Symptoms of a herniated disc
What are the symptoms of a herniated disc? Do my symptoms fit with an emerging or acute herniated disc? Can a herniated disc cause different symptoms? How do I get rid of a herniated disc? Here you will find all the information about herniated disc symptoms and complaints.
What are early herniated disc symptoms?
Many of our patients report that the first symptoms started after they lifted a heavy load, for example, “I helped someone move...”, “After 3 days of laying tiles, it suddenly started...”, or “We worked hard in the garden, which was necessary, but then...”.
The first symptom is often a dull or stabbing pain in the lower back. At this point there is no need to worry. We all experience this in our lives without it immediately resulting in a herniated disc. In more than 90% of cases, this indicates muscle pain or acute overuse of the joints and not a herniated disc. Taking a short break, perhaps a paracetamol or ibuprofen and an ice pack, are usually sufficient. Then if the pain subsides after a few hours or a few days, you can forget all about it with confidence.
This is not always the case, though. The pain can also radiate to the buttocks or one leg. The pain can be excruciating, causing sensations like feeling electric shocks or a hot knife in your back or leg. When this happens, the symptoms strongly indicate a herniated disc.
Symptoms: How do you recognize a herniated disc?
The typical symptom for a Hernia Nuclei Pulposi (HNP), slipped disc or herniated disc is pain in the lower back that radiates to one of the legs. We will discuss some of the more frequent symptoms of herniated discs here.
Radiating leg pain:
The deep impact of nerve pain
Nerve pathways act like electrical cables, reaching from the back into the foot. When a herniated disc occurs, pressure on these “cables” can cause a short circuit. The way this is felt can vary greatly. Many people describe herniated disc symptoms as a stabbing or electrical pain that radiates from the back or buttocks to the leg, the back of the leg and often into the ankle and foot. The pain follows the trajectory of the compressed nerves, causing herniated disc symptoms and related complaints.
Tingling or numbness:
Strange sensations are perceived
Nerves have several functions. One very important function is to carry information from parts of the body, for example from the legs, to the brain. It is important to know if the feet are in danger of freezing in winter or if you are accidentally walking on hot coals. The nerves transmit this information to the brain and you can react accordingly. This happens automatically! If a nerve is pinched by a herniated disc, this input no longer gets through, or is distorted. You “think” your feet are cold, but when touched they are warm. Or it feels like water is running over them. These are signs that the nerve conduction is no longer functioning properly. If you are experiencing these herniated disc symptoms, it is advisable to stay keenly aware of the symptoms and seek professional help if they worsen.
The muscles no longer obey:
Paralysis and rapid fatigue
Another important function of the nerves is to control the muscles. To control and move the body, the brain must give commands to the muscles. Just as you press a light switch and the current flows to the lamp and it gives light. If the line is broken, there is no light. If the nerve is pinched, the muscle doesn't know to move.
The most common complaint is the so-called “clubfoot.” The muscle that should lift the foot when walking does not work and the foot flaps down with every step. There are, of course, many other muscles, which in turn are controlled by other nerves. Standing on your tiptoes and tightening the gluteal muscle, for example, is controlled by the S1 nerve. Squatting down without sinking through it (be careful testing this!) is controlled by nerves higher up in the lower back. More on the different nerves and herniated disc symptoms later.
​
A failure of muscle function is always alarming. Function can return, even without spinal surgery, provided the body allows the herniated tissue to dissolve quickly enough on its own. However, this is not always successful, in this case, it is wise to intervene sooner and take the pressure off the nerve as soon as possible. From that point on, the affected nerve can start to recover.
pain free in 3 simple steps
Our international team is ready to help you
1
fill in the contact form and one of our specialists will respond within 24 hours. A consultation can be planed within a week.​
2
Besides a detailed interview a neurological examination takes place and a MRI is made. Your therapeutic options are discussed right away.
Our German efficiency makes it possible to do this with in a few hours
3
If a spinal surgery is the best option you wil meet our anesthesiologists right away and the operation can be performed within a day or two.
Disorders of the bladder and bowel:
Extremely rare!
