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The Reason a Lumbar Herniated Disc Causes Pain

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With age or sometimes serious injury, the discs in our back will begin to degenerate and as they do they can become prone to disc herniation.  When a disc herniates the inner soft gel like core pushes through the outer capsule like layer and into the spinal canal.  The weakest spot of a vertebral disc is directly under the nerve roots.  When a disc becomes herniated in this area pressure can be placed on these nerve roots causing pain to radiate down the patient’s leg and often into the foot.  A lumbar herniated disc is often referred to as lumbar disc disease.

The two most common places for a herniated disc to occur is in lumbar segment four and 5 (commonly referred to as L4 - L5) or Lumbar segment five and sacral segment one (L5 - S1).  Herniation lumbar discs in these areas place pressure on the L5 or S1 nerve which is the cause of the pain.

Herniated disc symptoms are quite specific to the nerve that is being affected.  The difference between the two most common nerve impingements are as follows:

1. L5 Nerve - Pressure placed on this nerve from a herniated disc will most likely cause weakness in the big toe and potentially the ankle.  There will be numbness and pain felt on top of the foot, with the possibility of pain radiating into the buttocks.
2. S1 Nerve - A loss of ankle reflex and a weakness in ankle push off may occur due to a lumbar herniated disc applying pressure to the S1 Nerve.  Pain accompanied by numbness will most likely radiate down the leg to the sole of the foot.

Lumbar disc herniation treatment is accomplished through conservative methods

A herniated lumbar disc will usually take about six weeks for its symptoms to diminish.  During these six weeks there are plenty of conservative treatment options that one can follow to help reduce the back and leg pain along with other discomforts that may accompany a lumbar herniated disc.  For more detailed information on conservative treatments, please view our herniated disc treatments page.