What Is a Herniated Disc?

A herniated disc is a common spine condition.  It is when an intervertebral disc (the "cushion" located in between the bones—the vertebrae) bulges or even ruptures, potentially pressing on a spinal nerve and causing pain or other symptoms.

There are a few names for a herniated disc: bulging disc, ruptured disc, and slipped disc. You may hear your doctor use those terms; here on SpineUniverse, we generally stick with herniated disc (which some people spell herniated disk).

A herniated disc can happen anywhere in the spine—from the cervical spine (that'd be your neck) to the lumbar spine (your low back). And here's a surprising fact:  not everyone with a herniated disc will have pain or other symptoms.  If it isn't pressing on a spinal nerve or the spinal cord, then the herniated disc won't be felt or noticed.

However, since you're here on SpineUniverse, you (or someone you care about) probably has pain or other symptoms from a herniated disc.  We're here to help you navigate this process, from learning about what causes a herniated disc (many things, including aging and trauma) to what you can do to reduce your pain (there are more herniated disc treatment options than just surgery, don't worry).

Before getting into this article series, it's important to say that if you have any of the following emergency signs, please contact your doctor imediately:

• Pain is getting worse
• Disabling pain
• Leg or arm pain, weakness, numbness, tingling
• Loss of feeling or weakness in your bladder or anus
• Loss of bowel or bladder control

A herniated disc can be very painful and it can limit how much you can do every day. However, with proper treatment, you may be able to find pain relief.