Can a Chiropractor Fix a Slipped Disc (or Slipped Disk)?
You bent to pick something up, felt a sharp twinge, and now your back (or your leg) is telling you something is wrong. Someone has said “slipped disc”, and you’re wondering whether a chiropractor can “put it back.” Here’s the short answer from our Leederville practice: a disc doesn’t actually slip, so there’s nothing to push back in. But chiropractic care may help many people reduce the pain and get moving again while the disc settles, and leaving it alone can come with real downsides. Here’s what the research says on both.
In a study of 148 adults with MRI-confirmed disc herniations who received chiropractic spinal adjustments, about 88% reported feeling improved at one year [1]. Larger controlled trials will help confirm those results, and as you’ll see below, some already point the same way.
What Is a “Slipped Disc”, Really?
“Slipped disc” is a popular label, not a medical one. A small area of the disc’s tough outer shell weakens, and some of the softer inner material pushes out. You’ll also hear it called a herniated, bulging or prolapsed disc. They’re all points on the same spectrum, and if you’d like the detail, see our guide to slipped, bulging and herniated discs.
Typical signs include back pain that’s worse with bending, sitting, coughing or sneezing, and pain, numbness or pins and needles travelling into a leg or arm if a nearby nerve is irritated. When the pain runs from the buttock down the back of the leg, that’s sciatica, which our sciatica guide covers in more detail.
Worth Noting: Disc changes on a scan are common even in people with no pain. The Low Back Pain Clinical Care Standard reports disc degeneration on imaging in 37% of 20-year-olds and 96% of 80-year-olds without back pain [2]. A scan finding doesn’t automatically explain your symptoms, which is why how you move and what you feel matter as much as the picture.
Will a Slipped Disc Heal on Its Own? And What If It Doesn’t?
Often, yes. A 2022 review reported that across 38 clinical studies, symptomatic disc herniations resorbed in an average of about 62 to 66% of cases [3], and a 2024 medical review notes that symptoms settle in roughly 60 to 80% of people within 6 to 12 weeks [4]. That’s encouraging, but “often” isn’t “always”, and waiting it out has a cost:
Pain can hang around. About 30% of people who don’t have surgery still report intermittent pain one year after onset [4].
The longer it drags on, the harder it can be to recover. Longer symptom duration before treatment is linked with poorer outcomes, for both non-surgical and surgical care [4].
Nerves don’t like being irritated for long. Muscle weakness is present in an estimated 30 to 50% of people when they first present, and recovery is less likely to be complete when the weakness is greater or has been there longer [4].
Fear and inactivity make things worse. The Clinical Care Standard says prolonged bed rest should be avoided and that staying active supports recovery [2]. Many people stop moving, lose strength and confidence, and find a flare-up easier to trigger the next time.
Day-to-day life suffers. Disturbed sleep, a sore leg when you walk or sit, and time off work or sport are common, and they’re often what brings people in.
None of this means the disc is damaged forever. It means an early, proper assessment and a plan to keep you moving is usually a better bet than hoping it goes away.
What Does the Research Say About Chiropractic Care?
The studies we have are small and imperfect, as most are in this area, but they point in a consistent direction:
A double-blind randomised trial (Santilli, 2006) of 102 people with acute back pain, leg pain and an MRI-confirmed disc protrusion compared real spinal adjustments with a sham (no thrust) treatment. More people in the adjustment group became free of radiating leg pain (55% versus 20%), and they had fewer days with any pain. The scans showed the disc protrusion hadn’t changed, so the benefit was in pain, not in the disc “moving back” [5].
A randomised trial (Bronfort, 2014) of 192 adults with back-related leg pain found that spinal adjustments plus home exercise and advice reduced leg pain more than exercise and advice alone at 12 weeks. About 37% versus 19% had a 75% or greater reduction in leg pain. The difference was no longer significant at 52 weeks, and no serious treatment-related adverse events were reported [6].
A comparison study (Peterson, 2013) of 102 people with MRI-confirmed disc herniation found that spinal adjustments and nerve root injections both gave meaningful pain relief at one month, with 76.5% of the adjustment group reporting improvement compared with 62.7% of the injection group. The difference between the two wasn’t statistically significant, and adjustments cost less [7].
The cohort study above (Leemann, 2014) followed 148 patients, including people with chronic disc herniation. About 90% reported improvement at three months, and 88% at one year. No serious adverse events were reported, and about 2 to 3% felt slightly worse at some point [1].
Taken together, the research suggests chiropractic care may be a sensible, low-risk option for many people with a disc-related problem, especially for reducing pain in the first few months. It doesn’t “fix” the disc, and nobody should promise that. What it may do is help you feel better and move better while the disc recovers.
So What Can a Chiropractor Do?
