Pain with a herniated disc of the lumbar spine | Symptoms of a slipped disc of the lumbar spine

Pain with a herniated disc of the lumbar spine

The location of the pain depends on the extent of the damage to the spinal column. In addition, the intensity of the pain usually correlates with the severity of the damage. At the level of the herniated disc, the nerve roots and also the nerves in the spinal canal can be trapped.

The pain and also failure symptoms then occur in the area supplied by these nerves. This type of pain is also known as radicular pain. Herniated discs in the area of the lumbar spine (lumbar spine) often express themselves with pain in the leg and foot.

This is often the sciatic nerve, which is affected. The pain is then called sciatica or lumboischialgia. Furthermore, the symptoms can also radiate into the abdomen or back.

The back pain is also called lumbalgia or lumbago. Patients often report an increase in pain when they cough, sneeze or otherwise increase pressure in the abdomen. In the case of severe damage to the intervertebral discs, the initial severe pain and symptoms can slowly subside after a certain time.

This can be a bad sign. Because then there could possibly already be advanced damage to the lumbago in the spinal cord. The nerve fibres can die due to entrapment and no longer fulfil their function. As a result, paralysis and numbness develop.

Slipped disc of the lumbar spine and abdominal pain

Symptoms such as abdominal pain are not always associated with a herniated disc in the lumbar spine. However, the pain caused by an incarceration of the sciatic nerve in the lumbar spine often radiates into the abdominal cavity. The sciatic nerve is a very large nerve.

It begins at the level of the lumbar spine (lumbar spine) and then runs down the lower abdomen to the buttocks. There it divides into different branches. Due to its course, it is obvious that the pain can also radiate into the abdomen and erroneously indicate a disease in the abdominal cavity.

Occurrence of tingling and numbness with a slipped disc in the lumbar spine

In addition to the pain, numbness can also develop in the areas of skin supplied by the pinched nerve in the leg. Those affected often report a tingling sensation in the skin or it feels like walking ants. The symptoms can occur continuously or are triggered by certain movements or only temporarily.

A typical disorder is the so-called breeches anaesthesia. This involves sensitivity disorders with pronounced numbness on the back of the thighs, around the rectum and on the inner lower legs. Here there is an urgent need for action to avoid permanent damage with permanent complaints. If you suffer from tingling or numbness, we recommend the following topics:

  • Is a tingling sensation a sign of a slipped disc? and
  • Is numbness a sign of a slipped disc?