I've herniated ('slipped') a disc twice in my twenties, both times when I was in periods where I let my fitness level fall. The pain was absolutely debilitating

I've herniated ('slipped') a disc twice in my twenties, both times when I was in periods where I let my fitness level fall. The pain was absolutely debilitating - you're really not able to do anything. Even with pain meds...standing, walking around, sitting, sleeping...it's all hard to do. Recovery sucks because you have to move around to recover, but it causes unbelievable pain. I firmly believe for most people slipped discs happen due to a lack of core muscle strength and spending most of our days in terrible postures (sitting at a desk, for example). I spend at least 50% of my exercise time focusing on my core now. Things like planks, squats, and yoga. My thought being that a strong core keeps everything (eg your spine, discs, and soft-tissue) in place. I have absolutely no scientific backing on this, but it's worked for me so far.