- A disc is the shock absorber of the spine
- It lies between the two adjacent bones called vertebral bodies
- The nerves descend behind the vertebrae and discs
- The back of the disc is in close proximity to the nerves
- At each level the nerves give rise to 2 smaller nerves (one on each side) called nerve roots for their similarities to the roots of a tree
- Several nerve roots on each side will converge and form the major nerves that descend to your legs like the sciatic nerve