Causes of a herniated disc
The main cause of a herniated disc is a traumatic event that occurred suddenly or gradually, but what makes the disc prone to such injury are called risk factors, and there are several including:
- Smoking: Smokers were found to have less flexible intervertebral discs, predisposing them to such injury.
- Obesity: Abdominal obesity, in particular, puts lots of strain on the lumbar group of muscles and discs, making them weaker over time.
- Genetic predisposition: It was found that some people are genetically more liable to develop this injury owing to the defective structure of their collagen, the protein forming cartilage found in the intervertebral discs.
- Males were found to be more liable to have herniated discs than females, almost twice as often. The cause behind this phenomenon is not well understood, but it is believed to be due to the nature of men’s work or their smoking habits rather than any inherent gender difference.