Herniated Disk

A herniated (slipped) disc is when the soft inner core of a spinal disc pushes out through a weakened outer layer, often pressing on a nearby nerve. It is one of the commonest causes of sciatica. Most herniated discs improve substantially with conservative treatment over weeks to months; a minority need surgery.

Symptoms

• Lower back: pain in the back and/or shooting down a leg (sciatica).
• Neck: pain radiating into an arm, with numbness or weakness.
• Pain worse with sitting, bending, sneezing, coughing.
• Numbness, tingling, or weakness along the nerve's path.
• Some herniated discs show up on MRI but cause no symptoms.

Red flags — dial 112

• Numbness around the anus / genitals; bladder or bowel control problems; progressive leg weakness — cauda equina, emergency.
• Severe weakness, especially quickly progressing.
• Severe pain with fever.

Treatment

• Keep moving — gentle walking and stretching; avoid prolonged bed rest.
• NSAIDs for short periods; simple pain relievers.
• Physiotherapy — core strengthening, McKenzie-type exercises, posture.
• Epidural steroid injection — considered for persistent pain.
• Surgery (microdiscectomy, laminectomy) — if significant neurological deficit, cauda equina, or pain unresponsive to 6-12 weeks of proper conservative treatment.
• Most herniated discs shrink and improve over months — the imaging often improves as symptoms resolve.

Ergonomic and lifestyle factors

• Don't slouch for long hours on a phone or at a desk.
• Lift with your legs, not by bending at the waist.
• Regular core-strengthening exercise — yoga, Pilates.
• Weight control, no smoking.
• Ergonomic workstation — screen at eye level, chair supporting lumbar curve, feet flat.

Back surgery has a clear role in select cases — but is sometimes overused in India's private sector. If elective surgery is recommended for a disc problem without a progressive neurological deficit, a second opinion is reasonable. Conservative management, time, and targeted physiotherapy resolve a large majority.