Can a herniated disc cause paralysis? The answer is possibly it will!!! First of all, introduce a concept, the ponytail! The ponytail is not a pretty ponytail as we often say, but an anatomical structure of the human body. The cauda equina is the general term for the 10 pairs of lumbar skeletal nerve roots under the cone of the spinal cord, which is the general term for the nerve roots of lumbar 2, lumbar 3, lumbar 4, lumbar 5 and sacral 1 (each lumbar vertebra has two nerve roots on the left and right). Lumbar disc herniation causes different symptoms depending on the degree of herniation. Early manifestations may be just lumbar pain, and if the cauda equina nerve is compressed there will be pain in the legs and feet and/or numbness in the legs and feet. If the herniated disc is more severe and prolonged, nerve damage may occur, and once the nerve is damaged, healing will be very slow or even impossible. Each nerve root in the cauda equina innervates a different muscle in our lower extremity, and if one of the nerve roots is damaged, the muscle it innervates will be immobilized, resulting in paralysis. The most common paralysis is the inability to raise the back of the foot and toes, followed by the inability to raise the thighs while sitting and the inability to kick the lower legs forward (a shooting motion). In addition, in the case of a high lumbar disc herniation, such as a lumbar 1/2 disc herniation, the spinal cone structure may be damaged. The spinal cone refers to the tapering cone-like shape of the lower end of the spinal cord, which is located below the lumbar expansion and continues down the terminal filament. If the spinal cone is damaged, it will cause bilateral lower limb paralysis with urinary and fecal dysfunction, such as urinary incontinence and fecal incontinence, etc. Once this injury occurs, the possibility of recovery will be minimal and may even be impossible for life. So it is said that a serious lumbar disc herniation can lead to paralysis. If you have symptoms of lumbar disc herniation, go to the hospital as soon as possible for consultation and treatment.