what is a herniated lumbar disc
What is a herniated disc? A herniated disc is a disc that extrudes into the spinal canal. It is also referred to as a bulging disc, ruptured disc or slipped disc. As a disc degenerates, it can herniate (the inner core extrudes) back into the spinal canal, as shown in this picture on the right. The light blue oval area is the disc, and it is bulging into the spinal canal on the lower right side of the disc. A lumbar herniated disc can cause pain to radiate all the way down the legs and into the foot. In the area of the cervical spine, the pain would radiate from the neck, down the arm and into the fingers.