“How long does it take a herniated disc to heal without surgery?”

There are varying degrees of herniation and you may be continually doing the activities that damaged the disc in the first place. It his hard to estimate the possible outcome. Even nutrition plays a big part of the picture of disc damage and repair.

The body will heal the herniated disc. Unfortunately it takes several months to heal. This is due to the make up of the disc itself. There is not a lot of blood flow through the disc and this slows the healing process. You can help yourself with proper stretching and exercise.

Healing of a herniated disc depends on the severity of the condition, type of care received, health of the individual receiving the care and experience of the practitioner.

The healing time for a herniated disc can vary widely depending on the severity of the injury, the location of the disc, and other factors such as the age and overall health of the patient. In general, most mild to moderate cases of herniated discs can heal on their own within a few weeks to a few months without the need for surgery.

Treatment for a herniated disc typically involves a combination of rest, physical therapy, and pain management. Your healthcare provider may recommend certain exercises to help strengthen the muscles in your back and reduce pressure on the affected disc. They may also recommend medications, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or muscle relaxants, to help manage pain and inflammation.

In some cases, your healthcare provider may recommend more advanced treatments such as epidural steroid injections, which can help reduce inflammation around the herniated disc.

It's important to follow your healthcare provider's recommendations and give your body time to heal. While the healing process can be slow, most people with herniated discs are able to return to their normal activities within a few months. However, if your symptoms persist or worsen despite treatment, surgery may be necessary to repair or remove the damaged disc.

Lots of research shows surgery or not, outcomes are the same at about 2 yrs. A patient with a 15mm disc herniation/prolapse and NO surgery was back to the gym in about a year with REGULAR chiropractic care

Depends in the severity

There’s so many factors that depends on where the herniation is how big the herniation is how old you are what kind of exercise you do what kind of shape you’re in and if you’re receiving good bio mechanical chiropractic care it’s going to heal faster.

Dr Adam Hutton, DC, DAAMLP
Biomechanical Spine Specialist

Herniated discs vary in recovery depending on severity, location, levels of injury, and more. I can't give you a time frame on this other than with our treatment we average 18-25 visits complete with rehabilitation.

I would need to know more about what you are doing to recover. Are you seeing a chiropractor? Are you doing stretches or exercises? If you are doing daily exercises and seeing a chiropractor, most people have minimal pain from the disc herniation after a few months. If you are not doing those things, then it could take a lot longer.