Try to do a test ride on the bikes you are considering, preferably several, and have the bike shop owner adjust your position.

I have an LHT and coincidentally my wife rides a Kona Sutra. Her other, older, bike is a VSF T400, their classic 26" frame. So fire away!

We bought the Sutra and LHT together. One thing we noticed during test rides was that the Sutra actually feels more stable and calm at low speeds, which might be due to the different geometries of the forks. The LHT was the more responsive of the two, but it is in no way a 'nervous' bike.

We're not very happy with the paint on the Sutra, it's a bit too sensitive to scratching. But the bike offers an attractive package for a low price: a disc trucker is more expensive for fewer parts.

The disc brakes were an important consideration for my wife, I'm okay with cantilever brakes. My wife is often uncertain on descents, so she appreciates the power of the disc brakes. They do need to be calibrated every now and then, which you will need to familiarize yourself with. A long torx screwdriver is indispensible for this.

I love my LHT. I've seen claims that it rides like a stroll with your grandpa, but I use it like a racing bike with no second thoughts. It's just an allround randonneur for me. But it is true that when it is fully loaded, perhaps with a cart behind it, it feels very solid, much more than any previous bike I had.

Finally, here in the Netherlands the VSF bikes actually have a reputation of having 'long' frames, with longer top tubes and a lower position for the rider. The T400 served my wife wel. It's not a 'fast' bike: when she rides the Sutra, we go along well, but if she's on the T400 I have to wait after every turn. I don't like how it rides, the steering feels nervous and not very effective at the same time. But it's a tried and tested frame in Germany, many including my wife love it, so I don't think it is a bad choice.

If you buy a VSF, ask the bike shop to check if it has been built correctly. The manufacturers do not put a lot of effort into this and tend to ship bikes that have not been set up properly. But once eveything is running smoothly, you get a really reliable bike for a low price with lots of quality parts. The days that they made bikes with Marathon XR tires, Rigida explorer rims and tubus rack are sadly gone, but VSF still stands for the no-nonsense approach where costs are cut to produce an affordable mid-quality combination for a low price.

I would not rely on advice from a forum with regards to a herniated disc, but ask a medical specialist.