The main symptom of disc sequestration is pain in the affected area and/or the legs. The extruded material from within the disc can press against the spinal nerves which in turn affects sensory signals from other parts of the body. Some of the most common symptoms of disc sequestration include:

• Pain that shoots down into one or both legs (sciatica)
• Weakness and/or numbness in the legs
• Bowel or bladder incontinence
• Diarrhoea or constipation
• Shooting pain in the ribcage (if the damaged disc is in the upper back)
• Difficulty breathing (if the damaged disc is in the upper back)

Some of the common causes of disc sequestration include:

• Bending or heavy lifting
• Direct impact to a disc (as in the case of a vehicular accident)
• Physical trauma such as a fall (rare)
• Twisting while lifting a heavy object
• Sports-related injuries