Can lumbar disc herniation heal itself?

Written by Su Zhen Bo
Orthopedics
Updated on March 14, 2025
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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.

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Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
1min 53sec home-news-image

What are the methods for diagnosing lumbar disc herniation?

The diagnostic methods for lumbar disc herniation are essentially three-dimensional; that is, clinical symptoms plus physical examination combined with auxiliary examinations. First, let's talk about clinical manifestations, which include pain, functional impairment, and local sensory abnormalities in cases of lumbar disc herniation. Second, in the physical examination of lumbar disc herniation, the intervertebral disc often shows some deformation, and the most common is a reduction or disappearance of the lumbar spine's forward physiological curvature, referred to colloquially as "flatback," where the back appears flat like a board. Other findings may include spinal scoliosis and specific tender points, usually located next to the protruding vertebrae. Percussing these tender points may induce radiating pain to the buttocks or lower limbs. Additional examinations might reveal abnormalities in the strength or sensation of lower limb muscles at different stages, as various muscles and sensory areas are affected differently. Special tests such as the straight leg raise test, femoral nerve stretch test, and neck flexion test are generally positive. The most routine auxiliary examination involves taking x-ray images, followed by CT scans, which can directly visualize the location and extent of the disc herniation. Currently, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is also used, which has significant advantages. MRI provides three-dimensional images, showing the sagittal, coronal, and axial planes, which helps in better assessing the condition of herniated discs. Therefore, these are the areas covered in diagnosing lumbar disc herniation.

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Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
1min 36sec home-news-image

What should I do if I have a lumbar disc herniation?

After a lumbar disc herniation, it is essential to first determine the type of herniation you have. Clinically, lumbar disc herniations can be categorized into protrusion, prolapse, extrusion, and sequestration, with protrusion being the most common. Once the type of herniation is identified, treatment can begin. Currently, the treatment methods are diverse and can be broadly classified into six categories. The first is internal treatment with traditional Chinese medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine classifies lumbar disc herniation into four types, each treated with different medications. The second is external treatment with traditional Chinese medicine, such as herbal fumigation and plaster application. The third is traction, which includes bed traction and manual massage. The fourth is acupuncture. The fifth category includes other therapies, starting with resting on a hard board bed for approximately a week, followed by techniques like small needle knife therapy, intradiscal injection, sacral canal injection, and ozone therapy. If conservative treatments prove ineffective, or if symptoms worsen during treatment, surgical intervention may be necessary. Surgical treatment is generally indicated in the following four situations: patients with spinal stenosis, patients who do not respond to conservative treatment or who experience recurrent symptoms after recovery, patients with worsening neurological symptoms, and patients with central lumbar disc herniation causing incontinence. These are the conditions mentioned above.

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Written by Guan Jing Tao
Orthopedics
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Can lumbar disc herniation sleep on a latex mattress?

Generally speaking, for lumbar disc herniation, it is recommended to use a firm bed and avoid exposure to cold conditions, which helps alleviate symptoms and prevents further aggravation. Latex mattresses, as advertised and if of good quality, can also be used. Firstly, a quality latex mattress can conform well to the natural physiological curvature of the entire spine. This means that the latex mattress can accommodate the normal curvature of the waist without exacerbating issues, unlike overly soft mattresses which can lead to increased back pain and other symptoms. However, it is still necessary to use qualified products and assess them carefully.

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Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
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Precautions for Lumbar Disc Herniation

For patients with lumbar disc herniation, self-prevention and self-treatment are very effective methods. What should be paid attention to in daily life? The first point is to maintain a correct sitting posture, sit upright, do not lean back, and avoid sitting for long periods. It is also necessary to keep the waist warm and prevent it from getting cold. The second point is to engage in some exercises, mainly those that strengthen the muscles of the lower back, such as large swallow flight, small swallow flight, single bridge, and double bridge. The third point is that in daily life, it is important to pay attention to maintaining the correct posture when working, avoiding putting too much pressure on the lumbar spine, and not using brute force. The fourth point is that in terms of rest, it is best to sleep on a hard bed and add a small pad at the waist or a soft pillow under the knee joints. This can keep the knee and hip joints at a certain degree of flexion, allowing the muscles of the lower back to fully relax. The fifth point is to wear a waist brace under the guidance of a doctor. This waist brace is a very common orthopedic support, which functions to immobilize and protect the waist. Moreover, for patients with lumbar disc herniation, it can greatly increase the stability of the lumbar spine and consolidate the effects of previous treatments. Therefore, patients with lumbar disc herniation must pay attention to these details in daily life.

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Written by Cheng Bin
Orthopedics
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Treatment of Chronic Low Back Pain Due to Lumbar Disc Herniation

For the treatment of chronic lower back pain caused by lumbar disc herniation, the following methods need to be applied: 1. It is necessary to strengthen the patient's lower back muscle strength through exercise, which can better protect the lumbar spine and effectively relieve the patient's lower back pain symptoms. For example, exercises like the "small swallow fly", swimming, and lifting the buttocks while lying on the bed can be performed; 2. Avoid sitting or standing for long periods, avoid bending over to lift heavy objects excessively, and it is best to wear a lumbar support belt to protect the lumbar spine, and sleep on a hard bed; 3. Actively perform local hot compresses, and combine them with therapeutic methods such as acupuncture, electrotherapy, cupping, and massage; 4. Apply topical ointments that activate blood circulation and remove blood stasis, and take oral non-steroidal drugs like pain relievers and drugs that improve blood circulation and remove blood stasis for treatment, which can be very effective.