How painful is a herniated disc in the lumbar spine

In patients with lumbar disc herniation, the protruding disc will compress the spinal cord and nerve roots of the body, which in turn will lead to a series of uncomfortable symptoms, the most manifested of which is lower back pain first. Most patients have a history of low back pain within a few weeks or months, and the pain can recur and vary in severity. In severe cases, it can affect turning, sitting and standing, and patients are unable to get up and need to stay in bed for a long time, and the symptoms can be partially relieved after rest. After exertion, coughing, sneezing, or straining during bowel movement can aggravate the pain. Some patients show radiating pain in the lower extremities. Radiating pain in the sciatic nerve area of one lower extremity is an important feature of the disease, and often appears when the low back pain disappears or is relieved. The pain starts from the buttocks and gradually radiates to the posterior edge of the thigh, the lateral calf, and sometimes can progress to the lateral part of the foot, the heel or the sole, affecting standing and walking. Most patients develop lumbar mobility disorders, with lumbar movement affected in all directions, especially posterior extension disorders are more pronounced, and a few patients are significantly limited in forward flexion. Patients will present with scoliosis, with most patients having varying degrees of lumbar scoliosis, and the direction of the lateral protrusion can indicate the relationship between the location of the protrusion and the nerve root. Patients will exhibit numbness in the lower extremities, which is often present with longer disease duration, but is mostly limited to the posterior lateral calf, dorsum of the foot, heel, sole, or palm of the foot.