What does a herniated L5 disc feel like?

This pain might shoot into your arm or leg when you cough, sneeze or move into certain positions. Pain is often described as sharp or burning. Numbness or tingling. People who have a herniated disk often have radiating numbness or tingling in the body part served by the affected nerves.

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What are the symptoms of a L5 disc herniation?

The most common levels for a herniated disc are L4-5 and L5-S1. The onset of symptoms is characterized by a sharp, burning, stabbing pain radiating down the posterior or lateral aspect of the leg, to below the knee. Pain is generally superficial and localized, and is often associated with numbness or tingling.

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What are 3 signs and symptoms of a herniated disk?

Herniated Disc Disorders
  • Pain that occurs on one side of the body.
  • Sharp pain in one part of the leg, hip, or buttocks and numbness in other parts. You may also feel pain or numbness on the back of the calf or sole of the foot. ...
  • Pain when moving your neck or deep pain near or over the shoulder blade.

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Where is L5 disc pain felt?

Compression or inflammation of the L5 and/or S1 spinal nerve root may cause radiculopathy symptoms or sciatica, characterized by: Pain, generally felt as a sharp, shooting, and/or searing feeling in the buttock, thigh, leg, foot, and/or toes.

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What does L5 nerve pain feel like?

A pinched L5 nerve root usually results in radiating pain in the foot. This pain can come in the form of numbness, tingling, weakness and shooting and is commonly felt in the big toe, inside of the foot, top of the foot and ankle.

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Herniated Disc Symptoms

45 related questions found

What are symptoms of L5 damage?

What Are The Symptoms of L4-L5 Damage?
  • Sharp pain that begins in the lower back and moves down the leg.
  • Weakness in the leg with motion.
  • Numbness in the leg, foot, and/or toes.
  • Tingling and/or pins-and-needles sensation along the sciatic nerve.

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What are the symptoms of L5-S1 nerve damage?

Common Symptoms of L5-S1 Disc Herniation
  • Numbness or tingling in the affected area.
  • Weakness in the muscles innervated by the affected nerve.
  • A sensation of electrical shock down the leg.
  • Inflammation and swelling.

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What muscles are affected by L5 nerve?

Although considerable controversy still exists, previous work in this field suggests that the L5 nerve root supplies tibialis anterior, extensor hallucis longus, extensor digitorum brevis, and the lateral head of gastrocnemius, while the S1 nerve root innervates the medial head of gastrocnemius, soleus, and abductor ...

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What part of the body does L5 nerve affect?

L5 spinal nerve provides sensation to the outer side of your lower leg, the upper part of your foot and the space between your first and second toe. This nerve also controls hip, knee, foot and toe movements. The sciatic nerve consists of the L4 and L5 nerves plus other sacral nerves.

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Where does L5-S1 disc bulge hurt?

Common symptoms of L5-S1 disc bulge can be as follows: A sharp, burning, stabbing, or shooting pain in the buttock, thigh, leg, foot, or toes. Weakness in legs. Loss of sensation at the bottom of your foot or near your heel.

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What are the red flags for herniated disc?

Pain that radiates below the knee is a red flag for a herniated disc or nerve root compression below the L3 nerve root. This is based on the dermatomal distribution of the nerve roots and the fact that the pain associated with inflammation radiates along the entire pathway of the nerve.

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What can be mistaken for a herniated disk?

Herniated discs are often misdiagnosed as piriformis syndrome, a muscular disorder in the buttocks, mild sciatica, degenerative disc disease, and osteoarthritis.

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What confirms a herniated disc?

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): The most common and accurate imaging test for a suspected herniated disk is an MRI. X-rays: Getting X-rays helps rule out other causes of back or neck pain. Computed tomography (CT): A CT scan show the bones of your spine.

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What not to do with a L5 S1 herniated disc?

Skip movements that involve significant axial loading on the lower back, such as squats and leg presses. Avoid toe-touches, sit-ups, and yoga poses that worsen the pain and lead to significant bending of the back.

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Is L5 disc bulge serious?

A L4–L5 disc bulge (or slip-disc) in the L4-L5 region can cause severe health issues such as impotence and reproduction issues. It can also lead to infertility, loss or control of the bowel or bladder, paralysis in one or both of your legs, and even death.

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What happens if the L5 nerve is damaged?

The L5 vertebra is the final section of the lumbar spine (at least, it is for most people). Injury to the L5 spinal nerve bundle can cause numbness and weakness in the legs, but the extent of these symptoms can vary from case to case.

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Can L4 L5 cause bowel problems?

Spondylolisthesis at the L4-L5 spinal segment can cause carrying degrees of back pain, leg pain, and sciatica. It may also cause weakness in the legs, loss of bowels and bladder control, reproductive issues, and paralysis.

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What is the pain pattern of L5-S1?

L5 pain is described as pain running from the OUTSIDE to the inner shin to the outer border of the feet. The S1 pain pattern is closer to classic sciatica, with pain running down the back of your leg and often into your toes. These are the most prevalent L5-S1 pain symptoms.

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Does L5-S1 affect hips?

A herniated L5-S1 disc can press and impinge nerves and the spinal cord. This compression can lead to discomfort, aches, and pains in the back, buttocks, hips, thighs, legs feet, or toes. It may also cause numbness, tingling, and weakness in the thighs, legs, knees, ankles, feet, or toes.

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What can be done for L5 nerve damage?

Treatment of L5-S1 usually begins with:
  • Medication. Over-the-counter (OTC) medications, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are usually tried first for pain stemming from L5-S1. ...
  • Physical therapy. ...
  • Chiropractic manipulation. ...
  • Self-care.

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Can L5 cause hip pain?

Damage to L4 and L5, including spondylolisthesis, can lead to hip pain. This is because the misaligned vertebrae can press on nerves that extend through the hips. When these nerves become irritated, inflamed, or damaged, the patient may experience significant hip and leg pain.

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When is L5 S1 surgery necessary?

There are a few common conditions that L5-S1 surgery treats. You may be a candidate for this disc replacement procedure if you live with any of the following spinal problems: Herniated disc with back and leg pain. Disc degeneration: your spinal discs have worn out, broken down, or been pushed out of place.

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Does L5 affect walking?

L5 nerve impingement (at the L4-L5 level) from a herniated disc can cause symptoms such as weakness in extending the big toe and potentially in the ankle, which leads to difficulty with the heel-to-toe motion in walking. This weakness is called foot drop.

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