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.
Some typical descriptions of leg pain and accompanying symptoms include:
Leg numbness or tingling. Anyone who has had a leg or foot ‘fall asleep’ and then gradually return to normal can imagine what numbness in a leg would feel like. Not being able to feel pressure, or hot or cold, is unnerving. Unlike the short-lived numbness of an asleep limb, numbness coming from a low back problem can be nearly continuous and can severely affect a person’s quality of life. For example, it can be difficult or almost impossible to walk or drive a car if one’s leg or foot is numb. Typical symptoms can range from a slight tingling sensation to complete numbness down the leg and into the foot.
Weakness (foot drop) or heaviness. Here, the predominant complaint is that leg weakness or heaviness interferes significantly with movement. People have described a feeling of having to drag their lower leg and foot or being unable to move their leg as quickly and easily as needed while walking or climbing stairs, for example, because of perceived weakness or slow reaction. Patients with foot drop are unable to walk on their heels, flex their ankle, or walk with the usual heel-toe pattern.
Burning pain. Some leg pain sufferers experience a searing pain that at times radiates from the low back or buttocks down the leg, while others complain of intermittent pain that shoots from the lower back down the leg and occasionally into the foot. Words that patients use to describe this type of burning leg pain include radiating, electric or shooting pain that literally feels like a jolt. Unlike many forms of low back pain that can often be a dull ache, for many, leg pain can be excruciating and nearly intolerable. This type of burning pain is fairly typical when a nerve root in the lower spine is irritated, and it is often referred to as sciatica.
Constant pain. This type of pain is normally felt in the buttock area, so it is not technically leg pain but it may accompany some form of pain felt in the legs. It may also be pain that occasionally radiates past the buttock into the leg. This type of pain is usually described as “nerve pain,” versus an aching or throbbing pain. It is typically present only on one side, and is commonly called sciatica. It may often be relieved by stretching, walking or other gentle movement.
Positional leg pain. If leg pain dramatically worsens in intensity when sitting, standing or walking, this can indicate a problem with a specific part of the anatomy in the low back. Finding more comfortable positions is usually possible to alleviate the pain. For example, bending over may relieve spinal stenosis pain, while twisting (as in a golf swing) can increase facet joint related groin, hip and leg ache.
All of these leg symptoms can be evidence of a problem in the low back, and it is usually advisable to seek medical attention to determine the cause of the pain and to find a course of treatment. Leg pain along with certain other symptoms may be a sign of a potentially serious condition and warrant urgent medical attention, such as:
Progressive weakness in the legs, which can be a sign of nerve damage
Bowel or bladder dysfunction
Fever and/or chills
Recent unintended weight loss
Significant trauma preceding symptoms
Several specific low back conditions, such as degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, and more, are common Causes of leg pain and foot pain.
By Grant Cooper, MD
April 18, 2007 | Next:
Causes of Leg Pain and Foot Pain
