Back Pain and Leg Numbness Can Go Hand in Hand
Serious Issues
Let’s get the more serious issues out of the way first of what could be affecting your leg pain. Serious underlying conditions need immediate treatment to preserve the function of the affected leg. Red-flag symptoms may include one or a combination of the following:
- Unexplained fever
- Severe pain and swelling
- Loss of appetite and/or unexplained weight loss
- Nausea
- Excruciating back pain
- Progressive leg numbness and/or weakness
- Loss of normal bowel and/or bladder function
These symptoms may indicate serious conditions such as infection, tumors, cauda equina syndrome, abdominal aortic aneurysm, or severe nerve damage.
More Common Issues of Leg Pain
Some of the more common issues of leg pain/numbness can be associated with issues in your lower back or pelvis. Common causes of pain in one or both legs include:
- Strain, exercise, dehydration, aging, poor posture, hereditary factors, and/or occupation-related causes.
- Spinal nerve compression or irritation. Inflamed, irritated, or compressed nerve roots in the lumbar or sacral spine may cause nerve pain in the leg and foot.
- Spinal cord compression. The narrowing of the spinal canal in the neck may apply pressure on the spinal cord, causing pain and numbness, typically in both legs.
- Joint problems in the pelvis and hip regions, such as hip osteoarthritis, is responsible for 15% to 30% of lower back pain cases and may cause leg pain; an associated nerve irritation may cause numbness. Pelvic muscle spasm may cause pain to travel down along the leg with associated numbness and/or weakness.
There are other common causes that your doctor can investigate. To begin, visit Michigan Pain Consultants today to find out more.
The Most Common Complaints of Leg Pain
- Weakness. Leg weakness commonly occurs when a lumbar and/or sacral spinal nerve is compressed. A feeling of heaviness in the affected leg may make it difficult to lift the foot off the floor.
- Altered sensation. When a nerve is affected, a pins-and-needles sensation, tingling, or other nerve-related sensations may occur in the affected leg.
- Foot pain. The leg pain may travel down into one or more areas of the foot, causing an ache or a burning pain. Foot weakness and/or numbness may also occur.
- Postural pain. Leg pain and numbness may increase with certain postures or activities, such as standing for a prolonged period, walking, climbing stairs, or standing up from a sitting position.
The above list includes several common symptoms that co-occur with leg pain but is not meant to be complete.
Contact Michigan Pain Consultants Today
Talk with the professionals at Michigan Pain Consultants today about diagnosing and treating your leg pain and/or numbness. We can help you with several options to help you “get back on your feet again”.
Make an appointment for a new patient consultation with one of our board-certified pain physicians. All of Michigan Pain Consultant’s physicians are Board Certified in Anesthesiology or Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and have advanced training and experience in Pain Medicine. You can begin first by visiting online at MyLifeBeyondPain.com, MichiganPain.com, or by calling them at (800)281-3237.
With six locations throughout West Michigan, Michigan Pain Consultants comprehensive interdisciplinary approach to pain care offers patients and providers renewed hope for relief from chronic pain. Chronic pain should be treated like other chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, asthma, or congestive heart failure. Chronic pain requires chronic treatment. The goal of the treatment is to optimize the management of the pain, as opposed to curing the pain.