Question

A client visits an orthopedic specialist because of pain beginning in the low back and radiating behind the right thigh and down below the right knee. The doctor suspects a diagnosis of sciatica. The nurse knows that the origin of the pain is between which intervertebral disks?

A. C3, C4, and L1
B. L2, L3, and L5
C. L1, L2, and L4
D. L4, L5, and S1

Answer 1

The pain described suggests sciatica, commonly arising from the L4/L5 or L5/S1 intervertebral discs, hence the correct answer is D. L4, L5, and S1.

Step-by-step explanation:

The client's symptoms of pain originating in the low back and radiating behind the thigh and down below the right knee suggest the condition of sciatica. Sciatica is a painful condition resulting from inflammation or compression of the sciatic nerve or the spinal nerves that contribute to it, particularly where they exit the spine. The most common sites for disc herniation that can cause sciatica are between the L4, L5, and S1 intervertebral disks. Thus, the pain origin in this case of suspected sciatica would be between the L4/L5 or L5/S1 intervertebral discs.