“What is the difference between a herniated disc and a bulging disc?”
I am a 29 year old male. I want to know what is the difference between a herniated disc and a bulging disc?
13 Answers
Herniated, the disc material is flowing out. Bulging, no loss of material.
Think of jelly-filled donuts. If you squish the top of the donut, it will bulg out a bit. This is a disc bulge. If you squish it a bit more, part of the insides may come out. This is a herniation. This is a simplified analogy, but hopefully you get the gist of it.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/herniated-disk/expert-answers/bulging-disk/faq-20058428
Hello, So with a disc, it has the outer layers called the annular fibrosis. This layer is the support system to keep the disc in its proper form and shape, holding in the nucleus pulposus, which is is is jelly-like material, mainly made up of water. When a bulge occurs, portions of the Annular Fibrosis layer are disrupted and weakened, leading to a region of the disc that has a bulge. When a disc Herniates, the Annular Fibrosis layer completely tears, leading to the Nucleus Pulposus pushing out, just like jelly from a donut being forced out during a bite. Both can cause pressure or impingement on a nerve root or spinal column, with herniations causing more symptoms.
Good question. Between the vertebra that make up the spine are discs. The discs are like a cushion or sponge between the vertebra, that act like shock absorbers. Due to injury primarily, the discs can be hurt. If it is a compression type injury, the disc can be squeezed and it protrudes out. If the injury is severe enough, the disc can break causing a rupture or herniation. Herniation is serious.
Clinically nothing. A herniation could mean the fibers around the disc have ruptured. This can only be determined through MRI.
A bulging disc is an early injury, think of it as a swollen ankle. The disc is bulging but hasn't quite broken through the annulus fibrosis. A herniated disc is a disc that has herniated out of its central position, but also has extended past the borders of the disc. Clearly both may be painful, however, clinically speaking, the herniated disc takes a bit longer to treat, and is considered the worse of the two. Non-surgical Spinal Decompression will generally help both of these, with a bulging disc, you may need 3-6 session, with a herniated disc, it may take 12-20 sessions.
Disc bulge is a category of disc herniation.
A normal disc has movement that allows nutrients to be brought in and wastes to be taken out. This keeps the disc hydrated. Due to many factors/stresses, genetics, diet, exercise stress, work stress, mental stress etc. this movement can be reduced or limited. This lessens the nutrients brought in and increases the wastes around the joint. This dehydrates the disc. The fibers in the disc start to stretch out, they can encroach the spinal cord, or the adjacent nerves. This is a bulging disc. A herniated disc is when the fibers in the disc tear and the middle (called the nucleus) actually leaks out. The can leak out towards the spinal cord or the nerves adjacent to the spinal cord. In each case, a patient may or may not have symptoms. Core stabilization, stretches, exercises, chiropractic and at times non-surgical spinal decompression work well to treat a bulging or herniated disc.
Best of luck,
Dr. Michael Mulvaney
Best of luck,
Dr. Michael Mulvaney
Herniation is when the jelly-like disc material pushes through the outer ligament surrounding the disc into the spinal canal. With a bulge, it doesn’t fully break/interrupt the outer ligament. Both painful, both typically put pressure on the nerves and spinal canal.
Bulging means the disc is protruding, but still intact. Herniation means the disc has broken open, releasing its fluids.
A herniated disc is “non-contained” which means that a tear or break is present and a section of the gel-like nucleus pulposus has slipped into the spinal canal while a bulging disc is “contained“, meaning that the outer layer of the disc does not have any tears or ruptures, and no portion of the nucleus has leaked out ...
A spinal disc has 2 parts, the inner nucleus and the outer rings called annular fibers. A bulge occurs as the the precursor to a herniation. A bulge means the inner nucleus has migrated away from the center of the disc due to an injury or repetitive trauma to some of the the annular fibers. This causes the "bulging of the disc". Once there are no more outer rings or annular fibers to keep the nucleus inside the disc, then a herniation occurs and the nucleus moves into the spinal canal. This puts pressure on the spinal nerves causing pain, numbness, and atrophy to the muscle which the nerve controls.
