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Le Yantra, Spine & Sports Injury Clinic

Back & Spine

Slipped Disc

slipped disc (disc bulge, protrusion or herniation)

What the term actually means, and what it means for you.

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No referral needed · One-to-one throughout · Treated at both clinics

A woman seen from behind with one hand on her neck and one on her lower back, an illustrated spine overlaid on her back with both areas highlighted in red.

Draft, awaiting clinical review

The copy on this page is written and is waiting on clinical sign-off. It carries noindex and stays out of the sitemap until a clinician reviews it and a review date is recorded, which is what makes the medical statements on it attributable.

"Slipped disc" is the everyday term for what clinicians call a disc bulge, protrusion or herniation. Discs do not actually slip, they sit firmly between the vertebrae. What happens is that the softer inner material pushes against or through the tougher outer layer.

The term persists because it describes how it feels: something has moved and is now pressing on something else. That part is roughly right, even if the mechanism is not.

What it feels like

Back or neck pain, often with symptoms travelling into an arm or leg if a nerve is irritated. Pins and needles, numbness or weakness in the limb are common.

Many disc bulges cause no symptoms at all, which is one of the more important things to understand about them.

What your scan means

Disc bulges show up on scans of large numbers of people with no pain whatsoever, and the proportion rises with age. Finding one on your scan does not automatically mean it is causing your symptoms.

This matters practically. Treating the report rather than the person is a common mistake, and it leads to unnecessary worry and sometimes unnecessary surgery. We examine you and correlate what we find with the imaging rather than working from the report alone.

Why it happens

Usually gradual rather than from a single event, though a lifting incident is often what makes it symptomatic. Discs change with age in everyone. Loading patterns, sustained postures and a sudden increase in demand all contribute.

When to seek medical care

Seek medical care immediately if you have:

  • Loss of bladder or bowel control
  • Numbness around the groin or inner thighs
  • Progressive weakness in a limb

How we treat it

Settling the nerve irritation first, then restoring movement, then building the strength and control that reduces load on the affected segment.

What to expect

Assessment will include testing the nerve as well as your movement. You will be told plainly where our findings agree or disagree with what you have already been told about your scan.

How long it takes

Most disc-related symptoms improve over weeks to months. Disc material commonly reduces over time on its own. You will get an estimate after assessment.

Treatments we commonly use

Which of these applies to you is decided at your assessment, not before it.

Frequently asked questions

Can a slipped disc go back into place?

Not in the way the phrase suggests, and nobody can push it back. What does happen is that herniated material often shrinks over time, and symptoms frequently settle before any structural change.

Do I need surgery?

Most people do not. That decision belongs to a spinal surgeon and we will refer you when we think it is warranted.

Is it permanent?

The structural change may persist. The symptoms usually do not, which is the part that matters to you.

Related conditions

  • Sciatica

    Pain along the sciatic nerve, through the buttock and down the leg. A symptom with a cause, usually in the lower back.

  • Lower Back Pain

    Pain between the ribs and the legs. Common, rarely dangerous, and generally responsive to movement and strengthening.

  • Neck Pain

    Several different problems produce similar-feeling neck pain. Working out which one you have is what determines the treatment.

Find us

Treated at both clinics

Every service runs at both our clinics, Malleshwaram and MEI Layout, monday – saturday 9 am – 9 pm · sunday & public holidays 10 am – 5 pm.

Your wellness starts here

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Every treatment plan at Le Yantra starts with a full assessment, not a standard protocol.

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Monday – Saturday 9 AM – 9 PM · Sunday & public holidays 10 AM – 5 PM

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