Symptoms

If the herniated disc isn't pressing on a nerve, you may have an ache in the low back or no symptoms at all.

Only a few people who have herniated discs have severe or troublesome symptoms.

When the disc does press on a nerve, symptoms may include:

• Pain that travels through the buttock and down a leg to the ankle or foot because of pressure on the sciatic nerve. Low back pain may accompany the leg pain.
• Tingling ("pins-and-needles" sensation) or numbness in one leg that can begin in the buttock or behind the knee and extend to the thigh, ankle, or foot.
• Weakness in certain muscles in one or both legs.
• Pain in the front of the thigh.
• Severe deep muscle pain and muscle spasms

Cauda equina syndrome

Weakness in both legs and the loss of bladder and/or bowel control are symptoms of a specific and severe type of nerve root compression called cauda equina syndrome. This is a rare but serious problem. A person with these symptoms should see a doctor right away.

What Happens

Due to age, injury, or both, the outer layer of a spinal disc may dry out and form tiny cracks. Sometimes this causes a:

• Bulging disc. Some of the thick gel in the disc may leak into the cracks. The disc may begin to bulge out from between the bones of the spine (vertebrae).
• Ruptured disc. The gel breaks through the capsule.
• Free fragment. Fragments of a ruptured disc may break completely free of the disc and lodge in the spinal canal.

Any of these stages can cause pressure on a nerve root and symptoms of pain and numbness.

The cracks in the disc don't repair themselves, but the pain usually fades over time. About half of the people with herniated discs in the low back recover within 1 month. And within 6 months, most recover.¹

Often material from a herniated disc is broken down and absorbed by the body, a process called resorption. In about 2 out of 3 people, the disc herniation is at least partly gone after 6 months.²

Long-term problems

• Pain may come and go. Pain-free periods happen less and less.
• Long-lasting (chronic) and recurring pain can develop because of continued tissue irritation caused by the disc pressing on a nerve.
• Chronic pain syndrome can result from having ongoing pain, causing depression, anxiety, and trouble coping with daily life.
• Symptoms caused by long-term nerve root compression include loss of agility, strength, or sensation in one or both legs and feet.