same as slipped disc, bulging disc, ruptured disc - a condition in
which the inner part of the intervertebral disc called the nucleus
pulposus pushes through the outer containing fibers of the disc called
the annulus fibrosus. This bulging of the inner nucleus into the annulus
fibrosus can take two forms. If the nucleus is held within the annulus
fibrosus, the process is termed a contained disc, and sometimes referred
to as a disc protrusion or herniation. If the annulus fibrosus tears
and allows the inner nucleus pulposus to escape through the annulus
fibrosus it is called a non-contained disc herniation and often called a
ruptured or fragmented disc.