Hernia
The intervertebral discs act as biological shock absorbers and separate the vertebral bodies from each other. The lumbar jelly-like center disk can crack through the tough exterior layer and irritate a neighboring spinal nerve. [3] With a decrease in the elasticity of the disc, it begins to bulge into the lumen of the spinal canal (i.e., cause prolapse), and its thickness decreases. The latter negatively affects the integrity of the intervertebral joints because their biomechanics is disrupted.
The herniated part of the disc is full of proteins that, when they touch a nerve root, lead to inflammation, and nerve root pain is usually caused by inflammation as well as compression of nerves. Nerve fibers also supply the disc wall abundantly, and a cut through the wall will cause intense pain.
If the protruding part of the intervertebral disc presses on the sensitive nerve fibers, then various sensory disturbances may occur in the innervation zone of the compressed nerve: pain, tingling, numbness, etc. If the motor nerve fibers responsible for the work of the muscles are compressed, then the function of the innervated muscle is disrupted and may cause paralysis. [4]