Intervertebral hernia of the lumbar spine: causes and treatment

Many have heard about such a thing as the intervertebral hernia of the lumbar region. In order to understand what this disease is, you should briefly analyze the structure of the spine. The human spine is built from a series of vertebrae with intervertebral discs located between them, as well as ligaments and muscle groups supporting the spine in an upright position. The intervertebral disc consists of a so-called fibrous ring, which is the membrane of the disc and the nucleus located in its center. The core is able to increase at a vertical load of almost twice as much, being absorbed by moisture, thereby preventing the squeezing of the discs.

Fibrous ring can stick out of the disk and even break. In this case, the nucleus moves beyond the disk and enters the zone of the spinal canal, causing pain by squeezing the nerve endings. Most often, this phenomenon occurs in the lower back and in the neck, and is called the intervertebral hernia.

Intervertebral lumbar hernia may occur for the following reasons:

• Lack of exercise. The back muscles are weakened and do not keep the spine in the correct position. As a result, a relatively large burden, raised by a person not strictly vertically, but at some angle, can lead to rupture of the ring and the intervertebral hernia of the lumbar region will immediately manifest itself with acute pain.
• Insufficient supply of the body with vitamins and trace elements. The vertebral discs, without getting adequate nutrition, can not recover, ossify and dry up, at risk of rupture. It is necessary to eat foods that contain calcium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus.
• Intervertebral hernia of the lumbar region can also arise due to insufficient supply of the body with moisture. But the discs retain their damping properties due to moisture absorption.
• Injury of the spine. This includes falling on your back and legs, hitting the waist. A rupture of the ring can occur when lifting a large weight with a bent back, and even while resting on a very soft, spring net, when the backbone is bent in the opposite direction.

The prerequisites for the emergence of this pathology can accumulate gradually, and one unfortunate day, even with the usual tilt, may manifest intervertebral hernia of the lumbar region, the symptoms of which are: pain in the lower back, giving up, and numbness in the hands or feet.

The intervertebral hernia of the lumbar region is treated conservatively. Various rubbing and massages are used to relieve pain and eliminate inflammation. Non-steroidal preparations such as celebrex or indomethacin may also be used. It often happens that the contents of the nucleus that has got into the spinal canal can dissolve by itself, of course, with properly prescribed treatment and the implementation of special exercises that contribute to this. So the patient can easily remove the diagnosis of "intervertebral hernia lumbar". Exercises that help in this, you can perform the following:

• Standing on all fours, raise both your arm and the opposite leg. Picking up, hold them in this position.
• Standing on all fours, kneel and, leaning on his hands, turn his bent legs to the left and to the right. The shoulder belt turns in the same direction, trying to see your legs.
• Sit on the bent legs, and hands to pull forward, touching the floor.
• Lying on the back, stretch the spine. The heels of the legs are pulled forward, and the chin tries to touch the chest.
• Imitation of swimming breaststroke lying on stomach.

The main task of these exercises is to provide an active blood supply to the lumbar region and to strengthen the back muscles responsible for maintaining the spine in a comfortable state.