In 9 out of 10 cases, the pain from a slipped disk gets better on its own.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Deyo RA, Weinstein JN.
Low back pain.
New England Journal of Medicine. 2001; 344: 363-370.

 

 

 

 

 

¹ But getting better can take awhile. It can be hard to wait if you're in a lot of pain and can't move normally.

Most people find that the pain gets a lot better after a few weeks. Two-thirds of people find that their slipped disk gets better within six months, without surgery.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Deyo RA, Weinstein JN.
Low back pain.
New England Journal of Medicine. 2001; 344: 363-370.

 

 

 

 

 

¹

But if you're in a lot of pain, you may be worried about how you're going to manage to get to work, do your job, or take care of your house and family. You may want to feel better more quickly. Or you may be worried that you could get

 

 

 

 

 

dependent
Dependent is another way of saying addicted. If you're dependent on a drug, it means you get unpleasant withdrawal symptoms if you don't take it.

 

 

 

 

 

dependent on the painkillers you need in order to function.

Being in constant pain can make you feel depressed or irritable. This can affect your relationships. You may feel tired and lose your appetite, and you may lose weight.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Jenner JR, Barry M.
ABC of rheumatology: low back pain.
BMJ. 1995; 310: 929-932.

 

 

 

 

 

²

Surgery may help with the pain, but a slipped disk usually gets better on its own.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Deyo RA, Weinstein JN.
Low back pain.
New England Journal of Medicine. 2001; 344: 363-370.

 

 

 

 

 

¹

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
McCulloch JA.
Focus issue on lumbar disc herniation: macro- and microdiscectomy.
Spine. 1996; 21 (supplement): 45S-56S.

 

 

 

 

 

³ Bear in mind that even though a slipped disk can hurt a lot, it's not usually harmful or dangerous.

If your back is hurting because of a slipped disk, you need to be careful not to make it worse. Avoid lifting heavy things, and try not to strain or bend over. Try to keep your balance and move around with reasonable care.

Surgery can help some people recover from the pain of a slipped disk.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Deyo RA, Weinstein JN.
Low back pain.
New England Journal of Medicine. 2001; 344: 363-370.

 

 

 

 

 

¹ But it is not right for everyone. There are risks and there can be problems later.

It's hard to say exactly how much surgery is likely to help you. The results vary a lot between studies. That's because some studies looked at people with more severe back problems, and the researchers didn't always measure success in the same way. The different types of surgery may not all work as well as each other.

Here's what the research says about surgery for a slipped disk.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Ostelo RWJG, Costa LOP, Maher CG, et al.
Rehabilitation after lumbar disc surgery.
In: The Cochrane Library. Wiley, Chichester, UK.

 

 

 

 

 

⁴

It's possible for a slipped disc to come back after surgery. Again, the numbers are different in different studies.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Ostelo RWJG, Costa LOP, Maher CG, et al.
Rehabilitation after lumbar disc surgery.
In: The Cochrane Library. Wiley, Chichester, UK.

 

 

 

 

 

⁴

You might have other treatments after surgery. For example, you might be offered physical therapy, an exercise program or help to get you back to work.

If surgery helps you, your pain will get better more quickly. However, in the long term, it's not clear whether people who have surgery do better than people who have other treatments.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Gibson JNA, Waddell G.
Surgical interventions for lumbar disc prolapse.
In: The Cochrane Library. Wiley, Chichester, UK.

 

 

 

 

 

⁵

To read more about surgery, see Surgery for slipped disc.

Even after your back pain and sciatica have completely cleared up, you may get these problems again. Sometimes it's because the damaged nerve root gets inflamed or irritated again, or the same disk gets damaged, or there are problems with another disk. This can happen whether you've had surgery or not.

Some people seem to cope better with pain than others. This may be because they have support from friends or family. Or it may depend on how they feel about their physical problems.

If you're in pain for a long time, there are special clinics that can help you. If you learn ways to deal with pain more successfully, you have a chance to lead a more active life. Ask your doctor if there is a pain clinic in your area.

It's best to talk to your doctor if your back pain is making you feel down. He or she may be able to reassure you. You can also get advice from your doctor about how to take care of your back. Many doctors now advise that if you have back pain, the best thing you can do is to stay active.

Slipped disks are not generally dangerous. But the same symptoms can occasionally be the sign of a more serious problem.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Wheeler AH.
Diagnosis and management of low back pain and sciatica.
American Family Physician. 1995; 52: 1333-1341, 1347-1348.

 

 

 

 

 

⁶ To learn more, see What are the symptoms of a slipped disk?

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