A 35-year-old male presents to your office with complaints of back pain and some weakness in his left leg. It has been present for a few weeks and the back and leg pains have been increasing in intensity. You are concerned about a herniated lumbar disc. His left ankle jerk reflex (achilles tendon reflex) is absent and you find numbness on the lateral aspect of the lower leg and sole of his left foot. These findings are typical of compression of:
A. L2 nerve root
B. L3 nerve root
C. L4 nerve root
D. L5 nerve root
E. S1 nerve root
Answer: E
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Biomechanics
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