L4–L5 herniated disc: why that level, and what helps
The hardest-worked disc in the lower back. Why it presses on the L5 nerve, and why most settle without an operation.
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Plain-language guides to the conditions we see most often, written by the surgeons who treat them. Each one explains what the words on a report mean, how similar conditions differ, and the symptoms that should not wait.
What a level on a scan report means, and what usually happens next.
The hardest-worked disc in the lower back. Why it presses on the L5 nerve, and why most settle without an operation.
High lumbar herniations cause groin and front-thigh pain, not pain down the back of the leg, which is why they are often missed.
The word on the report describes the direction of a curve, not how serious it is. What the Cobb angle means, and when it matters.
Where the cause and the symptom sit further apart than people expect.
Chest pain is frightening. How chest wall pain differs from a heart attack, and the signs that mean calling 995 rather than waiting.
One of the most frequent complaints among women of all ages, and often put down to pregnancy or strain when the cause is something else.
Not all head pain is the same. The two differ in pain, duration and symptoms, and they need different treatment.
The condition pages carry the full picture: symptoms, tests and treatment.
All conditions · Spine and neck · Head · Nerve · Orthopaedic
If something here sounds like your problem, bring any scan reports with you. Working out the cause is what the first visit is for.