Many physicians and patients use the term lumbar disc disease to encompass several different causes of back pain or sciatica.

Pain is in the distribution of the nerve compressed, usually down the back of the leg, side of the calf and inside of the foot (sciatica).

[citation needed] In symptomatic cases the diagnosis should be confirmed by an MRI scan.

The gene variant was hypothesized to disrupt normal building and maintenance of cartilage.

[2] Diagnosis can be made on clinical basis with MRI findings[citation needed] Initial treatment in lumbar disc disease is one or two days of bedrest (although growing number of studies shows that it makes little difference) and pain relieving medications.