Author: Li Lijun (Oriental Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University)
When the occurrence of lumbar disc herniation is inevitable, how to avoid the aggravation of low back and leg pain is the key, and mastering the correct knowledge and posture can effectively avoid the further development of the disease.
Low back and leg pain is the most important manifestation of lumbar disc herniation, the herniated disc compresses the spinal cord or nerve root backwards, manifested as a symptom of nerve stimulation, that is, pain.
1. Keep your legs bent when lying flat
In acute onset of low back and leg pain, the pain can be reduced when the patient bends the leg slightly when lying down.
This is because after the leg is straightened, the sciatic nerve is in a state of tension and tension, and the stimulation caused by the herniated disc will further aggravate the pain.
Therefore, patients with acute attacks can try to put a pillow under the knee joint when sleeping at night or lying flat, so that the legs are bent, which can effectively relieve the acute attack of pain.
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Second, choose the right seat and avoid sitting for a long time
In different positions of daily life, the pressure on the lumbar spine is completely different, of which the supine position is the least stressful, and the pressure of sitting is greater than that of standing, which is why it is often emphasized to avoid sitting for a long time.
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Some office chairs have a soft back and can be leaned back to a great extent, which has been harmful to the lumbar spine for a long time.
When leaning on the soft back of the chair, in order to maintain balance and out of the instinct of self-protection, the lower back muscles will maintain a high state of tension, and muscle fatigue and even stiffness will occur over time.
Therefore, the most basic requirement for choosing a seat is to have a hard backrest.
Keep your hips pressed against the back of the chair while your knees are slightly above your hips, so that you can have a strong support for your body and reduce the burden on your lower back muscles.
Even the correct sitting posture will change for a long time, so the most important thing is to avoid sitting for a long time.
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Third, strengthen the low back muscle exercise
For patients with chronic long-term lumbar disc herniation, mastering the correct lifestyle and active and effective low back muscle exercises can alleviate low back and leg pain and reduce acute attacks to a certain extent.
When it comes to lower back muscle exercises, swimming is the best way to exercise, especially breaststroke. For patients who cannot swim or rarely swim, "five-point support" or "little swallow fly" is a good choice.
The essentials of the "five-point support method" are: the knees are bent in the supine position, the elbows and back are pressed against the bed, the abdomen and hips are lifted upwards, and the head, elbows and feet are the five points that support the body.
The above movement is slowly lifted for 3 seconds, maintained at the highest point for 3 seconds, and then lowered for another 3 seconds.
The duration and frequency of exercise depends on the individual situation, and the number of exercises needs to be gradually increased in the later stages. After each exercise, there should be a feeling of back soreness, otherwise the exercise that is too easy will not have any effect.
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The difficulty of "Xiao Yan Fei" has increased compared to the five-point support method, and the number of times also depends on the individual.
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Fourth, correctly handle heavy objects
As can be seen from the lumbar pressure chart, bending down to carry heavy objects will multiply the burden on the lumbar spine.
The correct posture should be adopted when carrying heavy objects, which can greatly reduce the burden on the lumbar spine and effectively avoid the occurrence of low back and leg pain.
Avoid direct deep bending, which should be reduced by bending the knees and hips, which can reduce the force on the waist.
Do not carry heavy objects in one hand, but lift heavy objects evenly with both hands to keep the sides of the body balanced.
When holding heavy objects, try not to stay away from the trunk, should be close to the body, which is conducive to lumbar spine stability.
*The content of this article is a popularization of health knowledge and cannot be used as a specific diagnosis and treatment recommendation, nor is it a substitute for face-to-face consultation by a practicing physician, for reference only.
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