displacement of the disc (the shock-absorbing pad of tissue between each vertebra) which then pushes against a nerve causing leg and back pain or arm and neck pain
The nucleus (or inner ring) of a disc is comprised of soft, spongy matter That enables it to absorb the shock of running, walking and movement in general A disc is herniated when the soft, spongy matter is forced out of the center of the disc into the spinal canal A herniated disc is painful because that escaped matter presses against one or more spinal nerves Other words for herniated are slipped, prolapsed, and ruptured