According to statistics, 60-80% of people will experience low back pain at least once in their lifetime. Many people take it for granted that a herniated disc must lead to low back pain, so once you have “low back pain” you have a herniated disc. This is not true. The lumbar spine is made up of spinal bones, intervertebral discs, synovial joints, and the surrounding muscles and ligaments. Any one of these structures can be the cause of pain. Therefore, low back pain is not indicative of a herniated lumbar disc. It is the typical presentation of sciatica, which is pain that radiates from the buttocks along the outside of the thigh all the way down to the calf or foot, that can be indicative of a lumbar disc herniation. In other words, most people with lumbar disc herniation may start with low back pain, but soon the symptoms will focus on the “legs”. Therefore, leg pain is the main manifestation of lumbar disc herniation.