Difference between buldging disks and herniated disks?

One is torn : The disc has a fibrous band around it called the anulus fibrosis. With a herniated disc the band is broken and with a buldging disc the band is intact.

Synonyms: The terms bulging disk, slipped disk, herniated disk are roughly the same idea that they disc has moved out of place where it should be and possibly compressing nerve or spinal cord. Typically though herniated disk signifies a slight increase in severity of pathology over a bulging disc. It gets a little more specific if terms like disc protrusion and disc extrusion come into the mix.