In the absence of trauma, an injury, bad posture or a sedentary lifestyle are undoubtedly significant contributors to the development of spinal pain. In our technologically advanced environment, people spend up to 10 hours a day sitting and staring at screens as desk jobs proliferate. Our bodies are made to move throughout the day.

Everyday, our bodies react to, and adjust to the stresses we are exposed to. For the most part this happens without our awareness. However, when something does not function as it should, we are conscious of pain or discomfort.

There is a disc between each vertebra in the spine. These fluid-filled discs serve as shock absorbers. The fluid in the disc may escape and irritate the nerves if the spine is subjected to an excessive amount of stress (either from a single large load or from several light loads). This may result in numbness, pins and needles, arm pain, muscle tension and spasms, as well as neck and upper back pain.

 It’s crucial to understand that a disc injury goes by various names (slipped disc, prolapsed disc, etc.), but they all refer to the same problem. There will be pain if the disc fluid is pushing on a nerve; the severity of the injury depends on how much pressure is applied to the nerve.