A young man developed pain in his right gluteal region, in the posterior aspect of the thigh and around the posterior and lateral aspects of the leg. On further questioning, he reported that the pain also radiated over the lateral part of the foot, particularly around the lateral malleolus.
The areas of pain correspond to dermatomes L4 to S3 nerves.
Over the following weeks, the patient began to develop muscular weakness, predominantly footdrop.