treating your pain. However, it is important to understand that these treatments may not lead to long-term relief. Their goal is to get relief.
At Prime Chiropractic in Centennial, CO, we don’t do have that type of approach. Instead, we prefer to take a corrective approach. We’re a Neuro-Structural chiropractic clinic that doesn’t look to simply treat symptoms to achieve pain relief, however temporary that may be. Instead, we look to correct core problems in your spine and nervous system. Bigger than your low back pain and bulging disc is why your L5/S1 disc bulged in the first place. Most never swim this far upstream. Discs aren’t stupid. They don’t bulge unless there’s a reason.
A disc bulge often happens when the spine becomes imbalanced (Ex: Static work position during the day) and creates abnormal pressure on the discs and vertebrae. This may lead to shifting of different segments in your spine and ultimately leading to a bulging disc, or worse.
If you’d like to find out why your L5/S1 disc bulged, click here to schedule your Neuro-Structural Examination at Prime.
Action Steps at Home
If you truly have a disc bulge at L5/S1, it’s unlikely any quick exercises will fix your pain permanantly. As explained above, a disc bulge is typically the secondary issue. It’s a symptom of a spine that has lost its normal position or motion that leads to abnormal stress on the disc. If you’re to truly correct the core problem, it will likely take addressing the reason for the disc bulge.
However, to get you some quick relief, these exercises may be helpful. If you’re looking for a non-invasive path back to health. And, you’d like to start the healing process while you’re at home, try out the following exercises found in this video.
What’s Next If You’ve Suffered an L5/S1 Disc Bulge?
It’s important to understand this likely isn’t the end of the world. If you take appropriate steps, you can reduce the bulge and limit the possiblity it gets worse over time. In order to do that, you will need to begin moving your spine and muscles carefully, as mentioned in the video.
It may be possible you need a deeper look from a specialist. Whether it’s an office like our’s, or someone else, here’s what we’d recommend you look for before booking an appointment:
Look for an office that…
- runs objective (no opinion necessary), computerized testing.
- has digital structural imaging (specific x-ray capability) on-site.
- re-evaluates later to measure your progress to make sure long-term change has occured.
- treats you as an individual instead of a cook book recipe.
- doesn’t rope you into anything you don’t want or need.
If you’d like to schedule a consultation with us at Prime Chiropractic, you can do so by clicking the link here.
Yes, bulging discs can get better. Occasionally, they’ll do so on their own. Sometimes, they need a specialist to help improve the imbalance that led to the bulge.
It’s likely you have an L5 S1 disc bulge if you notice low back pain radiating down the back of your leg or into the front of your foot. This could also present as numbness, tingling, or weakness in the area.
There are a few different specialists who work with bulging discs, orthopedic surgeons, neuro surgeons, physical therapists, traditional chiropractors, and Neuro-Structural chiropractors. It’s important to understand the tools in each professions’ toolbox. Surgeons will typically perform surgery or injections. These are invasive procedures that we believe to be better in extreme circumstances where options are very limited. Physcial therapists typically focus on the soft tissues near the bulge. Traditional chiropractors focus on adjusting or manipulating the spine to get some short term relief from the bulge. As Neuro-Structrual chiropractors, we focus on correcting the underlying imbalances that may have led to the disc bulge, to help improve the pain and symptoms, and also to prevent it from happening again.