Pain localized in the back and lower back is a fairly common unpleasant symptom that accompanies a person. Sometimes such pains tend to echo, as if in adjacent areas of the body - primarily the legs. Pain radiating to the leg, is a radiating (false) pain that does not arise due to a true leg injury, but because the impulses coming from the receptors to the brain are mixed. Thus, radiating pain is transmitted to that part of the body that has a single nerve supply system with the truly affected organ.
Pain radiating to the leg can be associated with both classic problems such as excessive physical exertion or prolonged stay in one position, and with more serious ones - pinched nerves, circulatory disorders, diseases of internal organs. It is also difficult to understand the true cause of pain because its nature and localization are not unambiguous - the pain can be more pronounced both in the leg and in the lower back, sometimes weak, sometimes growing, aching, shooting or sharp.
Contacting a qualified doctor is the first step after the appearance of any unpleasant painful sensations in the leg. It is impossible to independently determine the cause of pain, which means it is unacceptable to choose methods for getting rid of it yourself. The main task is to cure the root cause that causes pain radiating to the leg. Only a specialist can solve it by making the correct diagnosis based on professional diagnostic methods.
Can lower back pain radiate to the leg?
Yes, maybe, and this is a rather alarming symptom. The spine partly consists of interconnected nerves and performs the most important functions in the body of every person. Therefore, lower back problems inevitably affect your overall health. It is impossible to analyze and decipher the causes of lower back pain radiating to the leg without appropriate diagnostic studies and treatment. The corresponding part of the spine acts as the primary source of pain in the lower back, which radiates to the leg and buttock. But its pathological conditions are different.
Joint diseases and their characteristic symptoms
With the development of joint diseases, pain occurs that radiates to the lower limb.
Arthritis of the hip joint
This disease is typical for older people. The main symptom is aching pain in the pelvis. If arthritis develops in the bone apparatus, a person feels discomfort and unpleasant sensations. With the development of arthritis of the periarticular structures, sharp, cutting pain appears during walking. Localization - anterior thigh. Complemented by stiffness of movements. In this case, the use of hormonal drugs, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is required, followed by physiotherapy, massage, and manual therapy.
Coxarthrosis of the hip joint
This pathology begins to develop after the age of 45. At the initial stages of development, symptoms practically do not appear. This is the insidiousness of the disease, since it can be determined already at the stage of irreversible changes.
Initially, mild pain occurs in the pelvic area, which gradually spreads to the limbs while walking. As the disease progresses, intra-articular cartilaginous structures are destroyed, and pain radiates to the limb. The pathological process is complemented by compression and pinching of nerve endings and ligaments in the pelvis. The pain is constant and is accompanied by shooting pain in the groin and knee areas. In addition to conservative treatment of hip pain, physiotherapy is prescribed depending on the cause.
Bursitis of the hip joint
The hip bone is surrounded by a special cavity - the articular capsule. When it becomes inflamed, bursitis is diagnosed. There are two types of the disease - vertical and ischiogluteal bursitis. It is difficult for a person to lie on the side where the joint capsule is inflamed, as he experiences severe pain and discomfort. Treatment of bursitis involves the administration of glucocorticosteroids by injection. It is also necessary to limit physical activity during an acute pathological process.
Tendinitis
Most often, this pathological process develops in people who engage in heavy physical activity or in those who play professional sports. In this case, the ligaments are affected and the mobility of the articular apparatus is limited. A person experiences severe pain when trying to lean on the affected limb.
Osteomyelitis
The disease is characterized by damage to the long tubular bones of the limb. This is an infectious process that is accompanied by swelling, joint deformation, local hyperthermia, redness of the inflamed area and severe pain.
Orthopedic diseases and pathologies
When a bone is deformed or its position is changed, we are talking about orthopedic problems. As a result, the bone begins to compress the nerve endings. There are the following diseases of this type, in which lower back pain radiates to the leg:
Lumbar disc herniation
Intervertebral hernia is a deformation of the vertebral disc that appears after long-term osteochondrosis or other pathological condition. When this problem appears, the lower back often hurts, radiating to the buttock and leg. The pain is usually continuous, but not particularly intense, and with exacerbation it is unbearable.
Inflammation of the sciatic nerve
The sciatic nerve is recognized as one of the most important parts of the spine as it moves the limbs. If there are problems with this nerve, pain in the lower back radiates to the leg and buttocks; this disease often accompanies other previously unnoticed pathologies.
Impact on nerve endings
Essentially this is compression of the nerves by tumors and bones. This is a side effect of orthopedic diseases that gradually distort the structure of the spinal column. You can roughly determine the source of pain by analyzing which side the lower back hurts and which leg the pain is radiating to.
