Exercises to Avoid With a Herniated Disc (2025)

Exercises to Avoid With
a Herniated Disc

Why Muscle Balance and Posture Matter

1. High-Impact Activities

• Examples: Running, jumping, or plyometric exercises.
• Why to Avoid: These movements create jarring forces that compress the spine, aggravating the herniated disc.

2. Heavy Weightlifting

• Examples: Deadlifts, squats with heavy weights, or overhead presses.
• Why to Avoid: These exercises can place excessive strain on your spine, especially if your core muscles aren’t strong enough to stabilize properly.

3. Twisting Movements

• Examples: Russian twists, golf swings, or certain yoga poses like spinal twists.
• Why to Avoid: Twisting can worsen the herniation by putting uneven pressure on the discs.

4. Forward Flexion Exercises

• Examples: Sit-ups, toe touches, or any movement where you round your back forward.
• Why to Avoid: Bending forward increases pressure on the front of the disc, pushing it further out of place.

5. Prolonged Static Positions

• Examples: Holding a plank for too long or standing still without engaging your core.
• Why to Avoid: Staying in one position without proper muscle engagement can cause stiffness and exacerbate pain.

1. Core Stabilization Exercises

Try: Bird dogs, pelvic tilts, or modified planks.

Why They Help: These exercises strengthen the deep core muscles that support your spine without putting undue pressure on your discs.

• Try: Bird dogs, pelvic tilts, or modified planks.
• Why They Help: These exercises strengthen the deep core muscles that support your spine without putting undue pressure on your discs.

2. Gentle Stretching

Try: Cat-cow stretches, child’s pose, or hamstring stretches.

Why They Help: Stretching helps relieve tension in tight muscles and improves flexibility around your spine.

• Try: Cat-cow stretches, child’s pose, or hamstring stretches.
• Why They Help: Stretching helps relieve tension in tight muscles and improves flexibility around your spine.

3. Low-Impact Cardio

Try: Walking, swimming, or using an elliptical machine

Why They Help: Low-impact activities promote circulation and healing without jarring your spine.

• Try: Walking, swimming, or using an elliptical machine
• Why They Help: Low-impact activities promote circulation and healing without jarring your spine.

4. Posture Training

Try: Practicing seated and standing alignment, using a posture trainer, or working with a physical therapist. Use a chair with pelvis support to encourage spinal alignment.

Why It Helps: Learning to hold your body in proper alignment reduces stress on the herniated disc and helps distribute pressure evenly.

• Try: Practicing seated and standing alignment, using a posture trainer, or working with a physical therapist. Use a chair with pelvis support to encourage spinal alignment.
• Why It Helps: Learning to hold your body in proper alignment reduces stress on the herniated disc and helps distribute pressure evenly.

When sitting: Use a chair that supports the foundation of posture, the pelvis. Supporting the pelvis in a neutral position brings the spine into alignment and decreases disc pressure.

For those who sit all day, this is key to achieve and maintain muscle balance and relieve symptoms of a herniated disc when sitting.

When standing: Distribute your weight evenly on both feet and keep your shoulders relaxed and rolled back.

Imagine there’s a string that goes from your feet up through your head and it’s being pulled straight up.

This encourages a neutral pelvis and lengthened spine.

When bending: During daily activities that require reaching or bending, hinge at the hips with a flat back.

Engage your glutes and hamstrings during the bend/reach to protect your low back.

When lifting: Bend at the knees, not the waist. Keep your back straight, hinge at the hips and hold objects close to your body.

Why Muscle Balance and Posture Matter

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