CAN A HERNIATED DISC HEAL
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CAN A 
HERNIATED 
DISC HEAL?
http://www.virtualphysicaltherapists.com/
A disc herniation is a cut in the disc that enables the inner material, known as the nucleus, to squeeze out 
and put pressure on the surrounding ligaments and potentially a nearby nerve. As scary as this sounds, a 
tear in the disc is like a cut on your knuckle. Can a herniated disc heal? Yes, a herniated disc can recover 
the same way a cut over a joint does. Because the joint bends, this added stress makes it a more difficult 
area to heal versus a cut on your forearm that is not subjected to the tensions of stretching and bending. 
A cut on your elbow needs extra care of overpressure and avoiding bending or opening the cut, but with 
knowledge, perseverance, and the body’s fantastic healing processes….a cut heals. A herniation heals in 
exactly the same manner.
 
Fear & Improper Treatments
A disc injury is often associated with fear and thoughts of permanent damage and disability. 
Unfortunately, this is because years of improper treatment ruined many lives with 
chronic pain, disability, loss of ability to do everyday activities, and even relationships. Many of our most 
common treatments for back pain have no validity and are shown to worsen patient outcomes.
66% of those with a disc herniation are unsure about the cause of their symptoms. The foundation of all 
treatment should be education on the cause of symptoms, factors that will aggravate, and those that will 
relieve your symptoms. When you have pain and have no idea why or what makes it worse/better, you 
are blind to healing and instead rely on trial and error.  Learn how to avoid these mistakes!
 
Education must be the foundation of all treatment.
Did you know that disc bulges are a natural part of aging and usually are painless? Similarly, degenerative 
disc disease (DDD) is a normal finding for everyone with a wrinkle on their face or single grey hair. 
Wrinkles and grey hair do not cause pain, nor do most degenerative changes. Most discs heal by 
themselves. Our bodies have an innate ability to recognize injury and begin a complicated process to heal 
any damaged tissue. Those that do not is because continued stress disrupts this natural healing process.  
A cut on a joint like your elbow is more difficult to heal because moving the joint disrupts the laying down 
of the scar tissue. Reducing the stress on the healing tissue speeds up recovery, so applying overpressure 
and avoiding bending your elbow for a few days will allow the scar tissue to lay down. After a few days to 
a week, the scar tissue will be strong enough to withstand the bending motion. If you bend your elbow 
and the cut starts to open again, you will need a few more days to avoid bending your elbow. Eventually, 
the scar will be strong enough, and you can resume activities using your elbow without the cut 
reopening.
A herniation or cut in your disc heals the same way. Because the joints in your back are constantly 
stressed, it makes it a bit more difficult for the cuts in the disc to heal. The most common herniations are 
posterior or backward. Movements and positions that cause the posterior cuts to open will disrupt the 
healing scar tissue. These movements include bending to put on your socks/shoes, coughing/sneezing, 
sleeping on your back with a pillow under your knees, and slouched sitting. Anything activity that causes 
your to bend your back needs to be minimized/avoided for a few days, just like bending your elbow when 
you have a cut.
Your disc is like a hard pillow between your vertebrae. It is responsible for absorbing shock and protecting 
your spinal column. The disc has a jelly-like center called the nucleus. Like a jelly doughnut, the nucleus is 
supposed to stay in the center, but pressure on one side will cause the nucleus to move in the opposite 
direction. The disc has no nerve innervation other than the very outer layer. You can stab a disc, and you 
will not feel anything, but when a tear in the disc reaches the outer layer – you will see stars. Similar to 
tearing your fingernail, you don’t feel. Thing, but when the nail rips to the nailbed, it becomes very 
tender.
Symptoms down your leg, known in layman’s terms as “sciatica”, result from pressure on your nerve. The 
symptoms of radiculopathy can be pain, numbness, or tingling. The further down your leg these 
symptoms go, the worse your herniation, known as peripheralization. When the nucleus tears and 
reaches the outside of the disc, it can put pressure on the surrounding ligaments. If it comes out a bit 
further, it will then put pressure on the local nerve. More nerve pressure will result in symptoms going 
further down your leg (lumbar disc) or arm (cervical disc). Centralization is when the symptoms move 
closer to your spine, the opposite of peripheralization. 
It is critical that when you have “sciatica” or symptoms down your leg, you learn what 
position/movements cause your symptoms to peripheralize and which result in centralization. Anything 
that causes your symptoms to go further down your leg opens your cut and worsens your condition. 
Movements and positions that cause your symptoms to move closer to your back are closing down on 
your cut or putting slight over pressure and will assist in healing.
Mechanical Assessment
Your disc can heal, and with some knowledge, you can heal yourself! To heal, you must know what 
direction the cut or herniation opens. Then you can apply overpressure in that direction to help assist 
in healing. A clinician specializing in mechanical assessment will assist in evaluating your spine and 
determining f the disc still has a cut or if it is scarred tissue causing your pain and sciatica. If the cut is 
still open, the mechanical evaluation will also determine the direction you will need for overpressure. 
This is done by assessing your spine’s range of motion. Any loss of motion and pain with movement 
lead to a clear picture of the disc derangement. 
Movements that push the disc’s nucleus back into its central position will also improve your baseline 
range of motion, centralize any radicular symptoms and reduce any pain with movement.
1  Determine the direction that opens the disc herniation
2  Apply overpressure in the opposite direction x 3-10 days
3  Once the scar tissue heals, stretch in the opposite direction to ensure that the scar tissue is flexible.
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VIRTUAL 
PHYSICAL 
THERAPISTS
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