A herniated disc is a specific physiological condition that causes problems when sitting. The delicate inner part of the spinal cord protrudes via a fissure in the tough outside to cause this illness.
If you suffer from the condition and cannot maintain the correct sitting position, your condition will worsen. So, you should know the right method of sitting comfortably with a herniated disc.
This article, will introduce you to the correct sitting position with a herniated disc. Our helpful tips will help you avoid the wrong sitting position that many people make mistakes.
Is Sitting Bad For Herniated Disc?
Poor posture contributes a lot to the deterioration of the herniated disc. If you have a problem with a herniated disc, your wrong sitting posture will make you experience pain, and sitting on a chair or anything else will make the pain worse.
Sneezing, bending over, coughing, and driving may increase the disc pain brought on by a herniated disc. However, the pain might be lessened by choosing the proper seating position.
How to Get The Seat Right With A Herniated Disc??
By taking into account certain aspects of the seat, you can get the right seat if you suffer from a herniated disc. All the aspects are described underneath.
- Seating height: Try to lift your seat as much as possible.
- Foot position: Be careful you stand flat on the floor, your feet must be separate from the shoulder’s width.
- Lumbar support: If you use a chair that doesn’t offer lumbar support, consider placing a small pillow or cushion on the chair.
- For your lower back muscles to unwind, ensure your hips are higher than the knees. In case your specific chair lacks this function, it’s best to sit on a chock that has a thick edge. Make sure you have faced the back of your average chair.
- Measure the width of your seat: Adjust your seat so that there is a minimum gap (2 to 3 cm) between the back of your knees area and the end of the chair. Your mood will improve by sitting on a greater surface area.
- If the particular office chair lacks this system, consider replacing it. This is because it could significantly affect how much discomfort you experience from sciatica when sitting in the chair. Some office chairs for sciatic hip pain have been reviewed in this post.
- Observer position: Make sure your observation is at your eye level and arm’s length. Evaluate whether those are low enough, and can it enhance herniated disc stress by bending forward.
What Should You Avoid With A Herniated Disc?
- Lengthy sitting times: If you need to sit on the chair for a long time, you will have to give it up. This is because when you sit down on a chair or any other surface, your lower back hurts more.
- Flexion exercises: Exercise is a part of the daily schedule of most health-conscious people, and exercise is vital for a fit body, but you should try to stay away from strenuous exercises that put more strain on the spinal part. Naturally for exercises that require you to lean forward.
- Gardening: You might love gardening, but due to the high turning and pressure that these activities frequently place on the discs, trimming the lawn’s grass, prolonged leaning, etc. might enhance your herniated disc pain. So, in the condition of a herniated disc, you should give up gardening.
- Vacuuming: Excessive vacuuming is not an excellent job for people with a herniated disc. This is because the frequent Vacuuming speed tends to irritate herniated discs.
- Improper sleep position: Incorrect sleeping with a herniated disc can worsen the herniated disc. That is why always sleep in the correct position so the discomfort of a herniated disc can be reduced.
How To Relieve Pressure On Your Spine While Sleeping?
You may experience pain from a herniated spine disc while sleeping. Follow the given tips to relieve the pressure on your spine.
- Comfortable mattress: Always use a comfortable mattress in bed, particularly one made of natural latex.
- Lying on the back: You have the option to tuck a pillow in the area between the knees to ease back strain.
- Lie on your side: In order to keep your hips aligned and your spine from bending too much, place a pillow between your knees when you’re sleeping on your comfortable side.
- Using heat as well as ice: Optional use of heat and ice can instantly alleviate sciatic nerve discomfort. Heat may hasten to heal, while ice may assist minimize edema. The troubling muscular spasms that frequently go with sciatica can also be reduced with the aid of both heat and cold.
- Spinal decompression without surgery: This technique is another way of saying mechanical traction. But, since this specific therapy involves constant movement, it can be considered superior to traction. In this case, a quality chiropractor may assist in the efficient treatment of sciatica disease.
Is Walking Beneficial For Disc Herniation?
If you’ve a herniated disc, you may be able to pursue walking as a form of exercise. This boosts blood circulation. Increased blood flow improves the availability of nutrients as well as oxygen to the muscles during walking. Moreover, walking removes toxins.
