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From the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Guía de Ejercicios para la Parte Baja de la Espalda (Back Exercises)

Lumbar Disk Herniation

by Rick B. Delamarter, MD

Lumbar disk abnormalities increase with age. No one knows the actual incidence of lumbar disk herniations, as many people with herniations are asymptomatic. Ninty percent of lumbar herniations occur at L4-L5 and L5-S1. Lumbar herniations may occur with little or no trauma, although patients frequently report a bending or twisting motion as the inciting event, causing the onset of symptoms. Common causes of lumbar herniations include falls, car accidents, repetitive heavy lifting, and sports injuries of all types.

This article reviews the pathophysiology and clinical presentation of lumbar disk herniation, and reviews the nonsurgical and surgical management options for this disorder. The surgical technique of lumbar microdiskectomy is reviewed in detail. Video is available.

Keywords: low back pain, herniated disk, herniated nucleus pulposus, HNP, nucleus pulposus displacement, lumbar disk abnormality, incidence, mechanism of injury, etiology, classification, diagnosis, patient history, physical examination, imaging, radiography, MRI, CT, myelography, electromyography, EMG, differential diagnosis, management, nonsurgical treatment, surgical treatment, surgical techniques, lumbar microdiskectomy, lumbar microscopic diskectomy, indications, outcomes, complications, rehabilitation

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