If not managed properly, a herniated disc could cause havoc in your daily life. You can usually manage the discomfort by self-care and lifestyle changes. However, you might need to seek out pain management services to treat chronic aches.
How to Sleep and Sit with a Herniated Disc
A herniated disc can occur anywhere along the spine, from your neck to your lower back. It is often caused by aging, a forceful cough, lifting heavy objects, or sleeping in an uncomfortable position. You won’t feel any symptoms if the herniated disc doesn’t touch a nerve. If it touches a nerve, you will not feel any symptoms. However, if it does touch a nerve, you may feel pain radiating down your legs, feet, and buttocks. A herniated disc can cause tingling, numbness, or weakness.
The pain that can result from a bad posture or poor sleep hygiene can be severe. Aligning your spine correctly can reduce the pressure on your back, and help to ease your discomfort. While your orthopedist or physical therapist will show you the best ways to sit and sleep, here are some tips that can make sitting and sleeping easier.
Sitting with a Herniated Disc
Avoid Sitting Too Much
Sometimes, a herniated disc can cause so much discomfort that it makes you feel like you are unable to function. You may feel that you have to resort to surgery. You can correct many situations by making simple adjustments like not sitting so much.
If you have a herniated disc, it is not advisable to sit for prolonged periods of time. This puts more strain on your spinal discs and can worsen the pain. Comfort can be maintained by moving around and standing from your chair. To allow your ligaments and discs to relax, it is a good idea to lie down as often as possible.
You can take breaks to walk around your office, or outside when you feel like it. Another great way to get up and move around is by answering or making phone calls standing or walking around your office. To remind you when it is time to go, you can activate a reminder on your smartphone or laptop.
Buy the Furniture and Accessories
It is important to choose the right chair and desk so that you can sit comfortably with a herniated disc. A chair that is ergonomically high will allow you to keep your feet flat on a hard surface such as the ground. You can use a portable footrest to elevate your feet if the chair is too high. You can also change furniture by getting a towel or small pillow. For maximum effect, place the towel between your arch and the chair.
Place your right posture on the table
You should sit in the correct position, your back against the back of the chair. You should sit straight and not slump. Slumping can put additional pressure on your spine, which can lead to a herniated disc. You should also ensure that your knees meet your hips. If you are seated at a computer, your hips should be slightly higher than your knees. This position allows you to relax your lower back muscles by allowing you to tilt forward.
Poor sitting habits such as slouching and sitting for long periods of time can lead to a herniated disc. To manage a herniated disc and improve your daily life, it is important to use different strategies. The highest compression force is created by sitting, so it is important to maintain a good posture in order to relieve pain.
Use Pain Management Services
Pain management services are available for those who have more severe herniated disc aches. These services are provided by a team of professionals who have received advanced training in pain management. They have the expertise to treat and rehabilitate chronic pain patients. They are experts in treating chronic pain.
How to Sleep with a Herniated Neck Disc?
Your preferred position will determine how you sleep with a neck disc herniation. If you are prone to sleeping on your stomach, it is best to switch to back- or side-sleeping. Stomach sleeping is bad for your spine. Pillow thickness is the key to a comfortable night’s sleep after a neck disc herniation.
Side sleepers should use a thicker pillow
When you are sleeping on your side, your head should not be tilted in relation to your neck or shoulders. The right thickness pillow will keep your spine straightened and relieve pressure on your discs.
Use a thinner pillow for back sleepers
Your neck should be straight when you are standing up straight. Your neck can be put under pressure if your head is tilted downwardly by a thin pillow or a thick pillow.
How do you sleep with a herniated disc in your lower back?
There are several options that can be used to treat herniated discs in the most common spot: the low back.
For back sleepers, wrap a towel around your low back.
If you have back pain due to a herniated disc, a towel rolled up under your low back can help. Adjust the towel’s thickness until the towel feels comfortable under your back. It will feel right when it feels right.
For back sleepers, you can stack pillows or place a wedge underneath your lower legs.
You can use stacked pillows, or a wedge designed for back pain relief, to help you sleep better. These pillows make it simple to relieve the pressure on the lumbar spine.
For maximum results, you might also consider raising your legs and placing a towel/foam roll under your low back.
Side sleepers, stack pillows under your lower legs.
Because of a bulging disc, this works well for sciatica. If sciatica is affecting your right side, you can switch to your left side. Place your knees on the stacked pillows and your lower legs on them. If sciatica is occurring on the left side, you can reverse it.
How to Sleep with a Herniated Disc in Your Upper Back
It is important to maintain a healthy spinal position when you have a herniated disc in your upper back.
Assure a good position.
For a neck herniated disc, follow the above tips. To sleep with a herniated disc at the upper back, it is important to position your neck correctly. A towel or small piece of foam can be placed under your lower back.
Sleep on your side.
If you are unable to sleep on your back, lying down on your stomach in a fetal position will relieve the pressure from the upper spine. To prevent other issues, you can sleep with a pillow between the knees during side-sleeping to help prevent them from developing.
How to Sleep with a Thoracic Herniated Disc
The thoracic spine, also known as the upper or middle back, is what people refer to. While most disc herniations are located in the neck or low back, it is possible to have a herniated disc in the thoracic spinal. These cases will require different sleep strategies. To sleep with a herniated disc in your thoracic region, it is important to decompress your spine. How can you do that while sleeping? There are a few ways to do this:
Use pillows under your legs.
A couple of pillows placed under your knees can help the thoracic spine, similar to a herniated disc. This will help to pull your hips up slightly, which can help decompress your spine. To make this work, however, you need to do something else:
Your head should be in neutral.
Your neck could be being compressed if the pillow you have under your head is too thin or thick. With a thoracic herniation, a pillow that allows your spine and neck to remain in a neutral position is best. The neutral position is when your head rests straight up: your ears should be above your shoulders, and your bottom should be parallel to the ground. You should sleep with your spine neutral to get the best results.