[Lumbago and radicular complaints: not always a herniated disk or degenerative stenosis of the spinal canal. A differential diagnosis of infrequent diseases].

Low back ache and pain in the legs are not always due to disc displacement and lumbar spinal degenerative changes. Some infrequent, but really not very rare diseases are presented in order to avoid mistakes which can have serious consequences for the patients. Degenerative changes of the lumbar spine are very common, not only in aged people. A superficial examination of the patient with back ache and/or pain in the legs can lead to a fallacious tie-up between such lesions and disturbances and complaints which are not connected to them.