If you live with chronic back pain—pain lasting longer than 3 months—a good night’s rest can feel unattainable. People with lower back pain often don’t get an adequate amount of restorative sleep. Additionally, lying down for extended periods of time may put uncomfortable strain on your back, which can increase your pain.
Sleep Positions for Back Pain
Whether you have a herniated disc, undiagnosed back pain, or similar problem, getting into the right position at night can help you sleep better and experience less pain. See our tips for sleeping with chronic back pain.
What Causes a Herniated Disc?
Chronic lower back pain can be caused by a herniated disc. The job of a disc is to cushion and stabilize the bones of your spine. As you age, your discs become flatter and less cushiony, and ligaments that hold discs in place begin to weaken, which offers less support to your spine as you move. This makes it easier for twisting movements and minor strains to damage a disc in your back. The disc may tear and slip out from between the bones in your spine, irritating your nerves and causing pain in your lower back and legs. A herniated disc can also be caused by an injury or excessive strain in the back.
How University of Maryland Spine Network Experts Can Help
The team at University of Maryland Spine Network takes a collaborative, comprehensive approach to care when it comes to your back pain. Specialists diagnose the cause of your discomfort, then design a treatment plan tailored to meet your needs.
Your treatment plan may include more conservative options before surgery. For example, if your pain is mild to moderate, spinal injections of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications may be the right treatment to manage your pain. You may also benefit from a physical therapy plan that includes ice and heat therapy, massage, muscle relaxants, stretching exercises and ultrasound therapy.
If you do not respond to these conservative options to manage herniated disc pain or other type of back pain, you may consult with a spine surgeon about surgical options to remove a herniated disc.
Hear From Our Experts
Listen to Dr. Julie Bage, PT, a physical therapist at UM St. Joseph Medical Center‘s partner Towson Sports Medicine, and Dr. Kendall Buraimoh, MD, an Assistant Professor of Neurology and Orthopaedics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and a Spine Physiatrist with the University of Maryland Orthopaedic Associates, discuss nonoperative approaches to back pain relief on the Live Greater Podcast.
