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If you have a herniated lumbar disc, you'll typically feel pain that radiates from your lower back area, down one or both legs, and sometimes into your feet (called sciatica). You may feel a pain like an electric shock that is severe whether you stand, walk, or sit. Activity such as bending, lifting, twisting, and stooping increases the pain. Lying on your back may be the only relief because it relieves the downward pressure on the disc. Also, you may notice numbness or a tingly feeling in your leg or foot. A herniated disc may follow a period of low back pain, or even a longer history of sporadic back pain that comes and goes. The pain changes from low back pain to sciatica (leg or foot pain) when the gel-like substance in your disc actually pushes out and presses against a nerve. The amount of pain you feel depends on how much the nerve is compressed. You may experience cramping or muscle spasms in your back or leg. Often, by the time pain develops in your leg, the pain in your lower back may have decreased. In addition to pain, you may have leg muscle weakness, or knee or ankle reflex loss. In severe cases, you may experience foot drop (your foot flops when you walk) or loss of bowel or bladder control.
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