Hey all, anyone have experience with the excersies after healing from herniated discs, particularly jogging. I used to to tons of running, but herniated the L4/L5. Now the stationary bike and eliptical are filling the gap, but I miss jogging. bad idea?

small_and_fast said:

It was for me. Sometimes I'd run 2-3 miles or so and be ok. On other days it felt like someone was squeezing my lower back from each side of my spine. I would totally lock up after a while. Very painful.

I stick with the eliptical trainer and strength training now. :thumbsup:

I had a L3 herniated disc and was instructed to walk and eventually cycle. Running was too painful overall. This was about 10 years ago and I still have a bit of sciatic nerve numbness and a touch of muscle atrophy in my left leg.

Today I walk and hike as much as possible. Running is doable but even with a totally healthy body I don't think I'd subject myself to regular long distance. And yoga or a regular stretching routine helps, but I'm guilty of not being consistent with that.

Another thing that helped my herniated disc was core and ab workouts. Obviously your doc/pt/rehab expert would know what's best for you. Good luck.