Common diseases mimicking lumbar disc herniation and their treatment

Abstract

Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a common disease characterized by leg pain, numbness, and low back pain, which are also encountered in peripheral nerve and paralumbar spine disease. This study describes other diseases with symptoms similar to LDH. Patients with paralumbar spine diseases such as superior cluneal nerve entrapment neuropathy (NEN), gluteus medius muscle pain, piriformis syndrome, and sacroiliac joint pain experience lowback, buttock, and leg pain. Peripheral nerve diseases of the leg including lateral femoral cutaneous NEN, common and superficial peroneal NEN, and tarsal tunnel syndrome also cause leg symptoms. These diseases can produce intermittent claudication, thought to be specific to lumbar spine disease, and can be misdiagnosed as LDH. They are rather common and can be treated less invasively. As a misdiagnosis may result in failed back-surgery syndrome, it is important to differentiate between LDH and the diseases described here.

Keywords

Entrapment neuropathy / peripheral nerve / neurolysis / diagnosis / treatment / paralumbar spine disease

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