Leg Pain? Maybe it’s Your Back!

Excerpt: “Did you know back problems can lead to leg pain and numbness?

Herniated disc and spinal stenosis are common back problems that can cause back pain and discomfort, as well as numbness or shooting pain that is in the leg and sometimes the foot. This pain and numbness is due to sciatica, which is a type of nerve pain that follows the path of the sciatic nerve, a large nerve that runs from the lower back to each leg.

Sciatica pain occurs because of compression or pinching of the sciatica nerve. Sciatica can cause intermittent or continuous discomfort and pain. The intensity often depends on the severity of the of the nerve compression or irritation.

The spine is made of vertebrae that help protect the spinal cord, which has branches of nerves that help innervate organs and muscles. When there is compression or a pinching, then a nerve is not able to fully send a nerve signal out, which can cause numbness in the areas where the signal does not fully get to. Additionally, the pinching causes the nerve to be inflamed and create a shooting pain sensation down the path of the nerve.”

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