A bulging or herniated disc can happen due to trauma, for example, in auto accidents or falls from height. However, in most cases, the problem begins with a condition called degenerative disc disease.

The spongy discs in your spine have plenty of fluid in them when you’re young, but as you age, the moisture levels drop, and your discs get drier and flatter. To make matters worse, your body’s natural repair mechanisms don’t work as well when you get older, so there’s less healing activity or cell renewal in your discs.

This degeneration of your spinal discs makes the outer coating more likely to develop weak spots. Disc herniation occurs when the inside of the disc eventually squeezes through the weakened outer shell.