It’s not uncommon for people with back pain to experience symptoms into one or both of the lower extremities. Often times, people instinctively think their leg pain is related to a pinched nerve. While that is certainly one possibility, a pinched nerve is not always the case. Determining the cause of your leg pain can be challenging. If you are experiencing these symptoms, you should see your primary care physician, or contact us at Prairie Spine and Pain Institute. We can help you determine if the symptoms are coming from your spine, or elsewhere in your body. If we determine that the leg symptoms are related to a spinal condition, it may take further testing to diagnose the symptom generator. Possibilities include: spinal arthritis, muscular strain, bulging or herniated discs, or the sacroiliac joint (SIJ). All of these structures can cause referred pain to the lower extremities without necessarily involving the nerves.
Your treatment plan will depend on the source and severity of the pain. In mild cases, your doctor may recommend conservative measures in the form of activity modification, medication, and/or physical therapy. In many mild to moderate cases, the compliant patient will respond very well to conservative measures. If your doctor or spine specialist determine the cause of your symptoms to be neurological, and you fail to respond to conservative measures, they might recommend further testing, injection therapy, or in some cases surgical intervention to remove pressure on the nerve.
In short, lower extremity pain is not something to take lightly. Contact your family doctor, or the spine specialists at Prairie Spine and Pain Institute so we can help get to the root of your pain. Early diagnosis and treatment can help improve outcomes and get the patient back to enjoying life… pain free!
About The Author: Jeremy W. Przybylo, PT, DPT, DMT is the Prairie Spine and Pain Institute’s lead physical therapist. He is a key component of our integrated care program. Jeremy works one-on-one with patients to perform an initial evaluation that allows him to design a comprehensive treatment program tailored to each individual. He typically works with patients weekly, utilizing a combination of hands on manual therapeutic techniques and a scientific approach to rehabilitative exercise.
