Slipped Disc Treatment — Back Pain, Sciatica & Spine Care | Charak Hospital

Lumbar Disc Herniation (Lower Back)

Most common. Typically at L4-L5 or L5-S1. Causes lower back pain and sciatica — shooting pain down the buttock, thigh, calf, and foot.

Cervical Disc Herniation (Neck)

At C5-C6 or C6-C7. Causes neck pain, shoulder pain, and arm/hand numbness. May cause weakness of grip. Rare but serious: cord compression causing walking difficulty.

• Clinical examination — neurological assessment, straight leg raise test
• MRI spine (gold standard — shows disc, nerve, cord clearly)
• X-ray spine — for alignment and disc space assessment
• Nerve conduction studies (NCS / EMG) when nerve damage suspected

Conservative (Non-Surgical)

• Physiotherapy: core strengthening, stretching, traction, TENS
• Medications: NSAIDs, muscle relaxants, neuropathic pain drugs
• Epidural nerve block injections: targeted steroid injections for rapid pain relief

Surgical (When Conservative Fails)

• Microdiscectomy / Endoscopic discectomy — keyhole surgery, removes herniated fragment
• TLIF / PLIF spinal fusion — for instability or recurrent disc herniation
• Cervical disc replacement / ACDF — for cervical disc herniation with cord compression