"Is A Herniated Disc A Permanent Disability?"
by Dr. Benjamin Geddes

The disc itself being herniated isn't. But sometimes the outcome of that is the sequalite of the things that happen to you because that can lead to long-term disability. It's certainly possible. Again, if you have compression for a long period of time, you could have some residual weakness or numbness. And certainly, people still can experience pain over long periods of time. And so that can affect your quality of life, your ability to work and to get back to the activities that you enjoy.

So there certainly is an element of that that's possible.