What makes it a disorder? The nerves can become injured from the pressure of the herniated disc. These injured nerves can become hyperexcitable. They can send pain signals too often or too intensely. The point at which the pain goes from a normal response to a disorder is difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish based on current diagnostic tests. In some cases, it’s not clear whether it’s normal or a disorder. However, when the pain becomes chronic, severe, and unprovoked, we call it a disorder.
