A herniated disc, unlike an annular rupture, which may not be felt at first, is frequently painful because it compresses the nerves around it. A herniated disc can cause the following symptoms: Back ache Pain, weakness, and numbness that spreads throughout the body (a result of a nerve being compressed) Difficulty walking or standing (because the back muscles are tired out) Loss of bladder control (due to the nerve being compressed behind the spine) Herniated discs are more common than ruptured discs. However, contrary to popular belief, ruptured discs are not necessarily symptomatic. An annular tear does not contain any spinal cord material and so cannot cause symptoms by itself. However, an intact annulus prevents the vertebrae above and below it from properly moving with respect to each other, which could lead to instability of the area. Symptoms of a herniated disc include pain, stiffness, and difficulty moving parts of the body such as neck, back, arms, or legs. If you have these symptoms, see your doctor to have them diagnosed and treated properly. In many cases, doctors can diagnose herniation of a disc simply by looking at x-rays of the spine. For more severe cases, they may need to do magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) scans to view the interior of the spine.