Your spine is made of 24 bones called vertebrae, which are separated and cushioned by gel-filled discs that act as shock absorbers, keeping your vertebrae from rubbing together. A herniated disc occurs when the gel inside the disc ruptures through a weak area in the disc wall, similar to the filling being squeezed out of a jelly doughnut. Pain results when the disc material touches a nearby nerve. Conservative non-surgical treatment is the first step to recovery. With a team approach to treatment, 80% of people with back pain improve in about 6 weeks and return to normal activity. If your body doesn't respond to conservative treatment, your doctor may recommend surgery.

To understand a herniated disc, it is helpful to understand a little about how your spine works.

The lumbar (lower back) section of your spine bears most of the weight of the body and provides the most movement. It is made up of 5 bony vertebrae stacked on top of one another. These vertebrae are separated by cushiony discs, which act as shock absorbers, preventing the vertebrae from rubbing together. Each disc has a gel-filled center called the nucleus and a tough fibrous outer ring called the annulus. At each disc level, a pair of spinal nerves exit from the spinal cord and branch out to your body. Your spinal cord (which runs through the middle of the vertebrae) and your spinal nerves act as a "telephone," allowing messages, or impulses, to travel back and forth between your brain and your body to relay sensation and to control movement.

What Is a Herniated Lumbar Disc?

A herniated lumbar disc-sometimes called a ruptured disc-is different from a bulging disc or protrusion. It occurs when the gel-like center of your disc actually ruptures out through a tear in the tough disc wall (annulus). The gel material is irritating to your spinal nerves, causing something like a chemical irritation. The pain you feel is a result of spinal nerve inflammation and swelling caused by the pressure of the herniated disc.

Most herniated discs occur in the lumbar section of the spine, where nerves from the spinal cord exit between the lumbar vertebrae and then join together again to form the sciatic nerve, which runs down your leg.