It is useless to press the leg with a herniated lumbar disc. Patients with a herniated lumbar disc have a physical sign called the straight leg elevation test, which is a test that causes pain in the lower extremities when the patient’s lower extremities are elevated nearly 60 degrees. Because the movement of the sciatic nerve increases when the leg is raised, the symptoms of disc compression on the nerve will occur. This is called a positive straight leg raise test, which is induced exactly when the leg is pressed, and thus will aggravate the symptoms of numbness and pain in the lower limbs. Therefore, if the lumbar disc is herniated, the leg press will aggravate the numbness and pain of the lower limbs. Patients with herniated lumbar discs should not perform leg presses, as they can be counterproductive.