Determining whether lumbar muscle strain or lumbar disc herniation can be clarified based on different symptoms, physical examination and imaging tests. 1. Different symptoms: lumbar muscle strain mainly causes muscle pain on both sides of the lumbar back, but does not cause compression of the spinal cord and nerve roots, and does not cause numbness and pain in the buttocks and legs; whereas lumbar intervertebral disc herniation mainly causes pain and soreness in the middle of the lumbosacral region, and lumbar intervertebral disc herniation is prone to cause numbness and pain in the buttocks and legs due to compression of the spinal cord and nerve roots. 2. Physical examination: during physical examination for lumbar muscle strain, there may be obvious compression pain points in the lumbar muscles, and the pain will be obviously aggravated when twisting the waist; while during physical examination for lumbar disc herniation, the posture of lumbar vertebrae is abnormal, and the physiological spinal anterior convexity becomes smaller and disappears, and posterior convexity or lateral convexity may appear. 3. Imaging examination: during the imaging examination of lumbar intervertebral disc herniation, the intervertebral space can be seen to be narrowed and the spinal nerves can be compressed; however, the above phenomena will not appear during the imaging examination of lumbar muscle strain. Whether it is lumbar muscle strain or lumbar disc herniation, it is recommended that the patient consult the doctor in time, follow the doctor’s instructions to actively cooperate with the doctor’s treatment, and do not blindly self-medication, so as not to delay the condition.