Why back pain radiates to foot: causes, treatment, what to do when back pain

Many people are familiar with pain in the back or back left, right and sideways. To cure aching back, you need to install the correct diagnosis, which is complicated by the presence of multiple diseases with a similar symptom: a degenerative disease in lower spine, pinching the nerves, a complication after trauma, and even an ovarian cyst. After the stress the situation is getting worse, and then the back pain radiates to the leg, sometimes so much that it makes it difficult to walk.

sore back and legs

Introduction

In addition to pain on the right or on the left side of the back may be concerned about the General weakness in the legs, the frequent appearance of goose skin, slight numbness and cramps in the night. Stronger suffering the leg, where the pain irradiates more.

Please note that sometimes pain the lower back and legs have different origin and are not related. Carefully inspect the veins in the legs: pain may occur due to poor blood supply.

According to statistics, the most susceptible to low back pain, elderly people and those who lead a sedentary life: office workers, drivers, active computer users.

Causes of pain syndrome

To determine what is required to heal, it is necessary to consult a qualified professional. There are many diseases characterized by back pain, bestower in the leg, and here are some of them:

Radicular syndromes

Manifests itself in a compression of spinal roots (nerves). The most common cause of this syndrome is low back pain, that is the destruction of the spine, joints and intervertebral discs to the vertebral bodies. With the development of the pathology and increased areas of inflammation near the spinal roots that are less sensitive certain areas of the skin and increases pain.

According to the neurologists, in most cases, degenerative diseases of the spine are the source of low back pain.

The development of symptoms and their manifestation depends on the location of pathology. If you have back pain and radiates to the leg, the inflammation occurs in the lumbar-sacral part of your spine responsible for the operation and sensitivity of the leg muscles.

Formed a kind of cyclical process: pain arising from muscle spasm leads to an increase in compression of the nerve, which increases the pain.

There are several causes of radicular syndrome in addition to osteochondrosis:

  • Injuries of the spine.
  • Herniated discs and protrusions. Appear in vbuhanie or loss of some sections of the intervertebral discs in the region of the vertebrae.
  • Heredity.
  • Specific infection, leading to inflammation. An example of such infections is tuberculosis of the spine and syphilis.

Sciatica (sciatica)

Not an independent disease. Rather, it is a complex of symptoms caused by degenerative changes in the spine. Due to the compression of the roots of the sciatic nerve the patient may experience pain along the entire length of the nerve: in your side, in the hips, below the knee, in tarso.

Despite the fact that pathology develops in the lumbosacral region, the pain is concentrated at the exit of the sciatic nerve – the buttocks.

Sciatica the patient has difficulty in performing physical exercise, not able to focus on the affected leg, and easy bending and squats are impossible. Also maybe a little numb sore feet that can spread to the fingertips.

Lumbago (lumbago)

back pain and leg treatment

Acute back pain radiating to the leg, occurs due to excessive exercise, followed by a sharp cooling of the body. Even minor physical efforts only worsen the condition, patients are often not even able to move independently.

A couple of days of rest will relieve lumbago, although not able to fully heal from it.

Lumbalgia

Accompanied by pain in the lower back, swelling of the soft tissues near the spine and a decrease in the sensitivity of the feet. Occurs due to the Erasure of the intervertebral discs after severe injury or prolonged stress on the spine.

Sciatica

Strong and sharp pain that limits a person's movements and does not stand on the leg. Modified posture: bending forward, back bend in the thoracic spine. Pathology is accompanied by numbness in the right or left foot and a feeling of heaviness in the limbs.

And Lumbalization, sacralization

Both diseases are congenital defect:

  1. When Lumbalization the number of vertebrae is reduced due to the fact that they are fused in the lumbar region and sacrum.
  2. When the sacralization of the number of vertebrae increases.

Aching feeling in the back manifested to 20 years and are aggravated by physical exertion on a defective region of the spine.

A pinched sciatic nerve

The sciatic nerve is the largest in our body because it is formed from nerve roots of the sacral and lumbar spine.

The cause of the entrapment are the following:

  • injuries and incorrect treatment;
  • hypothermia;
  • physical activity;
  • the progression of spinal cord herniation and degenerative disc disease.

In the treatment of entrapment primarily eliminated muscle spasms and pain. Medication is prescribed by a doctor and includes a variety of drugs that relieve pain: anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants and others. To further restore physiotherapy and physical exercise.

Other reasons

Back pain radiating to the leg, not always associated with lesions of the spine. Reasons for the appearance of this symptom may be:
  1. The renal pathology.
  2. Gynecological diseases in women (inflammation of the appendages, ovarian cyst).
  3. A serious infectious disease (HIV).
  4. Long-term contact with chemicals, radiation.
  5. Certain surgical diseases.
  6. The abuse of alcohol and drugs.

This symptom also occurs in pregnant women, and quite often.

Back pain radiating to the leg appears in the early stages of pregnancy and often takes place only after childbirth.

First of all, in this case pain behind the right or left due to increased load on the spine due to the increased mass and displacement of the center of gravity of the abdomen due to the development of the fetus. However, if the pain for a long time, persist even after childbirth, you should consult a doctor.

Outpatient treatment

Unfortunately, sometimes to ask for help, is not possible. In this case, there are several ways that can alleviate the patient's condition:

back pain and foot exercises
  • Passive rest. One of the most important points. If you are bugged back pain, radiating to the right or left leg, it is necessary to abandon any loads on the spine.
  • Power correction. A balanced diet will provide your body the necessary nutrients. Due to the elimination of cellular starvation, you will have the strength to fight the disease.
  • Massages. The main objective of massage is getting the inflammation and muscle tension in the back and legs. Massage will improve blood circulation, which has a positive impact on health.
  • Tepidus procedure. Heating pads, ointments and warm baths will help reduce the pain.
  • Metered load. Physiotherapy, swimming and stretching will develop problem areas and improve their blood circulation. Pay close attention to their sensations during exercise: you should not feel pain, and when it appears you should immediately reduce the load.

Professional advice

Despite the effectiveness of "home" methods if you have back pain and radiates to the leg, the best option is appeal to the specialist. According to the results of full diagnosis, the doctor will identify the cause of the disease. The most effective method of combating disease will be an integrated approach, combining medication, nutrition, exercises and ointments will give the best result.

In addition to the doctor's recommendations avoid hypothermia, heavy lifting and unnecessary stress on the spine. This will not give the disease to move into a phase of its aggravation and reduce pain.

Prevention

To prevent the development of disease is always easier than curing it. Preventive measures will help you avoid disorders of the spine and to strengthen the achieved treatment result.

To not feel the aching pain of lower back, enough to fulfill just two conditions:

  1. Regular exercise. Do yoga, swimming, Pilates, the more you walk or just do a morning workout. Jogging, step and other active sports are better to be postponed because sudden movement can cause pain.
  2. Welcome chondroprotectors. This kind of drugs contains the same chemicals that's in the cartilage. Chondroprotectors protect the intervertebral discs and slow the breakdown of cartilage.

Remember, the health of a person solely in his hands! A simple exercise, frequent checkups, the doctors and the relief of sickness in the early stages will help you never to forget about the pain in the lower back. But unfortunately, if you have no desire to be cured, it will not help you and the best doctor.