In only about 2 out of every people with a 'slipped' prolapsed disc is the pain still bad enough after 12 weeks that they end up having to have surgery see below. Your doctor will normally be able to diagnose a 'slipped' prolapsed disc from the symptoms and by examining you. It is the most common cause of sudden back pain with nerve root symptoms. In most cases, no tests are needed, as the symptoms often settle within a few weeks.
Tests such as X-rays or scans may be advised if symptoms persist. In particular, an MRI scan can show the site and size of a prolapsed disc. This information is needed if treatment with surgery is being considered. It should be noted that, as explained above, it is known that people can have a disc prolapse without any symptoms.
It is therefore very important to make sure that any prolapse seen on a scan matches up with your symptoms. Low back pain is very common and so can happen to someone who has a disc prolapse on their MRI scan but the disc prolapse is not the cause of the pain.
See the separate leaflet called Lower Back Pain. If you have a 'slipped' prolapsed disc, you should carry on as normal as far as possible. This may not be possible at first if the pain is very bad. However, move around as soon as possible and get back into normal activities as soon as you are able. As a rule, don't do anything that causes a lot of pain. However, you will have to accept some discomfort when you are trying to keep active, but this is not harmful. Setting a new goal each day may be a good idea - for example, walking around the house on one day, a walk to the shops the next, etc.
In the past, advice had been to rest until the pain eases. It is now known that this was wrong. You are likely to recover more quickly and are less likely to develop persistent chronic back pain if you keep active when you have back pain rather than rest a lot. Also, sleep in the most naturally comfortable position on whatever is the most comfortable surface.
Advice given in the past used to be to sleep on a firm mattress. However, there is no evidence to say that a firm mattress is better than any other type of mattress for people with back pain.
General exercise is very important if you have a prolapsed disc. It can help lessen the pain by strengthening the muscles that support your spine. Although it is not known if specific spinal exercises are better than generally keeping fit, a physiotherapist can advise you on what exercise you could do in your situation.
Exercise not only reduces the pain of a prolapsed disc but may also reduce the chance of it happening again. It is debatable whether such physical treatments help all people with a prolapsed disc but they may provide some short-term comfort. They should be accompanied by regular exercise.
If you need painkillers , it is best to take them regularly. This is better than taking them now and again just when the pain is very bad. If you take them regularly the pain is more likely to be eased for much of the time, enabling you to exercise and keep active. An epidural is an injection given into the back. It is usually given into the area in the back around where the sciatic nerve comes out of the spine.
It is performed by a specialist. The injection contains a type of local anaesthetic and a steroid, which is a very strong anti-inflammatory. It is essentially a long-term painkiller that can give you enough pain relief that you can start or continue to exercise.
Surgery may be an option in some cases. As a rule, surgery may be considered if the symptoms are very severe and have not settled after at least six weeks or so. A slipped disc is when a soft cushion of tissue between the bones in your spine pushes out. It's painful if it presses on nerves. It usually gets better slowly with rest, gentle exercise and painkillers.
Not all slipped discs cause symptoms. Many people will never know they have slipped a disc. Sometimes the pain may be a result of an injury such as a sprain or strain , but often there's no obvious reason. Back pain is rarely caused by anything serious.
If the pain is very bad, you may need to rest at first. But start gentle exercise as soon as you can — it'll help you get better faster. Many people experience disc herniation with no pain or symptoms. However, a slipped disc can also cause significant pain, weakness and difficulty walking or standing. Sometimes, slipped disc symptoms can be similar to other back and spine conditions. Many people believe that back or neck pain is the primary symptom of a herniated disc.
Sciatica is one of the most common symptoms of a slipped disc in the back. When the inner material from a damaged disc leaks out into the spinal canal, it may irritate or compress nearby nerves. When the disc fluid compresses the sciatic nerve, it causes one-sided pain, weakness, numbness and tingling that travels from the low back to the buttock, thigh and calf.
Sciatica may feel like a constant deep ache or a sharp and burning pain that comes on suddenly. A slipped disc in the neck can also pinch or irritate nearby spinal nerves. Nerve compression in the cervical spine causes one-sided pain, weakness, numbness and tingling that starts in the neck and travels down the shoulder, arm and hand.
The pain from a bulging disc often worsens or comes on suddenly when you make certain movements. Pain that comes on suddenly with movement usually feels sharp, stabbing or electric. Trigger movements or body positions can include:. Slipped disc pain starts or worsens with activity because movements such as the ones listed above place more stress and pressure on the spine and spinal nerves. If you have a slipped disc, you may experience pain relief with rest. Lying flat on your back with bent, supported knees or sitting in a reclining chair relieves downward pressure on the spine.
Located between each of the vertebra in the spinal column, discs act as shock absorbers for the spinal bones. A herniated disc also called bulged, slipped or ruptured is a fragment of the disc nucleus that is pushed out of the annulus, into the spinal canal through a tear or rupture in the annulus.
Discs that become herniated usually are in an early stage of degeneration. The spinal canal has limited space, which is inadequate for the spinal nerve and the displaced herniated disc fragment.
Due to this displacement, the disc presses on spinal nerves, often producing pain, which may be severe. Herniated discs can occur in any part of the spine. Herniated discs are more common in the lower back lumbar spine , but also occur in the neck cervical spine. The area in which pain is experienced depends on what part of the spine is affected. A single excessive strain or injury may cause a herniated disc.
However, disc material degenerates naturally as one ages, and the ligaments that hold it in place begin to weaken. As this degeneration progresses, a relatively minor strain or twisting movement can cause a disc to rupture. Certain individuals may be more vulnerable to disc problems and, as a result, may suffer herniated discs in several places along the spine.
Research has shown that a predisposition for herniated discs may exist in families with several members affected. Symptoms vary greatly, depending on the position of the herniated disc and the size of the herniation. If the herniated disc is not pressing on a nerve, the patient may experience a low backache or no pain at all. If it is pressing on a nerve, there may be pain, numbness or weakness in the area of the body to which the nerve travels. Typically, a herniated disc is preceded by an episode of low back pain or a long history of intermittent episodes of low back pain.
Pressure on one or several nerves that contribute to the sciatic nerve can cause pain, burning, tingling and numbness that radiates from the buttock into the leg and sometimes into the foot. Usually, one side left or right is affected. This pain often is described as sharp and electric shock-like.
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