Osteochondrosis
Often found as a cause of lower back pain radiating to the leg. Osteochondrosis is damage to various tissues of the spine. This often becomes the reason why the lower back hurts, and the pain radiates to the leg and buttock. Typically, pain with osteochondrosis is incessantly aching or periodically acute.
Lumbosacral radiculitis
Radiculitis is an inflammation of the spinal nerves that occurs as a complication of many diseases. With lumbosacral radiculitis, pain in the lower back radiates to the leg and buttock quite often, since the nerve endings of the body are interconnected.
general description
Pain in the pelvis on the right or left is often complemented by an inflammatory process, pinching of the sciatic nerve or its irritation. In such a situation, the aching pain often spreads to the leg, thigh and buttocks. It becomes more pronounced during physical activity and when performing certain loads.
Painful sensations appear from the thigh and tailbone, spread to the muscles of the buttock, to the back of the thigh and calves, and radiate to the foot, without moving to the phalanges of the fingers. Pain is felt throughout the entire limb. Most often, this unpleasant symptom affects only one lower limb. In some cases, sciatica occurs on both limbs.
When pain occurs, especially if it lasts for a long time, the general condition of the body suffers, and a person’s gait changes. He tries to reduce the load on the diseased limb by transferring it to the healthy one. This is how lameness occurs.
How to relieve an attack of pain
Even with qualified treatment of the underlying disease, pain continues to manifest itself for a long time. If pain in the lower back radiates to the buttock and leg, acute attacks occur. There are several ways to remove or lighten them:
- Painkillers "Ibuprofen", "Ketanov", "Tempalgin" or another analgesic will relieve symptoms. They should be supplemented with muscle relaxants to reduce tension in the back muscles.
- Warming ointment or compress: here you need to be sure that the lower back hurts and radiates to the leg not due to injury or inflamed pelvic organs, otherwise these procedures are strictly contraindicated.
- Comfortable position: each patient chooses it according to his own feelings, but most often the so-called “fetal position” helps.
- Massage: A gentle massage of the lower back will help relieve pain - it is worth doing it if it does not provoke new attacks.
- Exercises: they are indicated if pain in the lower back, radiating to the right or left leg, does not intensify due to movements - these are bending to the sides, alternately bending the legs.
These measures will help relieve or alleviate the pain, but will not cure its causes. Therefore, if your lower back hurts and radiates to your buttock and leg, you should definitely make an appointment with a doctor and undergo the treatment prescribed after the examination.
How does it hurt?
Most often, lumboischialgia manifests itself during heavy exertion or hypothermia.
The pain appears suddenly, on one side or on both sides of the lower back. When displaced in the leg, the pain makes movement difficult and becomes aching and sharp. It is impossible to stand up and straighten your leg. Trying to alleviate his condition, a person looks for the most comfortable position for himself - with the leg slightly bent, set to the side or forward, the body is slightly tilted.
At the first symptoms, you need to consult a doctor and comprehensive treatment!
Which doctor should I contact?
If lower back pain radiates to the buttock and leg, patients wonder: which specialist will answer why this happened, and how to eliminate the root cause? This problem is dealt with by different specialists: a neurologist
,
orthopedist traumatologist
,
therapist
and
chiropractor
. But initially it is better to go to a therapist, who will conduct an initial examination, prescribe a medical examination and, having received the results, give a referral to a specialist. If pain in the lower back radiates to the leg, you cannot self-medicate. Without knowing the true cause of the disease, an incompetent person risks worsening his condition through incorrect actions. Even a medical specialist cannot make a diagnosis without a preliminary thorough examination.
Diagnostics
Although an experienced neurologist can guess from the nature of the clinical picture what caused the pain, the disease can only be accurately determined using instrumental diagnostic methods, which are often supplemented with laboratory tests to complete the picture. Therefore, patients with back and leg pain are advised to undergo a set of studies, the list of which is determined by the doctor:
- X-ray, MRI and CT scan of the spine;
- Ultrasound of the abdominal organs, kidneys, pelvis;
- electromyography;
- UAC, OAM;
- cerebrospinal fluid examination.
Based on the examination results, the neurologist can make an accurate diagnosis indicating the location of the spinal pathology, assess the severity of the disease or refer the patient to another specialist if the causes of pain lie in gynecological, oncological or other pathologies not related to the nerves and spine.
