Is cycling good for lumbar disc herniation?

Riding a bicycle is also beneficial for patients with lumbar disc herniation. It can also achieve certain results in relieving lumbar pressure and is a better method of rehabilitation. When riding a bicycle, you should also pay attention to some matters, such as lowering the seat as much as possible and raising the handlebars as much as possible. This is more beneficial for patients with lumbar disc herniation and lumbar spinal stenosis, and can increase lumbar flexibility.

Can you ride a bicycle if you have lumbar disc herniation? The answer is yes.

1. Riding a bicycle.

Cycling is beneficial to the recovery of patients with lumbar disc herniation. But please note that when riding a bike, the seat should be lowered as much as possible and the handlebars should be higher. Cycling is most beneficial for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis. It can increase the width of the lumbar spinal canal and the flexibility of the lumbar spine. It is advisable to persist in doing it for about 30 minutes a day.

2. Mountaineering .

Mountain climbing can greatly increase the strength of the thigh muscles and psoas muscles, but be careful to be moderate. Excessive fatigue will increase the burden on the lumbar spine. When climbing, you should try to avoid mountain roads with steep slopes and should not climb with heavy objects on your back. When climbing, intentionally engage your abdominal muscles and keep your knees slightly bent.

3. Walk briskly or jog. Patients with lumbar disc herniation should not only receive active treatment but also perform rehabilitation exercises. Appropriate aerobic exercise can effectively reduce the burden on the lumbar spine, enhance lumbar flexibility and muscle strength, and effectively treat lumbar disc herniation. For example, brisk walking and jogging. When doing these two exercises, you should wear elastic sports shoes, keep your head up and chest out, and exercise for about 30 minutes every day or every other day.

Things to note when recovering from lumbar disc herniation:

Patients with lumbar disc herniation have reduced their activity to a certain extent due to illness, so their food intake should also be reduced appropriately. Gastrointestinal motility is slow and digestive function is reduced, so they should arrange their diet reasonably, pay attention to eating small meals frequently, and eat more vegetables, fruits and beans.

Eating more foods high in calcium, such as milk, dairy products, dried shrimps, kelp, sesame paste, soy products, etc., is beneficial to calcium supplementation.

However, patients who have already developed bone spurs (osteophytes) in their lumbar spine should not consume too much calcium. Try to eat less meat and foods high in fat, as they can easily cause dry stools and straining during defecation, which can aggravate the condition.

2. Living arrangements

The correct standing posture should be with eyes looking straight ahead, chest out, back straight, legs upright, and feet about the same distance apart as the width of the pelvis. This way, the body's gravity is evenly transmitted from the spine and pelvis to the lower limbs, and then from the lower limbs to the feet, making you truly "down to earth", which can effectively prevent the nucleus pulposus from herniating again.