First of all, there are two concepts: lumbar disc herniation and lumbar spinal stenosis are different from lumbar disc herniation and lumbar spinal stenosis, and the word “disease” is added to lumbar disc herniation and lumbar spinal stenosis with symptoms. In clinical practice, many patients tend to confuse the two different diseases, lumbar disc herniation and lumbar spinal stenosis, and simply believe that they are just different stages of development of the same disease. Lumbar disc herniation is a series of symptoms caused by a herniated disc that compresses a nerve or nerve root due to long-term pressure on the disc, degeneration or trauma resulting in rupture of the disc’s annulus fibrosus. Lumbar disc herniation is the most important cause of back and leg pain, especially in young and middle-aged patients. There are many signs and symptoms of lumbar disc herniation, and here are the two most common ones: 1. Radicular pain in the lower limbs: This is mainly due to mechanical and/or chemical irritation of the spinal nerve roots. In mild cases, it is a radiating tingling or numbness from the waist to the posterior and lateral thighs and the anterior and lateral calves, reaching the back of the foot or the bottom of the foot; it is usually tolerable. In severe cases, it is a severe electric shock-like pain from the waist to the foot, and is mostly accompanied by numbness. 2, low back pain: more than 90% of lumbar disc protrusion (prolapse) will have this symptom, but there are also individual patients who only show radiating pain in the lower limbs. Lumbar spinal stenosis is caused by abnormalities in the bony or fibrous tissue of the spinal canal, resulting in a reduction in the effective volume of the spinal canal, resulting in dysfunction and a series of symptoms due to pressure or irritation of the nerve tissue located in the canal. Commonly seen in the elderly, but of course also in young people, the common causes are mainly lumbar spinal canal osteophytes, thickening or calcification of the ligamentum flavum, ossification or thickening of the posterior longitudinal ligament, lumbar spondylolisthesis, lumbar disc herniation secondary to spinal stenosis, etc. The main manifestations of lumbar spinal stenosis are: intermittent claudication: it is characterized by no symptoms when quiet or sleeping, leg pain, weakness and numbness when walking a short distance, and the symptoms reduce or disappear when standing or squatting for a little time. Many patients tend to show this one symptom, and a large proportion of patients also have lumbosacral pain, usually on both sides, which is aggravated when standing or walking, and alleviated when lying in bed or sitting. Patients with lumbar spinal stenosis often feel very painful, but there are often no positive signs during the physical examination, which is called “more complaints, less signs”, and this is a very important point of difference from lumbar disc herniation. However, many patients with lumbar spinal stenosis also have lumbar disc herniation, so they sometimes show signs of lumbar disc herniation, but these patients are often accompanied by intermittent claudication, which can be differentiated. Treatment The majority of patients with lumbar disc herniation can be relieved or even cured by functional exercise and medication, and only a small percentage of severe patients require surgery. For patients with lumbar spinal stenosis, patients with mild lumbar spinal stenosis can also be treated through functional exercises and non-surgical treatment methods such as drugs and physical therapy.