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Do you wonder whether walking aggravates a pinched disc ? And its impact on pain: can walking relieve or aggravate pain when you have a pinched disc between the vertebrae?
Summary : walking does not aggravate a slipped disc. It may relieve pain in some people, and occasionally increase it in others, but it’s always worth testing on yourself!
♻️ Last update: September 15, 2025
Written by Nelly Darbois, physiotherapist and scientific editor
What do I mean by a pinched disc?
Between each vertebra we have a vertebral disc.
This is what it looks like.
In real life:
In situation :
Depending on our genetic predisposition and what we do in life, this spinal disc changes.
In everyday language,it is said tobe pinched when it loses its thickness.
A slipped disc is not usually visible on a back X-ray, but it can be seen on anMRI or CT scan . More precisely, what we see is that the space between the vertebrae is reduced.
That’s why, in medical terms, we speak ofa “narrowing of the intervertebral space” rather than a “pinched disc”.
Having a pinched disc doesn’t necessarily cause pain: it’s sometimes discovered by doing an MRI for something else in people who have no pain or discomfort.
You can have a slipped disc without herniating it. For example, simply because of advancing age.
As we age, our discs between the vertebrae naturally lose height.
When walking, the body’s weight is supported by the spine.
In theory, this can lead to further compression of the intervertebral discs. Some people also feel discomfort or pain when walking, which they feel less or not at all when lying down.
But it’s our muscles and other structures that limit the stress on the disc when we walk!
An Australian research team 🇦🇺 has sought to answer just that question: do walking and exercise impact our intervertebral discs? [Belavý 2016]
To do this, the team compiled all the scientific studies conducted on the subject:
- mathematical modelling studies ;
- studies on non-human animals;
- human studies (rare).
Here are their conclusions:
According to the data available in the literature, the types of load that are likely to be beneficial for intervertebral discs are dynamic, axial loads at slow to moderate speeds of movement, and of a magnitude comparable to that of walking and jogging.
Static loads, torsional loads, bending with compression, rapid loads, high-impact loads and explosive tasks are likely to be harmful to intervertebral discs.
Reduced physical activity and obsolescence appear to be detrimental to discs.
Belavý 2016
Put more simply: the evidence suggests that walking is actually good for our intervertebral discs !
Now that you’ve been reassured that walking probably won’t aggravate your slipped disc, you may be wondering: okay, but it’s likely to make my pain worse, isn’t it?
There is no formal answer to this question.
It’s possible that walking will increase your back pain at the time, or in the hours or night that follow. Just as it’s possible for walking to relieve them, either now or afterwards.
As a physiotherapist, I’ve been confronted with all kinds of scenarios in my patients. And the studies carried out are not designed to answer this question: does walking provide short-term relief from pain associated with a pinched disc?
Only by testing the effect of walking on yourself can you get an idea of how your body reacts to walking at any given moment.
Not walking at all also exposes you to risks: deconditioning, slowed transit, impaired blood circulation… That’s why, even if walking seems to aggravate your pain at the time, I encourage you to re-evaluate every day whether this is still the case.
If walking is painful, you can still manage to integrate it gradually by :
- gradually increasing the amount of daily walking;
- using technical walking aids to put less weight on your spine: walking sticks, crutches, walker, etc;
- learning to manage your chronic pain;
- consult your physiotherapist or general practitioner for a personalized assessment of what you can do.
You’re experiencing pain possibly related to a slipped disc and you’re convinced that walking won’t hurt you – quite the opposite, in fact. And you’re right!
However, I encourage you to respect certain basic principles, depending on your profile as a walker:
✅ If you walk regularly
Stay as close to your usual walking volume as pain allows.
If you find yourself wanting to do more, do it gradually so that your body gets used to the new dose of activity.
✅ If you’re not used to walking (but want to get started)
Be sure to increase your walking distance or time gradually.
Don’t go and create more pain elsewhere! Once again, give your body time to acclimatize to the new effort you’re asking of it.
***
That’s all I wanted to say on the subject! Any questions or comments? See you in comments!
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📚 SOURCES
Belavý DL, Albracht K, Bruggemann GP, Vergroesen PP, van Dieën JH. Can Exercise Positively Influence the Intervertebral Disc? Sports Med. 2016 Apr;46(4):473-85. doi: 10.1007/s40279-015-0444-2. PMID: 26666742.
Images. Deng X, Zhu Y, Wang S, Zhang Y, Han H, Zheng D, Ding Z, Wong KK. CT and MRI Determination of Intermuscular Space within Lumbar Paraspinal Muscles at Different Intervertebral Disc Levels. PLoS One. 2015 Oct 12;10(10):e0140315. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0140315. PMID: 26458269; PMCID: PMC4601766. // Huang CY, Yuan TY, Jackson AR, Hazbun L, Fraker C, Gu WY. Effects of low glucose concentrations on oxygen consumption rates of intervertebral disc cells. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2007 Sep 1;32(19):2063-9. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e318145a521. PMID: 17762806; PMCID: PMC2679584. // Chen XL, Li XY, Wang Y, Lu SB. Relation of lumbar intervertebral disc height and severity of disc degeneration based on Pfirrmann scores. Heliyon. 2023 Oct 6;9(10):e20764. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20764. PMID: 37867832; PMCID: PMC10585210.
Written by Nelly Darbois
I enjoy writing articles that answer your questions, drawing on my experience as a physiotherapist and scientific writer, as well as extensive research in international scientific literature.
I live in the French Alps☀️🏔️, where I enjoy the simple pleasures of life (+ I’m a Wikipedia consultant and the founder of Wikiconsult).
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