Leg pain and numbness: What might these symptoms mean? (also En español)

Quite often leg pain or foot pain does not mean that there is a problem with the leg, but rather that there is a problem in the low back, causing pain and possibly other symptoms to radiate, or be referred to, the leg or the foot.

Diagnosis of leg pain and other lower extremity symptoms should focus not only on the legs and hips, but should also include examination of the low back. In fact, with many low back problems, there is actually little or no low back pain. Instead, there may be leg pain, foot pain, and/or lower extremity numbness or weakness.

Compression or pressure on any of the nerve roots in the low back can cause pain, numbness or weakness along the different nerves as they travel down through the leg and into the foot. Because the sciatic nerve is commonly affected, leg pain and related symptoms are often generally referred to as sciatica, although medical professionals prefer the term radiculopathy. Read more...
By: Grant Cooper, MD

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Patient Forum: "I am having realy big problems with my sciatica--couldn't sleep very well, pain was mostly going through my left leg, but than last night I had problems with my right leg!"

Doctor is in: "My CT scan shows bulging at L4-L5 and L5-S1. The bulging is causing sciatica on my left side and pain down my leg. Would seeing a chiropractor help or hinder the sciatica?" Read a physician’s response to questions about sciatica..