Symptoms of lumbar vertebra 45 herniation

If the 4th or 5th lumbar vertebrae protrude, the patient will often experience low back pain, which is also the most common symptom of lumbar disc herniation. In more serious cases, it will cause radiating pain and severe pain in the lower limbs. It is also prone to cause other symptoms, such as urinary problems, abnormal symptoms in the perineum and perianal area, etc.

Symptoms of lumbar vertebra 45 herniation

1. Low back pain. It is the first symptom that occurs in most patients, with an incidence of about 91%. Because the outer layer of the annulus fibrosus and the posterior longitudinal ligament are stimulated by the nucleus pulposus, induced pain in the lower back is produced through the vertebral nerve, sometimes accompanied by buttocks pain.

2. Radiating pain in the lower limbs. Although high-level lumbar disc herniation (L2-3, L3-4) can cause femoral neuralgia, it is rare in clinical practice, accounting for less than 5%. The vast majority of patients have herniation between L4 and 5, or L5 and S1, and present with sciatica. Typical sciatica is pain that radiates from the lower back to the buttocks, back of the thigh, outer side of the calf to the foot. The pain is aggravated by increased abdominal pressure due to sneezing and coughing. The radiating pain is mostly on one side of the limbs, and only a very small number of patients with central or paracentral nucleus pulposus herniation show symptoms in both lower limbs.

3.Cauda equina symptoms. The nucleus pulposus protruding to the rear or the prolapsed and free intervertebral disc tissue compresses the cauda equina, which mainly manifests as difficulty in defecation and urination, and abnormal sensation in the perineum and perianal area. In severe cases, symptoms such as incontinence and incomplete paralysis of both lower limbs may occur, which are rare in clinical practice.

Self-examination method for lumbar disc herniation

1. Bend your legs. The specific method of self-diagnosis of lumbar disc herniation is to let the patient lie flat on a flat bed, stretch one leg out, and then bend it several times, and the patient will feel pain along the buttocks and thigh.

2. Pain. Self-diagnosis methods for lumbar disc herniation include low back pain accompanied by nerve root compression, which radiates to the buttocks; some patients do not experience leg pain or numbness.

3. Leg-lifting experiment. The specific approach of this self-diagnosis method for lumbar disc herniation is to have the patient lie flat on a flat bed and gradually lift one leg up. The patient will gradually feel swelling and pain from the lower thigh to the calf, accompanied by difficulty in lifting the leg. Some patients feel this feeling in both legs.

4. Coughing method. If the pain in your waist and legs worsens after coughing, it may be a herniated disc. The pain of lumbar disc herniation is caused by compression of the nerve roots by the protruding lumbar disc. When coughing, sneezing or straining to defecate, the intra-abdominal pressure increases, and the abdominal venous blood flows back to the spinal venous system, increasing the pressure in the spinal canal. The nerve roots are subjected to increased pressure from the lumbar disc, which in turn aggravates the pain.