Sites in the spinal canal that may cause a lumbar disc herniation

Lumbosacral nerve roots may be compressed by a disc herniation at the neural foramen or in the spinal canal, either centrally or at the lateral recess. While lumbosacral nerve root compression in the neural foramen occurs at the level below the respective vertebrae (eg, L5 nerve at the L5/S1 disc space), nerve root compression in the spinal canal typically occurs at a level above the exiting foramen (eg, L5 nerve compression due to L4/5 lateral recess herniation). Central and lateral recess disc herniations may also cause multilevel radiculopathy symptoms.