Back and Leg Pain

Here are some of the more common causes of back and leg pain:

Lumbar Spine Stenosis

Lumbar stenosis mostly affects men and the middle-aged to the elderly, although it could also occur in women and younger patients. Back and leg pain is the earliest complaint of this condition, which is often treated with some of the self-care methods available. This results in a delay in diagnosis.

Sciatica

Sciatica is a condition affecting the sciatic nerve. Since this nerve travels from the lower back through the buttocks and into the leg, the pain often occurs in any of these affected areas. Back and leg pain as a result of sciatica can be more or less severe and can be caused by a herniated lumbar disc.

The degeneration (herniation) of the disc causes it to compress onto one of the contributing roots of the sciatic nerve, causing sharp back and leg pains to shoot up. Often, the pain in the leg, posterior thigh, or foot can be much worse than the accompanying lower back pain. At the onset, the patient usually experiences severe pain in the buttocks which run all the way down through the legs or foot. In some cases, there is even no accompanying back pain.

Treating back and leg pain resulting from any of the disorders mentioned will involve treating the disorders themselves. Any of the usual types of treatments available for normal back pains will provide little relief, if at all.