Dr. Jose Mena, Interventional Spine Specialist with Miami Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute, explains there is a difference between bulging disc and herniated disc. “By definition, bulging disc doesn’t cause pain, is just that the disc is a little more relaxed. A herniated disc is a focal area of the disc that slips out and comes out from the spaces in between bones. Sometimes it can touch a nerve and develop the symptoms that can cause pain in the lower back.”

Claudia Hogdson, Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner with Miami Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute, says most of the times the pain can be sharp. “We treat them with anti-inflammatory, sometimes with steroids depending on if the pain is acute. Once the pain subsides again we go back to the rehabilitation.”