GROIN PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER LUMBAR DISC HERNIATION

Study Design. Retrospective clinical and magnetic resonance imaging st udy of patients with groin pain associated with lower lumbar disc hern iation. Objectives. To demonstrate the clinical features and magnetic resonance imaging findings of these patients. Summary of Background Da ta. Patients with lumbar disc herniation sometimes report groin pain. Little mention has been made, however, regarding the clinical features of groin pain stemmed from lower lumbar disc herniation until now, wi th only Murphey referring to groin pain in disc disease. Methods. A to tal of 512 patients were diagnosed with singular lower lumbar disc her niation (L4-L5 and L5-S1) at Kakegawa City General Hospital between Ju ly 1990 and December 1993. Of these patients, 21 (4.1%) reported groin pain. The characteristic clinical features and magnetic resonance ima ging findings of the 21 patients were investigated and compared with t he features and findings of patients with no groin pain. Results. Pati ents with groin pain had a higher mean age and lower rate of low back pain, and L4-L5 discs were more likely to be involved than L5-S1 discs , In their magnetic resonance images, herniation tended to be more cen tral than in patients with no groin pain. Conclusions. Elderly patient s with L4-L5 protruding herniation of the anulus fibrosus were most li kely to experience groin pain. The sinuvertebral nerve that innervates the posterior anulus fibrosus, the posterior longitudinal ligament, a nd the dura was indicated as the afferent nerve of groin pain.