Can I exercise with disc issues and degeneration of the spine?
If you have been told by the doctor that you have a disc bulge and degeneration in your spine and you need to stop your exercises in order to reduce the effect of degeneration on your spine, it can be a very overwhelming experience. In this blog we will discuss how can you manage your exercises when you have a disc bulge and degeneration in your spine? 

If you are new to exercising or starting with exercise after a break you can start with low intensity exercises such as swimming or walking or gentle yoga and once you are comfortable with this, then gradually move to high intensity exercises.  However if you have been already doing a certain kind of exercise without any pain or discomfort, then you can continue at the same level and type of exercise. 
 
However if you are already following an exercise routine, firstly assess if you are comfortable with the level of your exercises? Does it take you more than 2 or 3 days to recover after the exercises? If yes, you need to scale down the exercises. This is done by using the FIT principle. F is frequency of exercise, I is intensity and T is time or duration of exercise. You can change only parameter at a time of the FIT to increase or decrease the level of your exercises. Example: If you walk for 30 minutes at the speed of 5, twice a day, then you either reduce the time to less than 30 minutes or reduce the speed to below 5 or walk only once a day. Reducing one parameter at a time will give you an idea of what works best for your body, as every person is different and may be comfortable with different exercise parameters. 
 
Be mindful that your body is the best judge when it comes to the exercises. Always stop and observe how you are feeling after the exercises, specially the day after the exercise. A certain degree of muscle soreness can be expected post exercise but if you feel sore for more than a day or two you might want to reduce the intensity of the exercise the next time. It is also a good idea to discuss your disc and spinal issues with your fitness instructor or physical therapist and work with their recommendations. 

Please note that we will only discuss disc bulges and not discs that are causing stenosis or nerve involvement. Watch this video to learn more about disc bulges and how they occur in the spine: 


If you want to learn more about how to manage degeneration of the spine and joints, you need to address inflammation in your spine/body. Inflammation is the basic cause of most diseases that cause spinal (back & neck) and joint pain. You can find out more about managing your inflammation in a free 11 days jumpstart HERE.

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