Foot & Back Pain

If you are experiencing pain in your foot, the cause of the pain could be a problem in your back. Health problems that affect the nerves near your spine can cause both foot and back pain.

Sciatica

• Your sciatic nerve provides sensation to the sole of your foot. It begins in your spine and runs down the back of your legs. According to the National Institutes of Health, a problem in your back near the sciatic nerve can cause foot and back pain, known as sciatica.

Symptoms

• Symptoms of sciatica include pain your lower back. This pain travels down your buttock then down the back of one of your legs and can cause pain in the sole of your foot.

Herniated Disc

• A herniated disc in your lower back can cause sciatica. The bulging disc puts pressure on nearby nerves, causing pain in your back that can travel down to your foot.

Spinal Stenosis

• Spinal stenosis, the narrowing of the space around your spinal cord, can put pressure on your spinal cord and other nerves, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. If that includes your sciatic nerve, you could experience foot and back pain.

Treatment

• Sciatica that causes foot and back pain is treated by focusing on the condition causing it. A herniated disc and spinal stenosis can both be treated with anti-inflammatory medication and physical therapy. Other treatment options include steroid injections and surgery.