Can dried out discs slip out of place?

Answer 1

A disc does not slide anywhere. A disc is a piece of cartilage that sits securely between two vertebrae. When a disc loses hydration, it shrinks in size. This can cause an alteration in the relationship between the top vertebra and the bottom vertebra. When this happens, the disc begins to degenerate. This is the beginning of spinal Arthritis or spinal degeneration (this is an arthritis of the spinal joints.) It also opens the door for the disc to become prone to injury such as tears within the disc fibers. Complications that are expected are a disc bulge or a disc herniation. A disc bulge is a problem with the jelly-like center of the disc. When the outside fibers tear, the jelly-like center of the disc squeezes to the boarder of the disc and bulges out (think of a jelly donut, with the donut being the disc and the jelly being the center of the disc. This bulge can push on other structures, such as nerves, and cause a great deal of discomfort. When the outside wall of the disc tears, the jelly-like center then is free to actually exit the disc all together. This is an official disc herniation. A "slipped disc" is a misnomer. It is a slang term that has no accurate description of true disc behavior. When someone says a disc has slipped, they are referring to a disc bulge. Remember, this is only the displacement of the jelly-like center of the disc, not the actual position of the disc itself.