When a spinal disk puts pressure on the nearby nerves, the patient has a herniated disk. Herniated disks occur as people age and the disks become weaker. MedlinePlus points out that herniated disks commonly occur in the lower back, with 8 percent of cases occurring in the neck. The main symptom of a herniated disk is pain, which becomes worse when standing, sitting, coughing or bending backwards. These activities increase the pain because they put pressure on the affected nerves.
Sciatica
Some herniated disk patients can have a kind of pain called sciatica, which the Mayo Clinic describes as a radiating and aching pain. This type of pain starts at the buttocks and travels down to the back of the leg. Usually, sciatica occurs on one side of the patient's body. This type of pain is called sciatica because it travels along the sciatic nerve. Along with the pain, some patients with sciatica can have numbness or tingling.
Pain from Lumbar Herniated Disk
When patients have a lumbar herniated disk, it occurs in the lower back. A patient with this type of herniated disk has sharp pain that can occur in the hips, buttocks or leg. A patient can have weakness in the leg affected by the pain, which may make it difficult to move. The muscle weakness can impair a patient's ability to lift his legs or stand on his toes. Numbness can occur in other areas of the body not affected by the pain.
Pain from Cervical Herniated Disk
With a cervical herniated disk, the patient has the affected disk in the neck. The higher location of the herniated disk results in different pain locations compared to a lumbar herniated disk. For example, a patient can have deep pain in her shoulder blade. When the patients moves her neck, such as from side to side, she can have pain. That neck pain can range from a dull ache to a burning sensation. Radiating pain can also occur in a patient's forearm and upper arm. Rarely, the radiating pain can affect a patient's fingers. Muscle weakness can occur in a patient's arm, which may prevent her from lifting her arms.
