How to relieve stiffness in the lower back caused by lumbar disc herniation?

Written by Wang Fei
Orthopedics
Updated on January 23, 2025
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Lumbar disc herniation is very common in clinical settings. The peak incidence age is around forty, typically in middle-aged adults, though some cases occur in the elderly due to degenerative lumbar changes, bone proliferation, or osteoporosis-induced herniation. Patients with lumbar disc herniation usually experience discomfort in the lower back, muscle spasms, and sometimes numbness and soreness in the legs. If such stiffness and discomfort occur, one approach is to rest in bed. Additionally, applying heat, gentle massage, and treatments to relieve muscle spasms can be beneficial. Treatments such as acupuncture and physiotherapy can also help alleviate muscle spasms in the lumbar region, thus easing the stiffness.

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Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
1min 12sec home-news-image

Where to apply moxibustion for lumbar disc herniation

After a lumbar disc herniation, if moxibustion treatment is used, there is a concept of main and supplementary acupuncture points. The main point is the Jiaji point at the herniated lumbar disc segment, accompanied by the Jiaji points directly above and below it. For example, for an L4-5 disc herniation, moxibustion would be applied to the Jiaji points of L3-4, L4-5, and L5-S1. Additionally, supplementary points are chosen based on the patient's other symptoms. If there is significant lumbar pain, the Yao Yan (Lumbar Eyes) point on the affected side is used. If there is muscle tension in the buttocks, the Huan Tiao and Yi Bian points are used. If there is tension in the back of the thigh, support would include the Fu Cheng, Yin Men, and Wei Zhong points. If numbness occurs on the outer side of the thigh, the Feng Shi point is used. For numbness in the calf, the Wei Yang, Cheng Shan, Yang Ling Quan, Zu San Li, and Xuan Zhong points are used. For numbness on the dorsum or sole of the foot, the Tai Xi, Jie Xi, and Xia Xi points are included.

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Written by Chen Hui
Orthopedic Surgery
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How to care for lumbar disc herniation

The intervertebral discs of a normal human body, according to related evidence-based medical research, begin to degenerate around the age of twenty-five. How should we maintain them in daily life? First, when lifting heavy objects in everyday life, it is necessary to do so by squatting partially and then lifting the weight with the strength of your knees and hips when standing up. Do not bend at the waist with straight knees and hips to lift heavy objects, as this can cause severe loading on the lumbar spine, leading to herniated discs. If symptoms are already present, maintenance measures include wearing a lumbar support, sleeping on a hard bed, and undergoing relevant physical therapy, among others.

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Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
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Can a herniated lumbar disc be massaged?

Lumbar disc herniation can be treated with massage, and as a part of conservative treatment, massage is a very important method with generally good effects. Its role is to relieve muscle spasms, expand blood vessels, increase local blood circulation, and promote cellular metabolism of soft tissues. The techniques primarily include rolling and rubbing, supplemented by grasping and grinding methods. The main acupuncture point targeted is the Jiaji point, centered on the lesion between the two vertebral bodies. Other auxiliary acupuncture points include Yaoyangguan, Mingmen, Shenshu, Bahui, Huanjiao, Yinmen, Fucheng, Weizhong, Chengshan, and Yanglingquan.

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Written by Guan Yu Hua
Orthopedic Surgery
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How many days to administer fluids after minimally invasive surgery for lumbar disc herniation?

With the development of medical technology, currently for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation, such as when conservative treatment is ineffective—including lying on a hard bed, pre-heating the waist, taking blood-activating and pain-relieving medication, or drugs that nourish the nerves—some interventional surgeries are chosen if these do not provide relief. The main ones commonly used include ozone ablation, collagenase nucleolysis, percutaneous disc removal, and foraminoscopic technology, etc., all of which carry very low risk. The most commonly used is ozone ablation, which involves instant oxidation of the degenerated protruded nucleus pulposus. This destroys the proteoglycans, thereby making the proteoglycans lose their function. The cells produce proteoglycans, reducing the osmotic pressure of the nucleus tissue, which cannot maintain normal moisture, leading to shrinkage and loss of tissue. This increases the space, thereby reducing the symptoms of nerve compression caused by disc herniation. Usually, antibiotics are used post-surgery to prevent infection, generally for about three days. After the medication is completed, considering discharge and returning home for recovery is possible, followed by oral medication. (Please use medications under the guidance of a physician.)

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Written by Su Zhen Bo
Orthopedics
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Can lumbar disc herniation heal itself?

In clinical practice, patients with lumbar disc herniation often cannot heal on their own. It requires early diagnosis and the correct treatment methods. Patients may lie flat on a hard bed, use lumbar traction, and combine this with heat therapy, physiotherapy, acupuncture, and moxibustion. Regularly using orthopedic herbal fumigation to treat the waist area can unblock the muscle meridians, accelerate metabolism within the muscles, enhance the strength of the waist muscles, stabilize the lumbar spine, and reduce irritation to the dural sac and nerve roots, which can alleviate clinical symptoms. After conservative treatment, if the condition recurs, the next step can involve minimally invasive surgery at the lumbar region, using techniques like discoscopy or foraminoscopy to perform simple nucleotomy. Post-surgery, functional exercises for the waist can be performed.