Pain due to degenerative disease of the spine is very common and a wide variety of terms are used to explain this condition, including slipped disc, disc prolapse, bulging disc, ruptured disc, compressed disc, herniated disc etc. These terms refer to situations in which the intervertebral disc displaces from its normal anatomical position and bulges out.

The backbone consists of 33 bony parts called vertebrae separated by an elastic and spongy (cartilaginous) disc like structures called intervertebral discs that lie between two vertebrae.
Various blood vessels and nerves pass through these vertebrae and an important structure called spinal cord is present in the tunnel.

The intervertebral disc consists of two parts, a tough outer part (annulus fibrosis) and a softer inner part or a nucleus (annulus pulposus). These discs are especially designed to work as a shock absorber.