Referred Pain and Radiculopathy: Where Pain Goes and Why

One of the most confusing aspects of lumbar spine pathology is that the pain rarely stays where the problem is. A damaged L5-S1 disc does not simply hurt at L5-S1. It may produce a dull ache deep in the buttock, sharp shooting pain down the back of the thigh, burning in the calf, numbness in the foot, or some combination of all of these. Meanwhile, the lower back itself may feel entirely normal on a given day.