Herniated Disc - Far Lateral Location

Far lateral disc herniation is much rarer than normal lumbar disc herniation and usually presents with severe lower back and leg pain, although the cause remains unclear. These patients do not experience relief from their symptoms even after surgery for a normal lumbar disc herniation. While a lumbar disc herniation in the normal L3-4 disc space affects the L4 nerve, a far lateral disc herniation in the same L3-4 disc space affects the L3 nerve. The way to diagnose far lateral disc disease is to carefully interpret lumbar MRI images and examine the patient in detail. When surgery appropriate to the affected nerve is performed, the patient's symptoms will subside.

Nerves emerge from the spinal sheath as nerve roots, pass through a bony canal, and travel to the body region where they will distribute as nerves. Far lateral disc herniations occur when the nerve root is compressed by a disc after exiting the bony canal. A normal lumbar disc herniation, on the other hand, occurs when the nerve root is compressed by the disc before entering the bony canal. The nerve root can be compressed from the back, shoulder, armpit, or within its trunk in the spinal canal.