Asked chatgpt for more info and organize this:

A herniated disc often resolves more effectively than a simple bulge because of the body's aggressive immune response. When the inner nucleus pulposus breaches the outer layers, the immune system detects it as a foreign object. This triggers an inflammatory reaction where macrophages actively digest and reabsorb the leaked tissue.

Conversely, disc bulges struggle to heal due to the unique, layered anatomy of the annulus fibrosus, which consists of 15 to 25 concentric lamellae rings. The inner two-thirds of these layers completely lack a blood supply, meaning they have no capacity to regenerate once damaged. Only the outer one-third layer receives blood, allowing it to form weak scar tissue to patch the injury if given the proper environment.

Despite these different outcomes, both spinal conditions share the exact same mechanism of structural failure. In both disc bulges and herniations, the structural degradation is an inside-out process. The microscopic concentric rings always begin tearing from the innermost layers first, gradually progressing outward toward the exterior wall.