A spinal disc forms a cartilaginous joint between the vertebrae of the spine that allow slight movements of the vertebrae and acts as a ligament to hold the vertebrae together. According to Atlantic Spine Care, a bulging disc is one that has 50 percent or more of the material squeezed outside of the normal boundaries. This makes the disc look something like a hamburger that has been pressed outside the bun. If the softer material inside the disc ruptures through the tough outer layer it becomes a herniated or slipped disc. A bulging disc is a common condition found in people as they age.
Lower Back Pain
A bulging disc is under constant pressure from from the vertebral bodies above it. As it is squeezed out of the normal boundaries it can push into the space that contains the spinal cord and nerve roots. This pressure on the nerves causes pain the area of the back. According to National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, bulging and herniated discs are more common in the lower lumbar area of the spinal column. This area of the back takes more stress and pressure throughout a lifetime of poor standing and sitting posture and the wrong lifting techniques.
Sciatica
The pressure of the bulging disc on the spinal nerve roots will sometimes result in sciatic type pain. This is nerve pain that travels from the buttocks, down the back of the leg and into the calf or sometimes the foot. When sciatic pain is severe, progressive and present for more than four weeks, The Web of the Back, sponsored and maintained by the Kovacs Foundation, recommends that surgical intervention is considered prior to permanent nerve damage.
Disc Herniation
A bulging disc may progress to herniation. However, according to physicians at the Mayo Clinic, patients may or may not experience pain and discomfort. The position of the herniation and what other structures are affected by the pressure of the disc will determine whether or not there is pain and how much pain the patient will experience. Physicians at The Web of the Back recommend that certain criteria are met before surgical intervention is considered for a herniated disc. Each of these three criteria must present simultaneously: dysfunction of a specific nerve root as exhibited by loss of strength or sensation, pain that continues for longer than four weeks and the level of dysfunction is the same as a herniation visualized through a Magnetic Imaging Resonance examination.
Cauda Equina Syndrome
A serious complication of a bulging or herniated disc, the material has caused pressure on the nerve root to the point where permanent damage may result if left untreated. Physicians at the Mayo Clinic recommend urgent medical attention and potential surgery when there is loss of bowel or bladder control, loss of sensation in the inner and upper thigh area or significant numbness or weakness that is spreading to one or both legs.
