Lesions of the lumbar intervertebral discs may occur in older children and in adolescents; the clinical picture differs from that usually seen in adults. If one admits that the patients with relatively mild symptoms are suffering from intervertebral-disc lesions, then the condition is common in early life, but it is rarely diagnosed. The typical disc syndrome may also occur in early life, but is rare. The prognosis is good, and nearly all of the patients recover as a result of conservative treatment.