How Can Spine Issues Cause Leg Pain And Discomfort

Leg pain and discomfort can have a severe impact on our daily routine. Most people always relate leg pain to problems in the legs, but in most cases it is related to spinal problems. It is very important to be able to distinguish how conditions of the spine cause leg pain so as to easily diagnose and treat all of them. This blog post highlights spine conditions and leg pain as well as the need to seek help from a specialist for spine in Delhi.

• Herniated Discs

A herniated disc is the most frequently encountered reason for leg pain. This condition arises when the softer interior of a spinal disc is squeezed through the outer ring to irritate nearby nerves. If it occurs in the lumbar area, it may compress the sciatic nerve; a certain kind of pain that shoots from the lower back down the leg is called sciatica. Common signs are a stabbing or burning sensation and sometimes the sensation of pins and needles or complete numbness of the lower extremity on the affected side.

• Spinal Stenosis

Constriction of the spinal canal such that the spinal cord as well as the nerves may be pinched. When this narrowing occurs in the lower spine (lumbar stenosis), the patient may develop pain in the legs, most especially when walking or standing for a long period. Some patients may develop neurogenic claudication, which is leg pain, numbness, or weakness that’s worse with motion and better with rest.

• Degenerative Disc Disease

With aging, the spinal discs become dehydrated and hence lose their functionality of being shock absorbers. This degeneration can cause irritation or compression of adjacent nerves, leading to a complaint of pain in the leg. Patients have persistent pain that even extends to the legs because nerve tissue is also affected.

• Spondylolisthesis

Spondylolisthesis is a condition where one vertebra slides over the one below it in the forward direction and may put pressure on the nerves in the spine that go as far as the legs. It results in different types of pains and aches in addition to muscle cramps and numbness in the legs.

• Lumbar Radiculopathy

Lumbar radiculopathy means inflammation or compression of the nerves in the lower back. It tends to arise from other conditions such as herniated disc or spinal stenosis and can lead to sharp pain, with sensations of tingling or numbness that travel into one or both legs. The symptom often is an indication of some underlying concerns within the spine.

• Sciatica

Sciatica is not actually an improper condition in and of itself but an indication that there are problems with the spine, typically in the form of herniated discs or spinal stenosis. This is an aching that originates from the lower back and runs via the hips and buttocks to the legs. Sticky, sharp, burning sensations with numbness are the common symptoms that patients feel.

• Facet Joint Syndrome

The facet joints are small but important joints occupying each segment of the spine, which helps in the movement of the spine. When these joints are affected by injury or degeneration, they cause localized pain in the back that runs down to the legs. This type of discomfort may be aggravated by doing this or that movement or when the affected part is in a certain position.

Conclusion

Knowledge on the role that the spine plays in generating or causing leg pain is essential in addressing the problem. Disorders like that are herniated discs, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, etc., leading to severe pain with manifested symptoms in the legs. If you develop leg pains because of spine issues, you should seek the help of Dr. Rajesh Malhotra, who is the best specialist for spine in Delhi