A bulging lumbar disc can certainly compress the nerves, and although a bulging lumbar disc is the mildest form of lumbar disc herniation, it does not mean that there is no compression of the nerves. A bulging lumbar disc is also caused by the rupture of the annulus fibrosus and the backward protrusion of the nucleus pulposus. Although the herniation is mild, it still produces mild compression of the spinal cord, dural sac, and nerve roots. The symptoms are mild and only cause low back pain and sciatica, not abnormal reflexes. A bulging lumbar disc can and will necessarily compress the nerves.