An L4-L5 disc bulge can range from mild discomfort to serious, potentially causing sciatica, weakness, and numbness, but becomes a medical emergency if you experience saddle numbness (groin/buttocks), bowel/bladder control loss, or severe leg weakness (foot drop), requiring immediate care to prevent permanent damage. While often treatable non-surgically, its seriousness depends on nerve compression, so see a doctor promptly if symptoms worsen or don't improve.
Avoid mobilisation or movement exercises for your disc These exercises include movements like knee rocks, or worse, knee hugs and child's pose. These exercises or movements are simply wiggling the area that is injured, and with unnecessary amplitude.
Patients also report dizziness and nausea. In some cases, the patient may even have heart palpitations and difficulty lifting the foot. These are often mistaken for symptoms of lung, stomach or heart problems. The symptoms also depend on the location of the herniated disc.
The problem with a disc bulge or a herniated disc comes when the displaced disc places pressure posteriorly toward the nerve roots that are exiting on either side of the spine at any of the various levels of the vertebrae. This can cause not only lower back pain but also the pain in the ankle as well.
Between these bones are discs that act as shock absorbers. Due to injury, arthritis, or wear and tear, a disc can move out of place. The herniated disc can press on surrounding nerves. These nerves could be the cause of chronic headaches.
Seek emergency medical attention if you have: Worsening symptoms. Pain, numbness or weakness can increase to the point that they hamper your daily activities. Bladder or bowel dysfunction.
A spinal headache usually starts in the first few days after the procedure that caused it. You may feel a dull, throbbing pain. It can start in the front or back of the head, and you may feel it down into your neck and shoulders. The headache may get worse when you move your head or when you sit or stand.
Seeking Medical Care for Herniated Discs
Emergency departments are equipped to handle acute symptoms and can facilitate urgent imaging and consultation with a spine specialist. For non-emergency symptoms, scheduling an appointment with a spine specialist can provide the necessary evaluation and treatment plan.
Leg pain often occurs with a lumbar herniated disc–damage in the lower back–because the herniated disc starts to impinge on a nerve on the spine, which then causes the nerve to be inflamed, sending pain signals shooting down the leg in addition to numbness, tingling, and weakness.
A common cause of nerve compression, particularly in the L4, L5, and S1 regions, herniated discs can lead to pain that radiates down the leg and into the foot.
You should seek emergency medical attention for herniated disks if you experience symptoms such as bladder and bowel dysfunction or other serious symptoms. These symptoms include pain, numbness, or weakness that increases to the point of interfering with daily activities.
We conclude that the lumbar disk herniation can lead to specific local alterations of the gray and white matter in the human brain.
Your cervical spine — or, your neck — plays a key role in balance and coordination. So, when this area of your spine is inflamed, arthritic or injured, it can make you feel dizzy, lightheaded and unsteady.
The importance of seeing a doctor
Most importantly, an L4-L5 disc bulge can lead to prolonged pain and other, more serious conditions like spondylolisthesis if you delay treatment. Spondylolisthesis is a condition in which a vertebra shifts or slips, and can cause significant pain that may require surgery to fix.
A herniated disc in the lower back can significantly impact daily activities and work performance, often necessitating sick leave for recovery. Typically, non-surgical cases require 4-6 weeks off, while surgical interventions may extend leave to 8-12 weeks.
Exercises that involve bending forward from the waist, such as toe touches and forward bends, can place undue stress on the lower back. These movements can exacerbate the bulging disc and cause more pain. It's better to engage in stretches that maintain the natural curve of the spine.
When the lumbar disc herniation is in an acute or semi-acute phase, the inflammation of the sciatic nerve is likely to become so disabling that the person cannot walk, and even standing becomes quite painful. If this sounds like your situation, we recommend rest until the inflammation subsides.
The goal of minimally invasive microdiscectomy is to remove the bulge from the herniated portion of the disc and relieve pressure on the affected nerve. The surgeon makes a half-inch incision and uses x-ray or CT navigation to insert a circular retractor tube.
Symptoms Of Lumbar Spinal Segment (L4-L5)
Patients may feel lower back pain radiating to one or both sides of their lower limbs. A variety of symptoms include tingling, numbness (pins & needles), burning sensations in the foot and legs, and numbness (pins & needles).
In the presence of a herniated/prolapse/ruptured/slipped disc, URGENT surgery (within 24-36 hours) is recommended for CAUDA EQUINA symptoms. These symptomsinclude but not limited to: Loss of bladder and bowelsensation or control (incontinence) Numbness in the perianal/perineal (saddle) region (private parts)
You might be referred to a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation, orthopedic surgery, neurology, or neurosurgery.
numbness or tingling in your shoulders, back, arms, hands, legs or feet. neck pain. problems bending or straightening your back. muscle weakness.
A wet tap is the process of connecting a new pipe or line to an active, pressurized water system or utility main without shutting it down. This pressure tapping method is ideal when service disruption isn't an option—such as in hospitals, multi-tenant buildings, or critical municipal infrastructure.
A cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak happens when a tear in the membrane around your brain or spinal cord lets fluid escape. Cranial leaks can cause headaches and nasal drainage. Spinal leaks may lead to headaches, neck stiffness or back pain. A healthcare provider can diagnose and treat it.
A spinal headache is an intense headache that happens when the amount of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) around your brain decreases. It can result from a spinal tap (lumbar puncture) or if CSF leaks out due to a cyst or tear in the meninges that cover your spinal cord.