Often, friends with imaging reports will ask: what should I do for a herniated disc? After examination, there are no signs of nerve irritation, and lumbar disc herniation is basically ruled out. At this time I would tell them that a herniated disc is as normal as wrinkles appearing on the face and hair turning gray, and is not a disease. A herniated lumbar disc is not a herniated lumbar disc. A herniated disc is a rupture of the fibrous annulus of the disc and protrusion of the nucleus pulposus tissue from the posterior into the spinal canal, which is only a pathological change, or imaging manifestation. The incidence of lumbar disc herniation is high in the asymptomatic population. One study performed MRI scans on 102 asymptomatic volunteers, aged 14-82 years with a mean of 46.3 years, and found rates of disc herniation, annulus fibrosus tears, and nucleus pulposus degeneration of 81.4%, 76.1%, and 75.8%, respectively. A study published in the JBJS showed that more than 20% of asymptomatic volunteers under the age of 60 had disc herniation, and a study in Spine also showed that 40% of asymptomatic volunteers under the age of 30 had disc degeneration, rising to 90% of volunteers aged 50-55. Additional long-term follow-up studies have found no correlation between the presence of a herniated disc in volunteers and the subsequent presence and duration of low back pain. Lumbar disc herniation, on the other hand, is a clinical syndrome in which a herniated lumbar disc causes irritation or compression of adjacent crestal nerve roots, resulting in a series of symptoms such as low back pain, numbness and pain in one or both lower extremities. Lumbar disc herniation must not only have imaging manifestations of lumbar disc herniation, but also clinical manifestations of damage to the corresponding nerve structures, pain numbness and other features with radicular distribution. The diagnostic criteria are as follows: ① Leg pain is greater than lumbar pain and is mainly confined to the sciatic or femoral innervation zone. ② Abnormal sensation in the dermatomal region. ③positive straight leg raise test with angle less than 50% of normal, or positive straight leg raise test on the healthy side. ④2 out of 4 items such as muscle atrophy, weakness, hypoesthesia and weakened tendon reflexes were present. ⑤ Imaging features consistent with the clinical presentation. Therefore, even if there is an obvious lumbar disc herniation on imaging and there is also regional pain in the lumbar region, buttocks or thighs, the diagnosis of lumbar disc herniation is questionable if there is no pattern of neurogenic distribution.