Physical therapy is one of the most common treatments for a bulging disc prescribed, and many wonder how beneficial it is and if it’s worth the time and effort you need to put into it.

The short answer is yes, it is worth it and it is helpful, but it is only a piece of the puzzle when trying to heal a herniated disc.

Statistically speaking, therapy is beneficial about 50% of the time with this health problem, but that is because most individuals are not told that they need to continue with their exercises even after they are released from physical therapy.

Most health care providers will prescribe one or two months of therapy to a person who has been diagnosed with a herniated disc, but the fact of the matter is that it normally takes years for a disc problem to fully heal if it ever does. So, can you see the discrepancy?

Many will experience relief from physical therapy, but the pain almost always comes back because they don’t understand that the exercises you learn are supposed to be performed for the long term if you are looking for the best results. In addition to this, PT focuses on the muscles that surround the injured disc (which certainly has benefit), but it doesn’t directly deal with the main problem which is the herniated disc itself.

The purpose of physical therapy with this health problem is to strengthen the muscles that surround the injured disc, thus removing pressure on the disc so it is able to heal properly. One of the major purposes of the disc is to act as a ligament, holding the vertebrae of the spine in proper alignment.

If the disc becomes injured, this purpose can not occur because the disc is too weak. So, the muscles have to take on this purpose in order to stabilize the spine. In addition to that, if the muscles that surround the spine are weak, the disc will have added pressure on it and it will become more damaged over time.

So, there is certainly good reason for a person going through a program of PT when they have a bulging disc. The problem is that it takes at least 3 months before a muscle will show noticeable improvement in strength, so if you stop after your recommended treatment plan with your therapist, you aren’t getting the full benefit of their care.

In addition to that, strengthening the muscles that surround the injured disc is only a part of the solution. You have to realize that this health problem is very complex, and if you don’t do anything to encourage the disc itself to heal, the problem will never heal properly even with PT.

There are actually a number of other treatments that need to be performed at the same time you’re going through physical therapy treatments if you are wanting to experience the best results that last for a longer period of time. You can learn more about the most effective combination of treatments by clicking the following link (treatment for a herniated disc).

If you’ve found this article educational, and you would like to get the answers to the 20 most frequently asked questions individuals have about bulging disc therapies, you can click the following link (herniated disc treatment).

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