Start with your body.

Understand back pain that changes with movement or activity, why one damaged structure is often not identifiable, and how to build a useful return-to-function plan.

Understand nerve-like leg pain, why sciatica describes symptoms rather than one cause, and when neurological changes need urgent attention.

Understand symptoms from a lower-back nerve root, why neurological examination matters, and how progress is measured beyond pain.

A disc bulge describes a broad outward extension of a spinal disc. A herniation is a more focal displacement of disc material. Neither term tells the whole story of your pain, movement, or future.

Lumbar disc degeneration describes changes in the discs between the bones of your lower back. The word “disease” can sound like a prediction; an imaging finding alone is not a forecast of how your life will feel.

Spondylolisthesis means one vertebra has shifted relative to the one below it, usually in the lower back. The amount of shift is part of assessment, but it does not by itself determine your symptoms or whether surgery is needed.

Spinal stenosis means narrowing of spaces that contain nerves in the spine. This page focuses on lumbar stenosis, which can contribute to leg symptoms and reduced walking tolerance.

The sacroiliac joints connect the sacrum at the base of your spine to the pelvis. Pain in this area can come from the joint complex or from other nearby structures.

Understand a sideways spinal curve, distinguish adolescent and adult care, and keep specialist monitoring separate from symptom and movement support.

Understand a possible source of low-back pain without treating a scan as proof.