Save it to Pinterest. Herniated disks might cause considerable discomfort or cause no pain at all. Herniated disks can cause excruciating agony, but the appropriate therapy can alleviate symptoms. The herniated portion of the disk presses on spinal nerves, causing pain that radiates down one side of the body and sometimes up the other. Disks are the soft cushions between bones in your spine. They act as shock absorbers and help reduce stress on those joints. As you get older, these disks begin to wear out and lose some of their elasticity. This means they're less able to cushion the bones against which they lie. Also, if you have a genetic predisposition to disk disease, then you are at risk for developing herniation disks regardless of how healthy you otherwise are. Herniated disks can occur anywhere in the spine, but most often they happen in the disks located between the vertebrae. These disks are called intervertebral disks. There are four disks associated with each segment of the spine (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and sacral). Disks are necessary for normal joint function and mobility. They allow for flexibility and movement in the spine. Without these disks, the spine would be very rigid.