hello after abdominal pain in my lower back and left leg I started to feel the numbness: it goes in my left foot, left thigh, left buttock and a bit in left side of my vagina/rectum. MRI showed S1 compression- but a neurologist says it has nothing to do with my genital area. I found on your website a very similar cause- and the doctor said it s NERVE COMPRESSION. my question is: how long you can have it before it s too late for surgery? can S1 affects genital area? what specialist I should see about it? (Neurologist said : find a good PM&R doctor) When the numbness goes away? how can I know the nerve is not damaged? here are my MRI results Please HELP !!! Findings: Mild disc desiccation consistent with degenerative disc disease is noted within the lumbar spine. At L1-L2 and L2-L3 no neurocompressive changes are identified. At L3-L4 there is annular disc bulging with flattening along the ventral margin of the thecal sac. No resultant central or foraminal stenosis is seen. At L4-L5 there is annular disk bulge with impression on the thecal sac. Disk material causes encroachment within the inferior left neural foramen. At L5-S1 there is central and left paracentral disc herniation with impingement and displacement on the left S1 nerve root in its lateral recess. More diffuse disc bulging also cause encroachment within the bilateral neural foramina. Degenerative endplate changes are seen at the L5-S1 level. The vertebral bodies demonstrate normal height and narrow signal characteristics. The conus medullaris is at the L1 level and displays normal morphology. IMPRESSION Central and left paracentral disc herniation L5-S1 with impingement upon the left S1 nerve root. This is superimposed on more diffuse disc bulging. Degenerative endplate changes at this level is also noted. Annular disc bulging at L4-L5 with impression on the thecal sac. Annular disc bulging is also noted L3-L4.