The spinal cord does not extend to the lower back in adult bodies. This means there is usually a lot of space in the nerve canal because there are “only” nerve cables running through there. That space is filled with liquor (cerebrospinal fluid). The reason that herniated discs often pinch nerves anyway is that a herniated disc has certain preferred locations where it protrudes from the intervertebral disc. These locations are unfortunately close to the nerves.
The nerves connected to the bladder and bowel run through the middle of the nerve canal, all the way to the tailbone. So to put pressure on these, the herniated disc must be very large, so large in fact that the entire nerve canal with all its nerves is squeezed shut. This happens rarely, but is very dangerous. Because just like with muscle failure, the control of the bladder and/or bowel function can fail as a result. Should this be permanent, it is a huge limitation of your bodily function. When your bladder and or bowel control seems to fail - the so-called cauda equina syndrome - is imminent! In this case, the pressure on the nerves must be removed as soon as possible.
The paralysis of the bladder muscle usually results in what is called an “overflowing bladder.” Normally, the bladder muscle resists being stretched by becoming increasingly full. If the pressure gets too high, you open the sphincter muscle and the bladder empties. If the bladder muscle is paralyzed, it fills more and more, becoming bigger and bigger like a balloon. Slim people can then feel the bladder at the bottom of the abdomen. You realize that you have not urinated for a long time, and yet you feel no pressure. Suddenly the bladder is then overflowing and the sphincter opens spontaneously for a moment to release the excess fluid.
A lot of patients hear the following statement: We will wait with surgery until you can no longer urinate. This is very dangerous! It suggests that there is still time to operate then. But actually, at this point it is often too late! The failure of important bodily functions might already be permanent. Even after surgery (if it is even possible on short notice) it remains to be seen whether the damaged nerves will recover!
If you experience these symptoms of a herniated disc, they need to be taken seriously. Seek treatment right away! If the waiting periods in your area are to long, don’t hesitate to contact us
Herniated discs: Pressing on different nerves causes various symptoms
Let's use a metaphor for the sake of clarity: A light switch is connected to a specific lamp. If you press this switch, that lamp always turns on. If you press another switch, then another lamp comes on. It works the same way with the nerves in the human body. Just as an electrician knows which cable leads where, a doctor also knows which nerve ends up where. So before meeting with the doctor, try to listen to your body carefully, so you can articulate as precisely as possible what herniated disc symptoms you are experiencing and where they are located in your body.
Herniated discs at the L5/S1 level of the spine are a more common variation of lumbar disc herniation. A herniated disc at the level L5/S1 can put pressure on the S1 nerve. The S1 nerve is responsible for the calf muscles. When the pressure on this nerve gets too high, it can happen that you can’t press your foot down or stand on your tiptoes anymore. Severe cases can lead to a so-called “clubfoot”, a symptom that can result in permanent nerve damage.
If you experience these symptoms of a herniated disc, they need to be taken seriously. Seek treatment right away! If the waiting periods in your area are to long, don’t hesitate to contact us:
How do we distinguish the different nerves?
Human anatomy is fortunately largely known. We know the trajectories of the most important nerve connections. So by carefully listening to the description of the symptoms provided by the patient, and drawing on their knowledge and training, a doctor can recognize a herniated disc and make a treatment plan. An MRI scan is the best way to view the spine and see whether a herniated disc has occurred. Of course the MRI can also show non-relevant anomalies in the lower back area, but not all deviations from the spinal norm have medical consequences. While reviewing the MRI it is important that the described symptoms align with the compression seen in the scan!
When do I have to seek medical help with herniated disc symptoms?
Most herniated discs can be resolved by the body, without the need of medical intervention. A herniated disc is the intervertebral disc's way of trying to find a new balance. It indicates that the pressure in the core of the disc has risen, so that the elastic ring surrounding it can no longer contain it. Think of a whistling kettle when the water begins to boil. The vapor must pass through the flute before the kettle explodes. However, that piece of the core protruding from the disc often presses on the nerves, causing light to severe symptoms. This is detrimental to the nerve. So if you experience loss of control, or the pain is too severe or prolonged, consult with a doctor! This points to the need for medical intervention.
Oxycodone and herniated discs: How high a dosage is helpful?
