- With Mayo Clinic neurologist
Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
Dr. Jerry Swanson is a board-certified neurologist at Mayo Clinic and is a professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He has a special interest in headache disorders and medical education.
Dr. Swanson, a Lacon, Ill., native, was appointed to the Mayo Clinic staff in 1982 and works in the Department of Neurology with about 90 other physicians. He formerly chaired the Headache Division in the Neurology Department at Mayo Clinic and works with headache subspecialists around the world. He has published and lectured widely on headache disorders. He also serves as Assistant Dean for Assessment in Mayo Medical School.
"In a manner similar to the printing press, Internet technology enables the unprecedented ability to communicate with the global community about health information," Dr. Swanson says. "There is no doubt that the knowledgeable individual contributes greatly to his or her own health care, and now we can share information much more widely."
"There is much information already available about health care on the Internet. Unfortunately, much of it is not founded on sound principles. It is exciting to be a part of the MayoClinic.com team and contribute to the creation of a reliable and timely health resource."
Dr. Swanson is the neurology editor for "Mayo Clinic Family Health Book" and has reviewed articles for "Mayo Clinic Health Letter" and "Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource." He is also editor-in-chief of the "Mayo Clinic on Headache" book, published in 2004. In 2008 the magazine "Women's Health" named him one of America's Top Doctors for Women.
Definition (1)
- Herniated disk vs. bulging disk: What's the difference?
Tests and diagnosis (1)
- Discogram: What is it?
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Question
Herniated disk vs. bulging disk: What's the difference?
What's the difference between a bulging disk and a herniated disk?
Answer
from Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
Disks act as cushions between the vertebrae in your spine. They're composed of a tough outer layer of cartilage that surrounds a softer material in the center. It may help to think of them as miniature jelly doughnuts, exactly the right size to fit between your vertebrae.
A bulging disk simply extends outside the space it should normally occupy. The bulge typically affects a large portion of the disk, so it may look a little like a hamburger that's too big for its bun. Usually bulging is considered part of the normal aging process of the disk and is therefore common to see on MRIs.
A herniated disk, on the other hand, results when a crack in the tough outer layer of cartilage allows some of the softer material inside to protrude out of the disk. Herniated disks are also called ruptured disks or slipped disks.
Bulging disks are more common, while herniated disks are more likely to cause pain. But many people have bulging disks or herniated disks that cause no pain whatsoever.
Next questionDiscogram: What is it?
- Herniated disc. American Association of Neurological Surgeons. http://www.neurosurgerytoday.org/what/patient_e/herniated.asp. Accessed Dec. 11, 2008.
- Firestein GS, et al. Conditions primarily affecting the spine. In: Firestein GS, et al. Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: W.B. Saunders Company, 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/113514084-4/782578070/1807/375.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3285-4..10053-1--s1100_1647. Accessed Dec. 11, 2008.
- Chou R. Patient information: Low back pain. http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/topic.do?topicKey=~AnMdTUVJbCGVWn. Accessed Dec. 11, 2008.
- Mettler FA. Management of low back pain. In: Mettler FA. Essentials of Radiology. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2005. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/113514084-4/782578070/1276/191.html#4-u1.0-B0-7216-0527-3..50011-1--cesec15_265. Accessed Dec. 11, 2008.
- Shelerud R (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Dec. 12, 2008.
