The signs and symptoms of L5 S1 instability are chronic and persistent lower back pain that gets worse with movement, radiating sciatica, which is pain, numbness or tingling down your leg/foot, and also weakness in your legs, feet or toes.
L5 S1 instability also often causes pain in your buttocks and difficulty in standing or walking for long periods of time.
The L5 S1 instability is when your lowest vertebra moves abnormally on your sacrum.
The persistent lower back pain with L5 S1 instability is often a deep, aching or sharp pain which increases with bending, lifting or other activity.
The sciatica or Radiculopathy with L5 S1 instability causes burning, pain, or tingling which travels from your buttocks, down your leg and into the foot.
Other key symptoms of L5 S1 instability are motor weakness, numbness or tingling and mechanical symptoms like feeling of instability, clicking or locking in your lower back.
The numbing or tingling feelings with L5 S1 instability are felt in the foot, toes or outer leg.
And the motor weakness with L5 S1 instability, causes difficulty in walking on your tiptoes or lifting of your foot, "drop foot".
Other red flags of L5 S1 instability include saddle numbness, which is numbness in your groin/buttocks area.
Even a loss of bowel/bladder control is also a red flag of L5 S1 instability, which can indicate serious nerve compression, also known as Cauda Equina Syndrome.
These symptoms often stem from associated condition like degenerative disc disease, spondylolisthesis, or disc herniation at the L5-S1 level.
Treatment options for an L5-S1 disc bulge can include conservative measures such as rest, physical therapy, medications, and injections like Image guided Interlaminar, Transforaminal and Caudal Epidural.
In some cases, surgery may be considered if conservative treatments fail to provide relief.
For L5-S1 issues, avoid exercises involving heavy lifting (deadlifts, deep squats), high-impact movements (running, jumping), and significant twisting (Russian twists, golf swings) or deep forward bending (sit-ups, straight-leg toe touches) as they stress the lower back; instead, focus on gentle, low-impact activities and core stabilization, always under professional guidance.