What Are the Signs That Your Herniated Disc Is Healing?

A herniated disc can cause deliberating pain and limited mobility, casting a shadow over your daily life. However, most people feel better in a few weeks, depending on factors such as the nature of the injury, age, activity level, and health. The recovery journey often includes subtle but significant signs that show progress. Identifying the signs of healing will help you understand your progress and help you plan the next steps in the recovery process. Here is a look at the key signs that your herniated disc is healing.

Lessening Local Pain and Discomfort

One initial sign that your herniated disc is recovering is the notable reduction of discomfort and pain around the affected part. If your disc herniation resulted from trauma, you might be experiencing pain from a soft tissue injury or a muscle sprain and strain. As you recover, local pain will resolve as muscle pain decreases and inflammation lessens. Reduced pain also improves sleep patterns because of decreased nighttime pain.

Nerve Pain Is Lessening

In most cases, the most severe symptom of a herniated disc is a sharp, shooting pain down a nerve into a leg or arm. Radiculopathy is the term that refers to these symptoms that result when a nerve root in the spinal column is irritated, compressed, or inflamed. This is one symptom that will go away during the recovery period. As your herniated disc starts to heal, the sharp, shooting pains will lessen in intensity and frequency.

Increased Muscle Strength

A herniated disk can result in muscle weakness along the path of the affected nerve. This can affect the movement of hands or legs based on the location of the herniated disc on the spine. The affected nerves are recovering if you notice increased mobility and muscle strength during the healing process.

Improved Sensation

One common symptom of a herniated disk is numbness or tingling in the hands and legs. The numbness results from compressed nerves by the herniated disc. If your herniated disc caused tingling and numbness in your limbs and you have started noticing the return of normal sensation, this is a positive indication of healing.

Improved Range of Motion and Flexibility

People suffering from a herniated disc often experience excruciating pain when extending or bending their spine. Regaining the range of motion without feeling pain is a signal for healing. As your herniated disc progressively recovers, it’s important to carefully build up your activity levels. Performing gentle exercises and stretches recommended by your physician can help improve flexibility without risking extra injury or obstructing disk recovery. Enhanced mobility and agility are signs that the nerve compression is easing, causing overall restoration of health in that area.

Wrapping up

Healing from a herniated disk is a step-by-step process that requires adherence to doctors’ advice and patience. Understanding positive recovery signs and incorporating comprehensive herniated disc treatment from specialists like Dr. Wiederholz at Performance Pain and Sports Medicine can ensure a seamless transition back to an active, pain-free lifestyle. They will guide you on a proactive recovery approach to quicken healing.