Introduction
Disc herniation is a protrusion formed in the intervertebral discs as a result of significant efforts or jerky or repetitive. These protrusions or hernias compress the nerve roots exiting the spine and go to the arms or legs. 
For the neck, herniated cervical disc produce the so called "Cervico-Brachial Neuralgia (pain in the neck, shoulder and arm on the side of the hernia) and in the case of the lumbar produce sciatica or lumbo-sciatica or pain in the lower back, and this pain spreads to the leg-side herniated lumbar or lumbo - sacral.
Herniated disks can occur in Cervical or lumbar level.
Lumbar disk herniation.
Background
Herniated lumbar intervertebral discs are cartilaginous plates surrounded by a fibrous ring which lie between the vertebrae and serve to cushion. For, wear and tear or trauma, the fibrous tissue (annulus) that surrounds the soft disc material (nucleus pulposus) may tear. This causes the disc protrusion or extrusion of disc material into the canal or neural foramen. This has been called herniated discs, ruptured discs, nucleus pulposus, or prolapsed disc.
This disc herniation may become significant if a nerve root is compressed. The irritation of a nerve root causes pain along the nerve, typically the back of the leg, one side of the calf and possibly to one side of the foot. For
If you are sensory function of the nerve root involved, there might be insensitive. The exact sensitivity is lost deteminada by the particular root, and may be the inner ankle, the toe, heel, the outer ankle, the outer leg, or a combination thereof. If you are involved in motor function of the root will cause weakness which again depends on the particular root, and may include weakness or collapse the stretch to lift the ankle or toe.
| Manifestación | Nivel de Herniamiento Discal | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| L3-L4 | L4-L5 | L5-S1 | |
| Raíz Comprimida | L4 | L5 | S1 |
| Debilidad | cuadriceps, tibia anterior | extension del dedo gordo | flexion del tobillo |
| Implicación del Reflejo | movimiento brusco rodilla | no significativa | tendón de Aquiles |
| Pérdida Sensorial | tobillo medio | dedo gordo | lado del pie y talón |
| Distribución del Dolor | parte delantera muslo | parte trasera muslo | parte trasera muslo, lateral pantorrilla |
Table. The most common clinical manifestations of lumbar disc herniation.