Final answer:
If a patient can lean forward and relieve their pain, it would be more likely to be a disc issue rather than stenosis.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a patient can lean forward and relieve their pain, it would be more likely to be a disc issue rather than stenosis. When bending forward, the gel-like nucleus pulposus in the intervertebral disc causes compression of the anterior portion of the disc and expansion of the posterior disc. If the posterior anulus fibrosus is weakened, bending forward can cause the nucleus pulposus to protrude through the anulus fibrosus, resulting in a herniated disc. This herniation can compress a spinal nerve and cause pain in the body regions supplied by that nerve.