Certain exercises, such as stretches and rotations, can help heal herniated discs by pushing the disc away from the nerve root.
Herniated discs (also called bulging discs or slipped discs) can be extremely painful. They’re most common in middle-aged adults and are often caused when too much pressure is applied to an otherwise healthy spine.
If a disc herniates in the neck or upper spine, it can cause pain to radiate down your:
- shoulder
- arm
- hand
This pain is called cervical radiculopathy, also referred to as a pinched nerve.
Most doctors recommend conservative treatments, such as pain medication, rest, and physical therapy, before considering surgery for a herniated disc.
This article reviews exercises and stretches that may improve neck pain caused by a herniated disc, as well as exercises to avoid.
A note of caution: Talk with a doctor about your injury and your treatment options before attempting these exercises.
Learn more about about herniated disks here, including symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment.
Dr. Jose Guevara from Regional Medical Group in Atlanta recommends these exercises to relieve your neck pain.
1. Neck extension
- Lie on your back on a table or bed with the bottom of your neck in line with the edge.
- Slowly and gently lower your head backward and let it hang. If this makes your pain worse or sends pain down your arm, don’t continue.
- Hold this position for 20 to 30 seconds, rest for 1 minute, and repeat 5 to 15 times.
2. Neck extension with head lift
- Lie on your stomach on a table or bed with your arms by your side and head hanging off the structure.
- Slowly and gently raise your head up, extending your neck against gravity.
- Hold this position for 5 to 10 seconds.
- Repeat 15 to 20 times.
3. Neck retraction (chin tuck)
- Lie on your back with your head on the bed and hands by your side.
- Tuck your chin in toward your chest, making a double chin.
- Hold this position for 5 to 10 seconds.
- Repeat 15 to 20 times.
4. Shoulder retraction
- Sit or stand against a wall with your arms by your side.
- Bend your elbows to 90 degrees.
- Bring your shoulders down and back and push the back of your arms toward the wall, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Hold for 5 seconds.
- Repeat 5 to 10 times.
5. Isometric hold
- Sit up tall and relax your shoulders. Put your hand on your forehead.
- Gently press your head into your hand without moving your head.
- Hold this position for 5 to 15 seconds.
- Repeat 15 times.
Stretching may benefit people with a bulging or herniated disc. Just remember that stretching should not increase pain. If pain increases with stretching, stop immediately.
For example, if a stretch causes a shooting pain down your shoulder and arm, don’t perform it. The goal of stretching is to relieve pain, not increase it.
1. Lateral bend
- Sit up tall and relax your shoulders.
- Slowly tilt your head to one side as if you’re going to touch your ear to your shoulder.
- Hold this position for 30 seconds, then rest.
- Repeat 3 to 5 times throughout the day.
2. Scalene stretch
- Sit up tall and relax your shoulders.
- Grasp the chair you’re sitting in with your left hand and let your shoulder blade move down.
- Slowly bend your right ear down toward your right shoulder and slightly backward.
- Hold this position for 30 seconds, then rest.
- Repeat 3 to 5 times throughout the day.
3. Neck rotation
- Sit up tall and relax your shoulders.
- Gently turn your head to the side. Don’t over-rotate your head behind you and avoid twisting your neck.
- Slowly turn your head to the other side.
- Hold each position for 30 seconds.
- Repeat 3 to 5 times throughout the day.
Dr. Seth Neubardt, a board-certified cervical spine surgeon, recommends avoiding any high-impact exercises while your herniated disc is healing.
Exercises like running, jumping, powerlifting, or anything that involves sudden sharp movements, can greatly increase your pain and slow down healing.
It’s still possible to participate in many of your usual activities. But it’s important to modify challenging activities and keep your neck in a pain-free position.
Gentle exercise is beneficial to the healing process. This is because it encourages:
- increased blood flow to the spine
- decreases stress
- maintains strength
An early 2009 study compared the effectiveness of active treatment (physical therapy and home-based exercise) and passive treatment (cervical collar and rest) for cervical radiculopathy to a “wait and see” approach.
Both the active and passive treatments had a significantly positive effect on pain and disability at the 6-week follow-up versus those who didn’t receive any treatment at all.
This high-quality randomized control trial leaves little doubt that exercise can help heal cervical radiculopathy faster than waiting it out.
