"Slipped disc usually occurs in young people. The jelly like material pops out from the disc in the back compressing the nerve causing back pain and pain radiating down the leg (sciatica). Fortunately, 80% of people with slipped disc recover within 2-3 months."
5 things you can do when you suffer from slipped disc:
1. Avoid strenuous activities including bending down and carrying heavy things. You can resume some physical activities once you have recovered
2. Take pain killers that you have at home. If not enough, you can go to your family doctor for stronger pain killer. There is no point to suffer in pain while waiting for your slipped disc to get better
3. Do core muscle strengthening exercises. If you don’t know how to do it, you can go to a physiotherapist for advice
4. If you have difficulty controlling the bowel and bladder function or your leg becomes severely weak and you can’t walk properly, you need to go to emergency department or see spine surgeon urgently. This is urgent and serious …. Don’t wait. This may be cauda equina syndrome which is a subset of slipped disc that needs surgery. No other treatment
5. If your leg pain does not get better after 2-3 months, you need to see a spine surgeon for thorough assessment and treatment. You need to have an MRI scan to confirm slipped disc