Bulging disc symptoms can be both prominent and/or subtle. Like most injuries, the more obvious and painful the symptoms are signifies that there may be a serious problem that needs to be checked out.

Before you try looking around for bulging disc symptoms, make sure that you understand what a bulging disc is so that you do not waste time treating a problem that does not exist.

Herniated and Bulging Discs

You may be more familiar with the term ‘herniated disc’. Well, a herniated disc is just a more general name used for describing a spinal disc injury; a bulging disc is the earliest and least severe. When an intervertebral disc located in the spinal column gets injured or damaged the disc will begin to apply pressure to the spaces around it and behind the spine.  The pain comes as a result of the disc bulging and weighing against the spine, hence, the term Bulging Disc.

There are many people who have experienced a bulging disc and bulging disc symptoms but that does not mean that therapy and treatment need to be immediately sought after. Sometimes simply reevaluating your lifestyle and keeping, or getting, healthy can make a huge impact. Exercise and diet seem to be the two most common items listed to help prevent injury and lessen symptoms for any and all body and pain concerns.

One factor to look into is your weight. People who are heavily overweight and obese exert more pressure on their own body causing a high amount of stress to be put on the spine.

You Got Old

As we age, we can expect our body to weaken, meaning natures course itself can be blamed for spine problems. Other times, though, the reason for an injured disc can be directly from some sort of accident such as a fall, a hard blow to the back, or improper lifting techniques. It’s all in the legs, not the back, when you lift things up and put them down.

Regardless of the reason for a bulging disc, the general location can be determined rather easily because of the way the nerves in the body connect and react to an injured site. Numbness is usually an early sign to look out for if you believe you may have a spinal disc injury. A bulging disc can cause compressive pain, which stems from the roots of the nerve and is the result of these nerves being pinched or agitated.

It can Be Categorized

Bulging disc symptoms can be, generally, categorized and recognized based on the following:

• Neck injuries may cause pain and/or some sort of abnormal sensation (Ie. Numbness or tingling) in areas of the upper portion of the body, such as the neck (obviously), chest, arms, hands and fingers.
• Lower back injuries, injuries located within the lumbar spine, will begin to make you notice very similar agitation as with a neck injury, only the irritation is located within the lower back area and the lower extremities (butt, legs, feet, toes).
• More towards the middle of the back, the thoracic area of the spine, pain and sensations can range from anywhere between the chest, to the lower back and to the legs (thighs).

Can Vary: From Mild to Severe

The symptoms can vary from mild, maybe even so mild that it is undetectable, to severe. Age, body health, injury and many other factors can contribute to the cause of a bulging disc. Common symptoms to look out for are pain, numbness, tingling, burning, weakness (of the legs or arms, etc), stiffness, and sharp pains. Sharp pains felt in the legs are usually a case of sciatica. Sciatica is one of the most significant symptoms that occur and are associated with bulging discs.

If the bulging disc symptoms hit close to home with you, then you should consider getting looked at. Like I said before, a bulging disc is no automatic terrible injury that needs to be treated, many people live and have no idea they have a disc problem. However, if you are here looking up symptoms, then I would have to assume that it is, because you are in fact experiencing back pain.