Nerve root pain is also called radiculopathy and usually results from a herniated disc. It starts in the low back, goes down the leg, below the knee and often aggravated by bending forward, with some patients experiencing weakness and/or decreased reflexes.

Nerve route injections may avoid the need for surgery, if pain is successfully reduced, enabling progression to a therapeutic exercise programme. The image-guided injections work by inhibiting prostaglandin synthesis, inhibition of phospholipase A2, nerve membrane stabilization, and blocking C-fibre conduction. The most common injection is an epidural steroid injection which is often used to treat nerve root generated pain or discogenic pain.