Signs of diseases
The symptoms of the disorder are specific. When trying to change the position of the body, the patient experiences paroxysmal pain in the area of the sacrum. During the night's rest, the pain becomes aching. At the same time, the limbs go numb, and the person partially loses sensitivity to external stimuli. A common manifestation of the disease is a burning sensation in the buttock on the affected side. The burning sensation moves to the corresponding thigh or knee. If the gluteal area bothers you less often at rest, after a little physical activity, walking or standing for a long time, a feeling of tingling in the lower back appears.
Treatment of pain in the hip joints
Therapy is prescribed by a doctor after a pre-established diagnosis. For the drug treatment of hip joint diseases, the following scheme is used:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Their main goal is to relieve an acute inflammatory process, reduce the severity of pain, and eliminate swelling. Such medications include Indomethacin, Ibuprofen, Dicrofenac.
- Muscle relaxants. Designed to eliminate muscle spasms and relieve pinched sciatic nerves. Such drugs include Movalis, Tolperil, Meloxicam.
- Glucocorticosteroids. Designed to relieve inflammation and relieve pain. This is Prednisolone, Dexamethasone.
- Chondroprotectors. The task of these drugs is to restore damaged cartilage structures. These are Artra, Chondroxil, Chondroitin Glucosamine, Theraflex.
- Vitamin complexes – Milgamma, Neurobeks.
If conservative treatment is ineffective, surgery may be used. At an advanced stage of diseases of the articular apparatus of the hip area, joint replacement is performed, which consists of completely replacing the damaged part of the hip. After such treatment, rehabilitation is carried out. Its result is relief from pain and unpleasant symptoms that arise during the development of degenerative diseases.
With proper and timely treatment, diseases of the hip joint that are accompanied by severe pain can be cured.
Features of the treatment of pain of different types
Treatment methods are selected depending on the established diagnosis. To temporarily relieve pain, you can take a painkiller. It will only act for a short time. Since the cause is not eliminated, the unpleasant sensations return again.
Most often, for diseases of the articular system, doctors prescribe conservative therapy. Medications are prescribed - steroidal or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, vasodilators, chondroprotectors, vitamin complexes. Additionally, physiotherapeutic procedures are prescribed.
If the disease is at an advanced stage of development, conservative therapy may be ineffective. In such a situation, doctors consider the advisability of surgical intervention. For bursitis, removal of fluid from the periarticular bursa is indicated. For infectious diseases, in addition to basic therapy, antibacterial drugs are prescribed.
Origin of the pathology
It is impossible to ignore acute symptoms. The anomaly is characterized by very intense lumbago of a chronic nature. According to the clinical classification, lumbago in the sacrum is a neurodystrophic disorder. The nerve canals are constantly irritated and inflamed, which leads to spasms. The syndrome is especially pronounced at night. Due to systematic spasms, metabolic processes are disrupted. Soft fibers, muscles, and skin become thinner, ulcers appear spontaneously, and tissues die.
When the nerve is systematically irritated, the muscles of the lower back and hips continually contract, which also causes spasms in these areas. The patient instinctively seeks to compensate for the discomfort with a forced body position, which often leads to curvature of the back. The person feels cold or hot in the affected area. The pain increases exponentially when trying to move.
The most common causes of pain in the sacrum and irradiation to the lower extremities are:
- dysfunction of internal organs from the right or left location with a return to the corresponding side;
- pinched nerve root as a result of hernia growth or tumor formation;
- previous trauma with damage to this area;
- infectious inflammatory process.
Bone degeneration of a congenital or acquired form can also serve as the primary source of chronic dysfunction.
Possible complications
In itself, severe pain in the lower back with radiation to the leg is a factor that significantly worsens the quality of life. If pain lasts for more than 2 months, which cannot be relieved with conservative methods, surgical intervention is indicated. If the pain is accompanied by:
- movement disorders;
- progressive weakness in the muscles of the limbs;
- expansion of the zone of sensitivity disorders;
- progressive muscle wasting;
- inhibition of tendon reflexes;
- the appearance of pelvic disorders.
Then the decision on surgical intervention must be made as quickly as possible.
Complications of certain types of intervertebral hernias will be persistent dysfunction of the pelvic organs, imperative urge to urinate, then true urinary and fecal incontinence, shooting pains in the legs, as well as progression of paralysis.
Finally, with damage to the upper lumbar segments with the phenomenon of compression of the dural sac and spinal cord, myelopathy can develop, which will no longer be one-sided. The progression of bilateral peripheral paralysis in combination with dysfunction of the pelvic organs will turn the patient into a profound disability who will use a wheelchair. Considering that this can be avoided in many cases, it is necessary to carry out accurate instrumental diagnostics as quickly as possible and choose a treatment method.