“Can a disc slip? The simple answer is no. It’s a layman’s term that is unfortunately very misleading to the general public.

“My disc has slipped out, can you put it back in” is not an uncommon conversation opener on the telephone…..”

This is the beginning of the most recent e-newsletter from The Pain Relief Clinic, the link to the full article is below. It’s something I regularly chat with clients about, so I thought it was worth including here.

I’ve had a ‘slipped disc’, more correctly known as a prolapsed disc, twice. It was a disc in my neck that caused the problem, and the second time it happened, it was confirmed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The only way I could be comfortable, or rather not in complete agony, was to have my head tipped back and to the right, and my right arm resting up on something. One time, it went while I was washing my hair in the shower, and I had to have someone get me out the shower, dried and dressed. It was not fun.

A friend of mine had a disc prolapse when he slipped getting out of the shower at a hotel, and he had to travel home strongly medicated and flat on his back in the boot of an estate car! A common time for it to happen is when you sneeze, or when you’re on the toilet. There is no ‘good’ way for these things to happen!

It’s important to remember that what seems to be the ’cause’ is rarely actually what’s caused the trouble. In almost all cases, it’s a case of ‘the straw that broke the camel’s back’. It’s the last drop of water that makes the cup overflow. It’s a gradual process. Wear and tear.

That’s why it’s so important to look after ourselves. To have an awareness of our general health, our diet, our posture, our fitness, our core strength, and more. To have an attitude of preventative rather than curative towards our mind and body.

© Sue Palmer, The Horse Physio, 2021

Treating your horse with care, connection, curiosity and compassion