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A lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a condition frequently encountered in primary care medicine. It may give rise to a compression of one or more nerve roots, which can lead to a nerve root irritation, a so-called radiculopathy, with or without a sensorimotor deficit. The majority of LDHs can be supported by means of a conservative treatment consisting of physical therapy, ergotherapy, analgetics, anti-inflammatory therapy or corticosteroids, which may be eventually administered by infiltrations. If a clinico-radiological correlation is present and moderate neurological deficit appears suddenly, if it is progressive under conservative treatment or if pain is poorly controlled by well-conducted conservative treatment performed during four to six months, surgery is then recommended.

The authors report nine cases of acute inflammatory polyradiculoneuritis developing one to eleven weeks after a tick bite, regressive, painful and asymmetrical, with an albumino-cellular reaction in the CSF. They stress the very particular physiognomy of this type of meningo-radiculitis, its seasonal occurrence and the uncertain nature of its pathogenesis.