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A slipped disc, otherwise called a herniated disc, is a widespread cause of back pain. many things can cause a disc to slip out of place, but it is first helpful to be able to envisage what a healthy back bone or spine looks like. The spine is a succession of discs sitting each on top of the one below with all the foremost nerves running through and along side of it.

That is, they do not sit directly on top of each other, there is a gap between them, which allows us to bend and twist. When we stand up straight, the discs are meant to return to their original position, which is perfectly flat, quarter to and quarter past the hour on the clock face.

A slipped disc is usually when the lowest disc does not return to its standard position but sticks at, say, twenty to and ten past the hour. The lower edge of the disc, the side pointing to twenty to the hour might come to sit on a major nerve – like the sciatic nerve which runs from the waist down to the foot on either side of the body.

This condition is called a slipped disc with a trapped nerve. The pain it causes originates in the low back but radiates into the buttock and down the leg following the sciatic nerve. Lots of people call this sciatica. It is not the sciatic nerve’s fault that it is giving pain – it is completely healthy – but it is being squashed by the herniated disc which is causing it to become inflamed.

Treatment for this condition concentrates on alleviating the pain and allowing the disc to float back to the horizontal, thereby freeing the nerve and ceasing the leg pain. Often the leg pain is far worse than the back pain.

In my case, the back pain is always there as a grinding ache, but I am able to live with that. The real pain comes around three to five minutes after standing up. A pain begins in my calf like severe cramp and that rises into my buttock making my leg too painful to place on the ground. The only relief is to sit down again or to take my weight on my arms by leaning on a table.

I have found some stretch exercises to help, but because I cannot stand for long, lots of of them are ruled out. Despite not exercising much, I have lost about 14 pounds and this has helped my back somewhat.

If my back becomes bad, I lie on the floor and place my feet up, so that my posture resembles a sitting position, but without the weight of my upper body on my slipped disc. This is very helpful. I have also discovered that adopting the foetal position assists a lot.

I also have massage therapy every 7-10 days. It hurts a great deal at the time, but by the time the masseuse is walking down the drive, I already feel better and my condition continues to improve until she returns. Six weeks ago, I could not walk, now I am able to walk around 500 metres without help.

Owen Jones, the author of this article, writes on a range of subjects, but is now involved with muscle relaxants for back pain. If you would like to know more, please go to our website at Sore Back Remedies

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