“Is physical therapy effective for a disc hernia?”

Yes, physical therapy will help with a herniated disc and allow you to get back to moving pain-free.

Hi! If you mean a disc herniation, then YES! physical therapy can be very effective in managing the symptoms that sometimes come along with an acute spinal disc herniation. However, the fact that the disc is herniated is NOT necessarily the cause/origin of your pain/symptoms. Many people have herniated discs and do not have pain. Those are not synonymous terms. However, in an acute disc herniation situation, there is often an inflammatory process going on and the disc itself may be pressing on other structures causing irritation to those tissues and this can cause radiating symptoms (such as a nerve). Extension-based exercises and movements (and avoiding flexed postions - sitting, slouching, forward bending, etc) can facilitate your body's natural healing process. Without any PT interventions, over time, your body will rid itself of the inflammatory chemicals, and the acute irritation will subside and symptoms will resolve. PT can be beneficial to keep the muscles, joints, and nerves in the irritated area mobile which leads to improved symptoms.