A slipped disc means the disc slipped out of place
'My disc has slipped out,' the patient told me firmly. He'd been told this years ago and had been waiting for someone to push it back in ever since. No one had ever explained to him that discs don't actually slip anywhere.
What Patients SayThey told me my disc has slipped. I imagine it sort of sliding out to the side — like a coin slipping out of a stack. Doesn't that mean it needs to be pushed back in?
Where Did This Come From?
The term "slipped disc" is one of the most common and most misleading phrases in spine care. It implies something neat and moveable — a disc that has wandered out of its proper location and could theoretically be put back. Chiropractors have historically capitalised on this image. "Manipulation can put it back." It can't, because that's not what's happening.
Discs don't slip. They're not designed to. Each disc is a complex fibrocartilaginous structure firmly integrated into the vertebrae above and below it. What actually happens — a herniation — is very different from what the word "slip" implies, and understanding the difference actually matters for understanding your treatment options.
What the Science Actually Says
A disc is made of two parts: the tough outer ring (annulus fibrosus) and the gel-like inner core (nucleus pulposus). When people say "slipped disc" they usually mean one of several things that can happen to this structure:
Disc bulge: The outer ring weakens and bulges outward, like pressing on the side of a balloon. The inner material stays contained. Very common, often asymptomatic.
Disc herniation/protrusion: The inner material pushes through a weakened spot in the outer ring. If this protrusion contacts a nerve, you get radicular pain — the shooting pain down your arm or leg that people know as sciatica or brachialgia.
Disc extrusion or sequestration: More significant herniations where material escapes more completely — these are the ones more likely to cause significant neurological symptoms. None of these is a disc that "slipped." None of them can be "pushed back." However — and this is the important, hopeful part — the body is often remarkably good at resolving herniations on its own. The herniated material can reabsorb over months, the inflammation settles, and many patients improve significantly without surgical intervention.
The Verdict
"Slipped disc" is a misnomer. Discs don't slip. What actually happens is a herniation — a structural change that cannot be mechanically repositioned, but which the body can often resolve naturally over time.
What To Do Instead
- Don't wait for someone to "put the disc back" — no intervention does this, and it's not necessary for recovery
- Manage the inflammation and nerve irritation with appropriate medications (anti-inflammatories, nerve pain medication if relevant) during the acute phase
- Keep moving as tolerated — prolonged immobility doesn't help disc herniations heal
- Discuss a time-defined trial of conservative treatment with your doctor — most disc herniations improve within 6–12 weeks
Yellow Flags — Worth Monitoring
- Leg pain that's not improving after 6–8 weeks of conservative management — time to reassess
- Significant leg weakness associated with the herniation — needs closer monitoring as motor deficit may warrant earlier intervention
Red Flags — Get Checked Immediately
- Disc herniation with bowel or bladder dysfunction — cauda equina syndrome, surgical emergency
- Rapidly progressive neurological deficit (leg going weaker over hours to days) — urgent surgical review needed
- Komori H et al., "The natural history of herniated nucleus pulposus with radiculopathy," Spine, 1996. Autio RA et al., "Determinants of spontaneous resorption of intervertebral disc herniations," Spine, 2006.