Destination The Pacific

The period of acute pain

• After the diagnosis of a herniated disc, the doctor will immediately recommend rest. Obviously, as the pain prevents you from being able to do anything else, you should lie in bed at least for two weeks. The mattress on which you lie on should be firm.
• The position you have in bed should be the one that is the less painful for your back. In order to reduce the tension in the back you can put a pillow under your knees.
• Switching your position from lying on one side, to lying on the other, to lying flat, is something recommended that will also reduce the pressure that your back will feel.
• The only position that should really be avoided is lying on your stomach. It makes breathing harder and it also puts a lot of pressure on your back each time you have to get up.
• Eating a lot of fruit and drinking liquids, such as water and juice, is something that you should do, as it will improve your digestion that otherwise might be slowed down by your immovability. 
• Even thought moving around is significantly harder and painful, you should not avoid going to the toilet. Avoiding that increases the pressure in the lower part of the back.
• In some cases people that suffer from a herniated disc might have muscle spasms. Most doctors consider this and prescribe pills that are able to relax the muscles without interfering with the other medicines that you might be taking.
• Obviously, sitting in bed for two weeks will not be very entertaining. To forget about the pain you should grab a few books and a music player and listen to all the albums that you always wanted to but that you never find enough time for.

The period of recovery

• Once you feel that the pain has become more bearable, and after the first initial weeks have passed, you should slowly try to get out of bed. It would be great if someone will be able to support you as you try to make a few steps in the room. Do not stress yourself to much though, just a couple of steps a few times each day for one week.
• When you feel better, you can try to sit in a chair and read a book. Do not sit for too much though, and make sure that the chair is comfortable. When getting up, again, have someone near to help you. Also, keep your feet on the ground when sitting.
• During this recovery period you should avoid at all costs quick movements. The tremendous pain that you will experience is a good enough reason to avoid them.
• Even if more than three weeks passed now, you should still avoid doing anything that can stress your back. Do not bend to pick something that you dropped from the ground and do not lift anything that is heavier than a plate of food or a glass of water.
• Starting with the exercises that the doctor advised you to do once you feel better is what you should do next. Again, do not stress yourself too much.
• After the exercises are done, take a long shower, as it represents an excellent method to relax both your muscles and your mind.
• Even if you already feel better, continue the exercises and rest one more week at least, as only in that way you will get completely healed.