Best exercises for bulging and herniated discs

by Nathan Wei, MD, FACP, FACR

Nathan Wei is a nationally known board-certified rheumatologist and author of the Second Opinion Arthritis Treatment Kit. It's available exclusively at this website... not available in stores.

Click here: Second Opinion Arthritis Treatment Kit

There are exercises for prevention and there are exercises for treatment.

Exercises to treat sciatic nerve pain caused by a herniated disc are prescribed according to which positions will cause the symptoms to move up the leg and into the low back. In other words, improvement is seen as the pain leaves the leg and settles in the low back.


For many patients, this is accomplished by getting into a backwards bending position.

• The low back is gently placed into extension by lying on the stomach (prone position) and propping the upper body up on the elbows, keeping hips on the floor. This should be started slowly, since some patients can not tolerate this position initially.

• This position is typically held from five to 30 seconds per repetition, for 10 repetitions.


After practicing this exercise, the spine specialist may recommend a more advanced form of the extension:

• From the prone position, press up on the hands while the pelvis remains in contact with the floor.

• This position is typically held for 1 second, repeated 10 times.


A similar exercise can be done standing by arching backward slowly with hands on hips if the patient is unable to lie flat. However, the prone position is usually preferred.

These “extension” exercises are done regularly, about every two hours. More importantly, the spine specialist may recommend that the person with this condition should avoid getting into a forward flexed (bent over) position. This tends to counteract the effects of the extension exercises. The specialists may ask the patient to correct forward flexed positions immediately with an extension exercise.


As the pain works out of the lower extremity, the exercises typically are advanced to strengthen the low back and abdominal muscles to prevent recurrences of sciatica pain caused by a herniated disc. To strengthen the low back muscles:

• In the prone position and hands clasped behind the lower back, raise the head and chest slightly against gravity while looking at the floor (stay low).

• In the prone position with the head and chest lowered to the floor, lightly raise an arm and opposite leg slowly, with the knee locked, 2-3 inches from the floor.

To strengthen the abdominal muscles:

• For the upper addominals, lay on the back with knees bent, fold arms across the chest, tilt the pelvis to flatten the back, and curl-up lifting the head and shoulders from the floor. Do not attempt to lift too high, and bring the head and chest towards the ceiling. For patients with neck pain, place the hands behind the head.

• For the lower abdominals, tighten the lower stomach muscles and slowly raise the straight leg 8 to 12 inches from the floor, keeping the low back held flat against the floor. Water exercises are also excellent, even just walking in waist-deep water.

Aerobic conditioning may also be encouraged for general body fitness. Walking is an excellent form of exercise for the low back, working up to three miles per day at a brisk pace if able.

Later on, a patient may wish to do other types of non-impact aerobic exercise such as an elliptical trainer. Rowing machines and cross-country ski machines should be avoided because these may cause the back problem to become worse.

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