There are several ways that a spinal nerve can cause you pain, either in your neck or lower back. One way is from a herniated or degenerated disc where disc material protrudes onto one of the many branches of nerve that emanate from the spinal cord.
Bone spurs are another condition that can lead to the same problem and also associated with an untreated herniated or degenerated disc. When a disc goes out, the body tries to compensate by growing a little extra bone. The body doesn’t do a great job of planning where to put the extra bone. Little nobs of calcium may grow around the edges of the vertebrae or along the facing surfaces of the joints. The nobs sometimes resemble small beaks that can grow in just the right spot where it will impinge onto one a fiber of nerve just as a herniated disc.
