Common symptoms of lumbar radiculopathies
What are the common signs and symptoms of lumbar radiculopathies?
Lumbar radiculopathies cause back pain with radiation below the knee.
The pain increases with a Valsalva maneuver or leg stretch (such as the straight leg raising test). Weakness or numbness may develop in the distribution of the involved root.
An S1 radiculopathy diminishes ankle reflexes, whereas an L4 radiculopathy decreases knee reflexes.
Statistically, an L5 radiculopathy is more common than S1, followed by L4.
This is because the intervertebral discs at these levels are under greatest pressure from the curvature of normal lumbar lordosis and thus are most vulnerable to herniation and compression of the spinal roots.
