How to Tell If Your Back Pain Is from a Herniated Disc or Muscle Strain
Verified By
KIMS-SUNSHINE
Specialist,
11 June, 2025
It is a normal day and you bend down to pick something up. Then bam, pain hits you and it doesn’t seem to go away in some time. You begin to worry- is it a strained muscle? Is it a problem with my disc? This is a common scenario that can happen to anyone. This is when it becomes important to know what a herniated disc vs. a pulled muscle can mean, as the treatment approaches can be quite different for each of them.
Herniated Disc vs. Muscle Strain Symptoms-
If you perform a lot of repetitive actions, have poor posture or sit like a hunched pretzel, have an accident of some sort or try to overexert yourself, then you are at risk of straining your back and it could be a strained muscle or a herniated disc. But, let us look at some key differences between the symptoms the 2 conditions show-For a pulled muscle- it can be localised pain and you may not be able to bend over or do anything else. If the pain seems to get better with rest, then it most likely is not too serious. If you have spasms, tightness and have this strange knotty feeling in one spot, then it is mostly a strained muscle.
Herniated discs are mainly caused by wear and tear and advancing age. If you perform a lot of repetitive actions, lift very heavy stuff routinely or have degenerative medical conditions, then you may be dealing with a herniated disc. You will have slower reflexes, may have radiating pain and numbness too. The pain will be really sharp and feel like a shock and you may not be able to stand or sit normally. You will also take much longer to become normal.
How Doctors Diagnose Herniated Disc-
An MRI or Ultrasound may be recommended in severe enough cases, but otherwise, your doctor will take a detailed history first. Then, they may go ahead with imaging, check for range of motion related issues and also try to assess if there is some issue with the muscle or nerve endings by looking at your reflexes. If your disc herniation is very severe and normal pain management techniques don’t seem to help at all, then you may have to get surgery done.
Treatment For Muscle Strain vs. Herniated Disc-
Surgery is never the first resort for any medical issue and is almost always only considered when no other options are available or seem to work. This approach is very definitely notable for spine related cases. You will mostly be recommended rest, pain killers and you may need to go in for physical therapy. For muscle strains, you can expect pain killers, muscle relaxants and similar drugs to be prescribed. The same approach is followed for muscle strains too. Physical therapy is done so that you learn the proper technique to do something- like lifting, maintaining posture, sitting, etc. in a way that won’t put too much pressure on the injured area.
Herniated discs will mostly respond well if the compression of nerves is not too high, with steroid injections or muscle relaxants themselves, but if it is too severe and you are not able to go about life normally, then you may have to go in for a minor surgery like a discectomy. In some other cases, a total disc replacement surgery may be recommended.
Conclusion
If you have severe back pain that lasts for way longer than 2 weeks, doesn’t seem to get any better and you begin to notice other adverse reactions like poor bowel or urinary control, fever, extreme weakness, etc. then you should not delay seeking treatment. The spine is after all the structure that is helping you go about your day and helps you stick to a decent routine. When the spine gets injured, your daily quality of life may suffer heavily and this chronic physical pain can manifest into something much worse over time. So, don’t delay getting timely treatment and if you need to rest, just rest!
