Yes, there is a medical difference between these types of injuries. A herniated disc is when the hard, rubbery outside of the spinal disc – the annulus – ruptures and the inside, or nucleus, seeps out. A bulging disc is when the annulus flattens and expands outward without rupturing. Both herniated and bulging discs can impact the surrounding nerves in the spinal cord, though. They can both cause the nerve damage that leads to debilitating symptoms and the back pain and neck pain of a serious spinal cord injury. In some cases, that severe pain can go away. Sometimes, however, it is a permanent injury.