Spinal Stenosis & Foot Pain

If you are experiencing back pain that eases when you sit down and lean forward, you could have spinal stenosis. This condition can cause pain in other parts of your body, including your feet.

Spinal Stenosis

• Spinal stenosis occurs when portions of your spine around your spinal cord and other nerves get narrower, which puts pressure on those nerves.

Symptoms

• Symptoms of spinal stenosis include muscle weakness in your legs and sciatica, burning pain that travels down your buttock and leg and eventually causes pain in your foot.

Causes

• Spinal stenosis can be cause by arthritis or a herniated disc. Spinal tumors or a congenital defect of the spine can also cause it.

Treatment

• Spinal stenosis and the pain it causes, including foot pain, can be treated with anti-inflammatory medication or cortisone injections in your back. Surgery including laminectomy and spinal fusion are options if less invasive measures do not help.

Considerations

• Spinal stenosis can also cause foot drop, a condition in which you feel like your foot slaps the ground when you walk. This is not usually painful but it can be distressing.