Disc herniation is often caused by relative inactivity and then suddenly lifting something heavy. If you do not stretch and move your body at all, the connective tissue is not lubricated and as flexible as it should be. Your muscles are too tight and they are also too weak to lift heavy objects. If your back muscles are weak, more pressure is put in the spine than if you had a strong back.
When the disc herniates, or slips out, the lubrication inside the disc capsule can leak onto the spinal nerves. The nerves then get irritated, then they cause the muscles to get tight or to spasm.
You can have a disc herniation and not feel pain. You can also have pain, but no disc herniation. Many people have disc degeneration and do not even know it.

You can see in this image how the disc has slipped out and is pressing on the yellow nerve. Slipped discs can be so bad that the normal nerve flow to the limbs is cut off and you have a problem walking. In my experience, slipped discs can be one of the most painful things you can suffer.
If you have one disc slip, the chances are your other discs are not healthy either. I usually recommend glucosamine sulfate taken over a few months to help repair the connective tissue in the body. It is not uncommon for other joints to have problems also, if your connective tissue in your back is not healthy.
Be sure to get glucosamine SULFATE, not HCL. This is derived from shellfish and is the type that has been well researched. If you buy a combination formula, I do not suggest including fish oil. Fish oil is also a natural anti-inflammatory, but it is usually rancid. Once the oil is rancid, it can damage your body. Put into a formula with other supplements, it is more likely to go rancid.
Here is a picture of different disc problems:
You can see that if you have one disc with a problem, you can easily have problems with other discs. That is why systemic treatments are so important.

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