What to do if your waist, hips, and calves are numb?

Xiao Wang is a white-collar worker who often sits at his desk all day. Half a year ago, he had pain in his waist and hips, accompanied by numbness and pain in his calves. Xiao Wang didn't pay much attention to it and just went to a massage parlor for a waist massage. After that, the pain in his waist and hips was somewhat relieved, so Xiao Wang didn't take it seriously. But one month later, the pain in his calves gradually worsened, the numbness lasted longer and longer, and even his ankles felt weak. Xiao Wang came to the outpatient clinic of Professor Dong Jian, director of the Department of Orthopedics at Zhongshan Hospital.

Professor Dong asked Xiao Wang about his medical history, performed a physical examination, took X-rays and MRIs, and finally diagnosed him with lumbar disc herniation (abbreviated as lumbar disc herniation). After the diagnosis, Xiao Wang received regular conservative treatment for six weeks, but he still had pain and numbness in his waist and legs after activities, which obviously affected his work and life. So Professor Dong performed a transforaminal endoscopic lumbar disc surgery under local anesthesia. The symptoms completely disappeared the next day after the operation, and after another six weeks of recuperation, Xiao Wang successfully returned to work.

Many people suffer from back pain in their daily lives. Are these back pains caused by lumbar disc herniation? The answer is no.

There are many causes of low back pain. In addition to lumbar disc herniation, the main causes include: lumbar muscle strain; spinal stenosis, but its claudication symptoms are more prominent; osteoporosis, which is common in the elderly. Lumbar spondylolisthesis, spondylolysis, tumors and other diseases can also cause low back pain.

If the symptoms of low back pain occur repeatedly and last for a long time, you should go to a regular hospital for treatment. The doctor will conduct corresponding examinations based on the course of the disease and symptoms to give an accurate diagnosis. Do not judge it as "lumbar disc herniation" by yourself, otherwise it will delay the disease. After being diagnosed with lumbar disc herniation, not all patients need surgery. 80%~90% of patients can get better or recover through conservative treatment, but there are also 10%~20% of patients who do not respond to conservative treatment or whose condition is serious and need surgery.