A proper assessment. We check how you move, which nerves are involved and whether anything points to a more serious problem.
Gentle, tailored hands-on care. Spinal adjustments and other hands-on techniques are chosen to suit your presentation, and can be adapted to be very gentle when the disc is irritable.
A plan to keep you moving. Practical advice on positions, activity and gradual return to what you love, because staying active supports recovery [2].
Dr Miles’ tip: Short, gentle walks beat lying still. Keep moving within comfortable limits and change position often rather than sitting for long stretches.
Dr Miles’ tip: A warm pack on the sore area or a short warm shower can ease muscle tension around a sore disc. Use whichever feels better, and don’t lie on it for hours.
When a Slipped Disc Needs Urgent Care
Go to Your Nearest Emergency Department If You Experience: loss of bladder or bowel control, numbness between the legs or in the groin, progressive leg weakness or unsteadiness, severe pain that keeps getting worse, fever or feeling generally unwell, or unexplained weight loss. Don’t wait for an appointment.
Cauda equina syndrome is rare, but it’s a surgical emergency, and delays can leave lasting bladder, bowel and sexual dysfunction [4]. If your symptoms aren’t clearly improving after a few weeks, don’t keep waiting: get properly assessed sooner rather than later.
The Bottom Line: A disc doesn’t slip, so there’s nothing to “put back.” Most discs settle with time, but a meaningful minority linger, and the longer symptoms last the harder they can be to shift. Chiropractic care may help you manage pain and keep moving in the meantime, and the research, including randomised trials, is encouraging. Serious warning signs always come first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a chiropractor fix a herniated disc? A chiropractor can’t make a herniation vanish, but research suggests chiropractic care may reduce pain and improve movement while it recovers. A double-blind trial found more people were free of leg pain after real adjustments than after a sham treatment [5].
Is chiropractic safe for a bulging or herniated disc? Many people are treated gently and without problems. In the Zurich cohort and the Bronfort trial, no serious adverse events were reported [1][6]. It isn’t right for everyone, which is why assessment comes first.
How long does a slipped disc take to heal? Most people settle within about 6 to 12 weeks, though around 30% still have some intermittent pain a year later [4]. Getting assessed early gives you the best chance of staying on the faster side.
Do I need an MRI? Usually not. The Clinical Care Standard says imaging isn’t needed for most people and is kept for suspected serious pathology or when it would change management [2].
Ready to Get Your Slipped Disc Assessed?
Book a visit with Dr Miles at Up Chiropractic in Leederville and we’ll work out what’s going on and whether chiropractic care is right for you: Book an appointment. You can also see our services.
References
Leemann S, Peterson CK, Schmid C, Anklin B, Humphreys BK. “Outcomes of acute and chronic patients with magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed symptomatic lumbar disc herniations receiving high-velocity, low-amplitude, spinal manipulative therapy: a prospective observational cohort study with one-year follow-up.” Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. 2014;37(3):155–163. https://chiro.org/Low_Back_Pain/Outcomes_of_Acute_and_Chronic_Patients.shtml
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. “Low Back Pain Clinical Care Standard.” https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-08/low_back_pain_clinical_care_standard.pdf
Yu P, Mao F, Chen J, et al. “Characteristics and mechanisms of resorption in lumbar disc herniation.” Arthritis Research & Therapy. 2022;24:205. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9396855
Kögl N, Petr O, Löscher W, Liljenqvist U, Thomé C. “Lumbar disc herniation: the significance of symptom duration for the indication for surgery.” Deutsches Ärzteblatt International. 2024;121:440–448. https://di.aerzteblatt.de/int/archive/article/239989
Santilli V, Beghi E, Finucci S. “Chiropractic manipulation in the treatment of acute back pain and sciatica with disc protrusion: a randomized double-blind clinical trial of active and simulated spinal manipulations.” The Spine Journal. 2006;6(2):131–137. https://chiro.org/Low_Back_Pain/Chiropractic_Manipulation_in_the_Treatment.shtml
Bronfort G, Hondras MA, Schulz CA, Evans RL, Long CR, Grimm R. “Spinal manipulation and home exercise with advice for subacute and chronic back-related leg pain: a trial with adaptive allocation.” Annals of Internal Medicine. 2014;161(6):381–391. https://chiro.org/Low_Back_Pain/Spinal_Manipulation_and_Home_Exercise.shtml
Peterson CK, Leemann S, Lechmann M, Pfirrmann CW, Hodler J, Humphreys BK. “Symptomatic magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed lumbar disk herniation patients: a comparative effectiveness prospective observational study of 2 age- and sex-matched cohorts treated with either high-velocity, low-amplitude spinal manipulative therapy or imaging-guided lumbar nerve root injections.” Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics. 2013;36(4):218–225. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23706678/