Everyday Activities to Avoid with Herniated Disc

Common daily activities worsen herniated disc symptoms in 2 ways:

• Increase radicular pain – the searing, sharp pain that radiates down the spinal nerve to distant parts of the body
• Increase radiculopathy – the sensation of numbness, tingling, and weakness 

While bending, twisting, and lifting movements trigger both cervical (neck) and lumbar (low back) herniated disc symptoms, most people experience a worsening of leg pain (sciatica) and lumbar radiculopathy symptoms from discs in the L4-L5 or L5-S1 spinal levels.

Here are a few activities to avoid when dealing with herniated disc pain, along with tips on how to handle them without aggravating your symptoms.

1. Avoid sitting too much

Sitting increases the stress on your spinal discs due to the extra pressure from the weight of your upper body.

Stresses on the disc are amplified when slouching forward in a seat or while driving or operating a heavy-duty vehicle, such as a truck or construction equipment.¹Alamin TF, Agarwal V, Zagel A, Qeli A. The effect of standing vs. variants of the seated position on lumbar intersegmental angulation and spacing: a radiographic study of 20 asymptomatic subjects. J Spine Surg. 2018;4(3):509–515. doi:10.21037/jss.2018.08.03^,2Amiri S, Naserkhaki S, Parnianpour M. Effect of whole-body vibration and sitting configurations on lumbar spinal loads of vehicle occupants. Computers in Biology and Medicine. 2019;107:292-301. doi: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2019.02.019^,3Billy GG, Lemieux SK, Chow MX. Lumbar Disc Changes Associated with Prolonged Sitting. PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation. 2014;6(9):790-795. doi: 10.1016/j.pmrj.2014.02.014

Since sitting is often unavoidable, try these tips to reduce the pressure on your lower back.⁴McKinnon CD, Martel DR, Callaghan JP. The impact of a progressive sit-stand rotation exposure duration on low back posture, muscle activation, and pain development. Ergonomics. 2021;64(4):502-511. doi:10.1080/00140139.2020.1849817^,5Lee JW, Lim YH, Won YH, Kim DH. Effect of gel seat cushion on chronic low back pain in occupational drivers: A double-blind randomized controlled trial. Medicine (Baltimore). 2018;97(40):e12598. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000012598

• Sit straight with your shoulders rolled back towards the seat and shoulder blades down.
• Keep your thighs parallel to the floor and your hips aligned with your knees.
• Use a small pillow or rolled-up towel to support your lower back.
• While driving or operating heavy machinery, use an anti-vibration car seat cushion filled with gel instead of foam.
• Take breaks every 30 minutes – or every 1 to 2 hours if you are driving – to stand, stretch, or walk.

If your job requires long hours at a desk or computer, consider using a sit-stand desk, which allows you to stand for short periods intermittently throughout the day. 

See Ten Tips for Improving Posture and Ergonomics

2. Avoid doing laundry

Between bending down to pick up clothes, carrying a heavy basket, and twisting while reaching for various items, doing laundry puts a lot of pressure on your lower back. 

If possible, ask a friend or family member to help carry out this task if you have acute pain symptoms.

If delegating isn’t an option for you, here are some ways to limit the stress on your neck and back when doing laundry:

• Bend at the knees or the hips, not your waist, if you need to reach something on the floor.
• Avoid carrying laundry baskets up or down the stairs. 
• Consider using elevated surfaces, such as a countertop or table, for folding laundry.

Avoid doing several loads or a large load of laundry in one day and split up the task into smaller, lighter loads over a few days.

3. Avoid vacuuming

The repetitive forward-lunging and pulling motions typically used to vacuum the floor tend to irritate a herniated disc, causing acute flareups. 

When vacuuming is unavoidable, break up your cleaning session into shorter periods and take breaks. Do one floor per day or 1-2 rooms per day. 

A robot vacuum eliminates the need to hand-vacuum altogether, but if this fancy gadget isn’t in your budget, modify your movements in the following ways:

• Instead of extending your arm and bending your back, keep your back straight and walk the vacuum across the floor. Think of your legs doing the work instead of your arms.
• Minimize twisting movements and use your whole body to turn instead of your lower back.

Investing in a lightweight vacuum is also an option and has the added long-term benefit of minimizing the stress on your back in the future.

4. Avoid bending down to feed a pet

It may seem like a simple task, but bending down to fill your pet’s bowl with food and water is enough to cause a painful flare-up. 

