The most common presenting complaint is that of shooting pain down one or, although uncommon, both legs. The pain will typically travel from the back or buttocks to below the knee, following the path of a specific nerve root. The following are drawings of typical nerve root distributions. The pain does not always fit neatly into one of these patterns, but it is helpful in determining which disc is herniated. The second symptom that sometimes accompanies a disc herniation is back pain.
Patients often report a history of back pain that occurred prior to the actual herniation.
Episodes of back pain that meet this description were probably caused by a disc that was merely bulging, without actually herniating. Prior to complete disc rupture with herniation, it is characteristic for a person to experience recurring bouts of back pain with referred leg pain. A referred pain is one that stems from another structure, in this case the disc, but is felt a short distance away. The referred leg pain is usually in the front of the thighs or in the buttocks, but not below the knees. Additionally, a patient may experience numbness or weakness with a herniated disc.