It increases body flexibility and aids in the removal of harmful toxins. It makes the low back more flexible. If you do not exercise, there is a possibility of stiffness in your backside with your hips.
How Long Does Sciatica Pain From A Herniated Disc Last?
It has been observed that within two or three weeks, the majority of individuals with intense sciatica will begin to feel better. Nevertheless, many people can experience intermittent persistent sciatica pain for a number of years, mainly if a herniation is an underlying cause.
A thorough diagnosis is recommended for finding the source of pain. If you endure sciatica symptoms for more than 7 days or have issues with your bladder, you are strongly advised to consult a doctor immediately.
This article on sitting comfortably with sciatic pain will tell you on a few more ways to sit with these back problems.
What Results From A Herniated Disc That is Left Untreated?
Sciatic pain shouldn’t be disregarded. A disc has the capacity to harm the disc and nerves for a long time if it is not addressed. In exceedingly rare circumstances, a disc may result in loss of bladder and interrupt the flow of signs to the feet.
If your sciatic pain doesn’t go away after enduring it for a while, considering an MRI is a smart option. In a general perspective, knowledge is preferable to speculation.
Is Rest Good For Herniated Disc?
It’s good to take a test for a few days for a herniated disc. After a herniated disc, a doctor may suggest one week of rest. However, over-resting is not good, so you should avoid it.
Try to maintain as much body activity as possible if you have sciatica or lower back discomfort. Stress on the spinal cord can be reduced by strengthening the spine with mild workouts and tasks.
How To Sit With Lumbar Support?
Those with a herniated disc are familiar with the pain and agony that this condition typically brings. Even your routine tasks, such as sitting, may be complex because poor posture might make your disease worse.
To make your sitting on a chair more comfortable, there are some things you can follow. For instance, raise your lower back by using lumbar support. It will ease discomfort and eliminate strain on your disc.
Lumbar support needs to be at the correct place otherwise, it can worsen the pain. We have an interesting read on lumbar support placement on your back. It will help in keeping it at the right place.
Apart from this, make an effort to sit straight-backed with your shoulders drawn back. In order to support your legs’ supporting, you might also wish to put a cushion beneath your knees. These methods can be effective in easing your discomfort when sitting in a chair.
3 Useful Tips That Can Help You Find the Best Position to Sit in with a Herniated Lumbar Disc
1. Don’t Cross Your Legs
Crossing the legs while sitting is a common habit of almost everyone. But those who have herniated lumbar discs ought to attempt to stay away from this habit.
This is because your legs are crossed while seated and cannot support maximum weight compared to straight legs. It requires your lower back to support the extra weight, which could cause agony to worsen.
2. Avoid Leaning to One Side
You may have a habit of leaning to one side to carry your wallet in your back pocket if you are a male. But in this, your body weight will not be evenly distributed if you sit like this.
Even though your back is not hurt, leaning to one side can be an issue. The condition of your herniated lumbar disc can be pretty uncomfortable.
3. Not to Lean Forward
If you used to lean forward for a long time, quit it. When people are engrossed in their work on the computer, they are often found leaning over.
However this careless movement can sometimes be a postural error, but it can be excruciatingly painful if you are an individual with a herniated lumbar disc.
Your lower back should bear the load keeping you in position when you bend forward. Your problems may worsen if you put this additional stress on your lower back, which is already hurt.
The Dangers of Poor Lifting Posture
Placing a significant load on the lower back:
Often people have a habit or need to carry a large amount of office workload, such as a heavy bag on their lower back, but this is not good for any average person. It can affect or damage their spinal cord.
And this excessive strain of the load is dangerous for a person with a herniated disc. This can make the condition of the herniated disc worse. So, always avoid carrying an excessive load on your back.
The Dangers of Poor Sitting Posture
Sitting in a chair for a long time:
It is surprisingly true that sitting puts more significant strain on your spinal discs compared to standing. In addition, when sitting in an office chair for a long time, the majority of people slump forward.
This may significantly stress your herniated disc and simultaneously overstretch the spinal ligaments. Therefore, always sit with the proper posture in the chair, and avoid sitting for an extended period.
The Dangers Of Poor Walking Posture
Poor walking posture:
Poor walking posture might aggravate the pain of your lumbar herniated disc when exercising or running. For instance, excessively long steps strain your lumbar herniated disc, making your condition worse. Hence, it would be best if you avoided poor walking posture.
