Last week, I posted about herniated discs in the cervical spine (or neck), but herniated discs can also occur in the lumbar spine (low back). Often times, patients suffering from a herniated disc in the lumbar spine are in the 30 – 40 year old age range. Many of the patients that I treat have injured their back from sporting or lifting incidents, but sometimes the injury occurs just from routine activities like bending over to pick up an object on the floor. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, low back pain affects four out of five people; therefore a herniated disc in the lumbar spine can go unnoticed. It is especially important for patients to visit their doctor or a specialist if their low back pain persists longer than 2 weeks or starts to radiate down the leg. Although pain is the first and most noticeable symptom of a herniated disc in the lumbar spine, the severity of the pain depends on which disc is injured and the extent of the herniation. In some cases, the pain may spread over the buttocks, down the back of the thigh and into the calf. The pain may be in one leg