12/18/2025
This! 👇
Discs are living tissue and the body innately knows how to heal itself. Give it time
Bigger Herniations = Better Healing?! Sounds backwards... but the science supports it.
Your disc can go through 4 stages:
1. Bulge – disc pushes out but wall intact
2. Protrusion – wall weakens, disc presses more
3. Extrusion – disc breaks through wall but stays attached
4. Sequestration – fragment breaks off completely
Most people (and even some doctors) panic when they see a “large herniation” on MRI:
“Oh no… it’s huge. That must be bad.”
But here’s the truth: Evidence shows extruded and sequestered discs (often the bigger ones) actually heal at higher rates.
Research found spontaneous regression happens in:
- Bulges ≈ 13%
- Protrusions ≈ 52%
- Extrusions ≈ 70%
- Sequestrations ≈ 93%
Why? Once the disc material escapes, your body’s immune system recognizes it as foreign, sends in macrophages, and literally absorbs it away.
Bottom line: Your discs are living tissue. They can heal, adapt, and remodel. Don’t let a scary MRI dictate your future.
Source: Zhong M, Liu JT, Jiang H, Mo W, Yu PF, Liu B. (2017). Incidence of Spontaneous Resorption of Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Meta-analysis. Pain Physician, 20(1), E45-E52.
Follow Physical Therapy Session for more 💛