Best Sitting Position For Herniated Disc
Although not all herniated discs produce pain, when one pushes on a spinal nerve, it may be excruciating.
Many people are worried about managing discomfort from a herniated disc while running; we will discuss sitting with herniated disc here.
Here are different ideal positions for people with a herniated disc to sit in a car and a chair, respectively.
How to Sit in a Chair with a Herniated Disc?
- Roll up a towel and place it on the chair: The best technique would be to roll up a towel and place it on the lower back of your desk chair. Then keep your feet flat on the floor, your shoulders pushed back, and your head lifted. The feeling of herniated disc pain will decrease.
- Use an ergonomic chair: Your spinal discs may feel less pressure if you sit on an exercise ball or an ergonomic desk chair. However, only a portion of your work can be done sitting in an ergonomic chair. In the end, it is still your responsibility to maintain a good position while sitting to reduce the pain of herniated discs.
How to Sit in a Car with a Herniated Disc?
Your herniated disc can cause problems even when traveling in a car, and it spoils the pleasure of riding. Hence, we are presenting you with some correct ways to sit in the car in case of a herniated disc.
- Seat height: Place your vehicle seat as high as this will go.
- Don’t have a vertical seatback: Although it may sound strange, you should let your car seat recline a little. Then place your upper back pressed on your car seat, which you have reclined. You will be able to maintain the S-curve of your spine by doing this and maintaining a hollowness in your lower back.
- Use a rolled-up towel or pillow on your car seat to: You have a better option for keeping the structurally sound S-curve of your spine, and that is to place a towel or pillow between your lower back and the car seat. If you plan to drive for at least 30/40 minutes, you can consider doing it. Place the pillow or towel until it becomes comfortable.
- Please consult a physician: It will be great to consult a physician for advice on how to minimize the strain on a herniated disc while driving your car.
Other Tips for Those with a Herniated Disc
1. Using the Heat and Ice Method
Herniated disc patients frequently experience excruciating muscle spasms. Heat packs can frequently provide relief from these. You can decide which heat method is good for you.
Some people find that a hot water bottle works well, while others discover that sticky heat wraps are an efficient way to give them enough heat and keep them comfortable all day.
Similarly, a herniated disc may be relieved of pain by applying ice. Ice packs may help minimize swelling and inflammation in sore places. For optimal effectiveness, always consider wrapping an ice pack and applying it for 10–15 minutes before removing that.
2. Consume Anti-Inflammatory Foods
As you know, inflammation is responsible for pain. Hence, you need to limit inflammation by eliminating foods that cause inflammation and, at the same time, include some anti-inflammatory foods in your diet, such as curcumin, ginger, nutmeg, and green tea, to minimize the pain of inflammation.
3. McKenzie Remedy
McKenzie therapy may be effective in relieving the pain of a herniated disc.
This therapy can be categorized into a number of different categories. However, you’ll need a specialist, i.e., a chiropractor, who will help you learn the correct way to exercise and strengthen the exercise, which will ensure that the problem does not happen in the future.
4. Chiropractic Care
For pain from a herniated disc, chiropractors are helpful. A chiropractor will be able to speed up treatment and lessen pain by redistributing pressure away from the affected area via spinal manipulation.
An efficient chiropractor may be beneficial if your herniated disc links to sciatic discomfort. It releases pressure from the discs by realigning the spine.
Being under less pressure, the discs can move away from the veins. A professional chiropractor is specialized in the entire musculoskeletal system of the human body. Therefore, it is better to seek the help of good chiropractic for your severe herniated disc issue.
Conclusion
Your herniated disc presses on your nerve when you sit in some postures, which puts strain on that. It’s important to avoid sitting as much as possible. This can be helpful in hastening the disc’s recovery. And if you are obliged to sit, maintain the correct sitting position.
According to the general rule, whenever you sit, consider using proper lumbar support and keeping your hips at least 5 to 10 cm above your knees to prevent pressure on your discs.
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I am an Interior Designer and founder of MyComfortHaven.com. Love for ergonomics and content creation made me pivot my career from interior designing to writing.
I like to write compelling, well-researched, and unique content about how commonplace things like chairs can greatly impact pain relief and productivity.