If you are unable to delegate when it comes to feeding your pet, get creative and use tools or assistive devices, such as scoops with long handles or tongs, to pour food or pick up bowls without needing to bend as much.

Use these additional tips to take stress off the lower back:

• Keep one leg extended like a golfer would while picking up a golf ball.
• Instead of bending at the waist, kneel down on one knee or both knees to reach your pet's bowls.

Purchasing an automatic feeder or a specialty pet bowl equipped with an extended tube is also an option.

5. Avoid shoveling snow and gardening

Outdoor chores often involve heavy lifting, forward-bending, and twisting—motions that easily aggravate your disc-related pain and symptoms. 

Before stepping outdoors for physical activity, apply a heat patch or topical pain reliever, such as diclofenac gel (Voltaren), to the lower back or neck to calm the symptoms of disc herniation and prevent a flare-up. 

• With snow, use a snowblower if you can, or get help from a neighbor. If both those options are not available:
  • Apply ice melt or salt before shoveling to reduce the accumulation of ice and snow.
  • Whenever possible, push the snow instead of lifting it. 
• With gardening, try to avoid repetitive bending and stooping. Instead, bring your tools close and stay in one position while taking breaks to give your back some rest. Additionally:
  • Utilize a garden cart to transport heavy items instead of carrying them.
  • Use a gardening stool or kneeler to make it easier to reach the ground without excessive bending.

See Snow Shoveling Techniques to Prevent Low Back Injuries

6. Avoid strenuous exercise

While exercise is recommended and good for spine health, certain activities and movements place excessive stress and strain on the discs in your lower back and must be avoided. 

Strenuous exercise does not necessarily mean high-impact exercise. With a herniated disc, exercises that produce a jarring effect on the spine must be avoided.

Types of exercises to avoid when you have a herniated disc include:

• Running, jogging, and jumping. These activities cause repetitive loading on your lower back.
• Squats and leg presses. These exercises exert significant force on the lower back.
• Toe-touches, sit-ups, and some yoga poses. These movements involve significant forward bending.
• Golf and tennis. These sports require twisting the lower back and a wide range of motion.

Choose an alternative or modified version of these exercises. 

See Exercises to Avoid with a Lumbar Herniation

7. Avoid heavy lifting

When you lift or carry a heavy object, such as a grocery bag or a child, a substantial amount of pressure is exerted on the lumbar spinal discs.⁶Ma Y, Shan X. Spasm and flexion-relaxation phenomenon response to large lifting load during the performance of a trunk flexion-extension exercise. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2017;18(1):505. Published 2017 Nov 29. doi:10.1186/s12891-017-1869-6

Heavy lifting also increases the stress on your muscles and sometimes causes painful muscle spasms, exacerbating the discomfort linked to both muscles and discs.⁶Ma Y, Shan X. Spasm and flexion-relaxation phenomenon response to large lifting load during the performance of a trunk flexion-extension exercise. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2017;18(1):505. Published 2017 Nov 29. doi:10.1186/s12891-017-1869-6

If you must lift something heavy, use the following techniques⁷Adamson C, Rempel DM. Ergonomics & the Prevention of Occupational Injuries. In: LaDou J, Harrison RJ. eds. CURRENT Diagnosis & Treatment: Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 6e. McGraw Hill; 2021. Accessed November 20, 2023.:

• Keep the object as close to the body as possible.
• Create a broad support base with your legs and bend at your knees, not with your back. 
• Keep your back in a straight line.

Additionally, if you carry a child or a bag on one hip or shoulder, it is helpful to frequently shift them to the other side of your body to distribute the weight.

Watch Exercises to Avoid When You Have Low Back Pain Video

How to stay active with a herniated disc

Maintaining an active lifestyle requires finding a careful balance between continuing to exercise and avoiding activities that make your pain worse. 

Low-impact movements, such as walking, swimming, using a stationary bike, and cycling, are ideal because they minimize the stress on the injured disc. 

Staying active also promotes disc healing and contributes to your overall spine health.⁸Gordon R, Bloxham S. A Systematic Review of the Effects of Exercise and Physical Activity on Non-Specific Chronic Low Back Pain. Healthcare (Basel). 2016;4(2):22. Published 2016 Apr 25. doi:10.3390/healthcare4020022

Pay attention to your body’s pain signals, and call your doctor if your symptoms do not improve or worsen with rest and/or modified activity.

See Treatment for a Lumbar Herniated Disc

Learn more:

Exercises to Avoid with a Lumbar Herniation

Lumbar Herniated Disc Treatment Video