Things that make it more likely that you'll get a condition are called risk factors. There are many risk factors for a slipped disk.

The disks in your backbone (your spine) begin to wear out as you get older. When you're 20, the disks in your back should be supple and healthy. But three-quarters of 70-year-olds have signs of wear and tear in their disks.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Ito K, et al.
Aging and degeneration: cause and effect of invertebral disc damage?
In: Gunzburg R, Szpalski M (editors). Disc herniation. Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia, U.S.A.; 2002.

 

 

 

 

 

¹ Men's disks show wear and tear more quickly than women's.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Videman T, Battie MC.
The influence of occupation on lumbar degeneration.
Spine. 1999; 24: 1164-1168.

 

 

 

 

 

²

If you have to lift or carry heavy things to do your job, your disks may show more wear and tear than other people's. Bending and twisting may put extra pressure on your disks, which can weaken them.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Ito K, et al.
Aging and degeneration: cause and effect of invertebral disc damage?
In: Gunzburg R, Szpalski M (editors). Disc herniation. Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia, U.S.A.; 2002.

 

 

 

 

 

¹

Sitting down for long periods of time has been linked to disk damage. The lower part of your back has to support the weight of your upper body when you're sitting. This can put a lot of extra pressure on your disks.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Deyo RA, Loeser JD, Bigos SJ.
Herniated lumbar intervertebral disk.
Annals of Internal Medicine. 1990; 112: 598-603.

 

 

 

 

 

³

If the muscles in your back are in good condition, they can support your backbone. This makes it less likely that you'll damage a disk. But people who sit in one place to do their jobs are more likely to have weak back muscles. So these people are more likely to have damaged disks.

If you drive for many hours at a time, you get a lot of vibration from the engine and from uneven road surfaces. This may make it more likely that the disks in your spine will show wear and tear.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Videman T, Battie MC.
The influence of occupation on lumbar degeneration.
Spine. 1999; 24: 1164-1168.

 

 

 

 

 

²

Your spine carries the weight of your upper body. The heavier you are, the more pressure there is on the bones and disks in your spine. Men who are very overweight are up to three times more likely to get a slipped disk.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Deyo RA, Loeser JD, Bigos SJ.
Herniated lumbar intervertebral disk.
Annals of Internal Medicine. 1990; 112: 598-603.

 

 

 

 

 

³

One way to get a good idea of whether you're heavy for your height is to figure out your body mass index (BMI). The BMI takes height into consideration, not just weight. If your BMI is more than 25, it means you are overweight.

People who smoke seem to have a higher chance of getting a slipped disk. We're not sure why.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Kelsey JL, Githens P, O'Connor T, et al.
Acute prolapsed lumbar intervertebral disc: an epidemiologic study with special reference to driving automobiles and cigarette smoking.
Spine. 1984; 9: 608-613.

 

 

 

 

 

⁴ The poisonous chemicals in cigarette smoke may damage the disks in your spine. And people who smoke heavily tend to cough a lot, which can put a strain on their backbone.

Research shows that our

 

 

 

 

 

genes
Your genes are the parts of your cells that contain instructions for how your body works. Genes are housed on chromosomes, structures that sit in the nucleus at the middle of each of your cells. You have 23 pairs of chromosomes in your normal cells, each of which has thousands of genes. You get one set of chromosomes, and all of the genes that are on them, from each of your parents.

 

 

 

 

 

genes may play a part in whether we have disk problems. Some people appear to inherit a tendency from their parents for the disks to wear out.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Paassilta P, Lohiniva J, Goring HH, et al.
Identification of a novel common genetic risk factor for lumbar disk disease.
Journal of the American Medical Association. 2001; 285: 1843-1849.

 

 

 

 

 

⁵

Men are twice as likely as women to get a slipped disk.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Postacchini F, Cinotti G.
Etiopathogenesis.
In: Postacchini F (editor). Lumbar disc herniation. Springer-Verlag/Wien, New York; 1999.

 

 

 

 

 

⁶

Taking part in sports where you push or lift weights, such as football and weight lifting, can make it more likely that your disks will get damaged.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Kelsey JL, Githens P, O'Connor T, et al.
Acute prolapsed lumbar intervertebral disc: an epidemiologic study with special reference to driving automobiles and cigarette smoking.
Spine. 1984; 9: 608-613.

 

 

 

 

 

⁴

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