Herniated discs are painful conditions that can lead to complete disability and loss of quality of life. There are many treatment options available to help with the pain associated with sciatica, a broad term covering lower back from many different sources. One of these treatment options is exercising; however it is important to know what the best herniated disc exercises are and which exercises should be avoided to prevent more pain. The information included here is provided to give a general overview of how exercise can help with the pain.
Starting Out
Before starting any exercise program to help with herniated discs, it is important to speak with or work with a physical therapist. The therapist will explain the best way to exercise and demonstrate the proper techniques for performing the exercises.
Strengthening the core muscles and the muscles in the lower back will help reduce pain and improve posture which will help with the pain reduction and at the same time help prevent further damage to the disc. The most important part of exercising is to understand how to perform the exercises so that further damage is not done to the disc. It is just as important to know what to avoid when exercising and a therapist can also help pinpoint what should not be done.
The patient should ask questions of the therapist about what exercises can be done safely from home. This should be in addition to a set of exercises that are only preformed with the therapist. The therapist will have in-depth knowledge of exercises that are safe and helpful as well as how many set and repetitions should be done and how often. The goal of the exercises is to remove the intense pressure that is pressing on the nerves and thus causing the pain.
Exercises
Many of the exercises that are recommended for herniated discs are simple, such as those described below.
- Single Knee to the Chest: Lie on a flat surface with the back firmly on the floor. Place hands behind one thigh and pull that knee toward the chest while keeping the opposite leg flat of the floor. Hold knee to chest for 30 seconds, switch to the other leg and repeat.
- Prayer Stretch: Utilizing a flat surface, lean back and place the buttocks on the heels of the feet. Lower the upper torso to the ground with the arms raised out in front, as if in prayer. Hold this position for 30 seconds and then return to the starting position. Repeat this focusing first on the right side and then the left.
- Pelvic Tilt: Lie down on a flat surface on the back. Place feet flat on the floor with the knees bent and legs pulled together. Push the lower back into the floor while tilting the pelvis, while doing this, lift the buttocks off the floor as far as possible without straining. Hold this for at least 5 seconds then lower and repeat. During this exercise is important to breathe and keep the back flat on the floor.
- Trunk Rotation: Lie flat on the back on a firm, flat surface with the feet flat and the knees bent. Rotate the trunk of the body from the right side of the body to the left and back again while keeping the feet flat on the floor. This should be a slow, concentrated movement that does not use swinging or jerking.
These exercises will help strengthen the core muscles and muscles in the back while relieving some of the pressure on the spinal column. They can be repeated as often as desired as long as pain is not being encountered.
Exercises to Avoid
In addition to exercises that are excellent for helping with herniated discs, there are also exercises that should be avoided as they will cause further damage to the disc. These exercises include:
- Twisting Exercises: Any sport or exercises that cause twisting of the torso should be avoided as most herniated discs occur in the lumbar portion of the spine. Exercises and sports of this nature include football, golf, bowling, or ballet.
- Weightlifting: Weightlifting has many sudden movements that are jerky in nature and require bending and lifting at the same time. These movements can cause shock to the spine and ultimately damage to the spine.
- High Impact Exercises: These are exercises in which the foot is forced against the ground with sudden force which causes pain to travel up the leg and into the back, including running, jogging, jumping rope, aerobics and more.
Any exercise that causes pain to the back should be avoided in order to prevent further damage to the spine and discs.
Herniated discs can be helped or harmed by exercises, the key is knowing which ones are good for the back and which ones will cause further damage.

