What does it feel like to have a herniated disc?

You should think of a herniated disc when the main pain is running down the back and leg and is also causing numbness or weakness in part of the leg. Pat’s history of back pain, leg pain, numbness and weakness are typical of what people feel when they have a herniated disc. The details depend on what the disc. If the disc causes compression of a nerve root, then you may feel pain, weakness, or numbness in the part of your body served by that nerve root.

Pat described a “sharp” pain going down his left leg. This is usually due to inflammation your body generates to try and heal the herniated disc. He also noted numbness in the left leg. Pat's disc was so large that it affected more than one nerve root; he had numbness in the groin, thigh, and calf.