The severity of a patient with lumbar disc herniation needs to be determined based on a combination of symptoms, signs and imaging findings. How do patients determine the severity of their condition based on their symptoms? The presence of urinary and fecal problems indicates the severity of the disease. The presence of weakness in the lower extremities, which is getting worse, indicates a serious condition. How to check yourself: step on your heels to see if you can keep your toes up bilaterally; step on your toes again to see if you can keep your heels up bilaterally. If you do not have the above symptoms, but only have back and leg pain, you will be judged according to the location and characteristics of the pain: the farther the pain location is from the lumbar spine, the more serious the condition is; having back and leg pain is more serious than just having back pain; having calf pain is more serious than only having thigh pain. The longer the pain lasts, the more serious the disease is. If there is still time when there is no pain for 24 hours a day, it is intermittent pain, and intermittent pain is less serious than persistent pain. If there is no pain at rest, but there is pain during activity, it means that the pain is related to activity, and the condition is mild. Patients with severe disease are more likely to have surgery, while those with mild disease are suitable for rehabilitation.