system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Eli5: What happens when you "throw your back out"? Why does it seem to happen easier as you get older?

You know, you reach down to close the cupboard, and Whamo. Shooting pain, inability to stand straight up without holding on to something. What is happening?
gpt
Pressure from a weakening disc is causing a bulge which is pushing on the nerve root.  As we age, natural disc desiccation occurs.  These are commonly referred to as slipped discs, although they have not actually slipped.