The body needs time to resolve a herniated disc on its own. Seeing that a herniated disc can come with a considerable amount of pain and other symptoms that can severely decrease your quality of life, the use of pain medication can help you get through it. With smaller herniated discs pain management is a good option, as surgery is not necessary if the herniated tissue does not compress the nerves surrounding it. Conservative treatment methods are used step by step, only increasing the amount of pain medication if necessary.
The first step is the use of anti-inflammatory drugs. A nerve under pressure swells and therefore worsens the symptoms, the anti-inflammatories help to reduce this swelling, helping to give the nerve back the space it needs. If the herniated disc presses on the nerve too much, thereby causing it to swell, nerve damage can be a possible outcome that needs to be prevented. Typical anti-inflammatory pain medications are Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Naproxen and others. As with most medications these should only be taken temporarily. In some countries these medications are available at drug stores and pharmacies mostly without the necessity of a prescription. They can also be combined with less strong pain medication such as paracetamol. If the herniated disc is a more severe case these will however take strong dosages to help with the pain.
If the anti-inflammatories and weaker painkillers do not help with the symptoms, the next step would be pain killers that work on the central nervous system, such as Tramadol or Tilidin. Because these stronger pain killers can be addictive, they should always be prescribed by a doctor and only taken for the short term. The next step if the other pain medications fail to relieve the symptoms, would be one dose of cortisone (given by injection), these should only be given to acute cases.
In recent years, a new group of antiepileptic medications has emerged, such as Gabapentin, Pregabalin, Lyrica and others. These drugs have been shown to help not only against short circuits in the brain (epilepsy), but also against short circuits in the nerves. However, they are certainly not harmless medications. When given for epilepsy, it is customary to monitor the patient through regular blood tests, to see how high the concentration of that medication is in the patients’ blood. If they are given for the pain related to a herniated disc, this is unfortunately not the usual modus operandi. This failure of monitoring patients that are given these strong medications is a dangerous trend that is partly motivated by the pharmaceutical industry. Another far more dangerous trend is the prescription of Morphine for herniated disc symptoms.
In the Netherlands it has become common to prescribe Oxycodone and other opioids, for herniated disc pain. Because of an obligatory stepped care system that prevents patients from access to surgical treatment in a timely manner, general practitioners opt for the prescription of these strong and highly addictive drugs, in order to relieve their patients’ incredible pain. This however is a risky approach.
In the past Morphines were used sparingly and the prescription of these drugs was highly regulated. Because of the addictiveness of these drugs, they were only used for life-threatening illnesses, in most cases only in the context of palliative care. Unfortunately, American pharmaceutical companies have changed this by way of marketing these drugs as pain relievers for all sorts of symptoms. The devastating result was an extreme increase of general practitioners prescribing these drugs for all manner of aches and pains, thereby causing the American opioid crisis. This resulted in massive addiction rates and up to 100.000 deaths in some years related to drug overdoses. These rates have gone down only marginally, the rate of opioid related deaths only decreasing by 24% in 2024, according to the CDC. Therefore the new trend of doctors in the Netherlands prescribing these drugs is an alarming development!
And another even more dangerous trend is looming: The use of Fentanyl! This drug is proven to be more addictive than heroin and can result in overdoses and death more quickly than the other variations of these types of drugs!
So be careful before you take Oxycodone and other forms of opioids!
Frequently Asked Questions about
herniated disc symptoms
How do I know if my leg pain is related to a herniated disc?
If the pain travels from your lower back down through the buttock and leg (often called sciatica), it’s a strong indicator that a disc is pressing on a nerve.
Can a herniated disc cause tingling or numbness?
Yes. Numbness, tingling, or a “pins and needles” sensation in the leg or foot is common when nerves are irritated or compressed.
Do herniated disc symptoms come and go?
Yes. Some people have flare-ups with varying intensity, especially after activity or sitting too long.
Can neck symptoms be similar to lower back disc issues?
Yes. A herniated disc in the neck can cause arm pain, tingling, and even weakness, just as a lumbar disc affects the leg.
When should I speak to a specialist?
If pain lasts more than a few days, worsens, or starts to affect your mobility, it’s a good time to speak to a spinal expert.
Why do my symptoms change depending on my posture or movement?
Certain movements can increase pressure on the disc, worsening symptoms. For example, bending or sitting may trigger more pain.
.png)
.png)