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Lumbar Radiculopathy & Leg Pain

Lumbar radiculopathy is the condition where a lower back disc is herniated and the pain is felt in the leg. This is very common when an individual has suffered a back injury. A herniated disc--also called a pinched nerve or a slipped disc--often causes more pain in the leg area than the back. The term radiculopathy means referred pain.

  1. Function

    • A lumbar disc can get herniated in an automobile accident, a sports injury, in a fall or through the aging process. When the disc gets herniated, the material inside the disc can put pressure on the spinal cord and that pressure can cause pain in the leg.

    Effects

    • The pain that radiates down the leg can be a dull, throbbing pain or it can be a sharp searing pain. It can disappear at times and then come back at full force. The pain can be so intense that the patient will not be able to walk for more than a step or two without sitting down.

    Diagnosis

    • When you tell your doctor you are feeling pain down your leg and you were not injured in that location, he will most likely send you for an MRI because unexplained leg pain is almost always the result of a back injury. A herniated disc will provide a clear image to an orthopedist or a neurologist and that will allow the doctor to make the diagnosis.

    Treatment

    • In most cases, physical therapy and exercise will not provide much relief in the initial stages. Instead, the doctor may want you to take an epidural steroid injection in the area of the herniated disc. In about 50 percent of the cases, the epidural steroid injection will provide relief. This relief can last 4 weeks to 6 months. However, the injection may not help the other 50 percent of the cases. Surgery to repair the herniation may be needed.

    Physical Therapy and Exercise

    • After surgery--which is often performed on an outpatient basis--the patient will be ready for physical therapy and strength building exercises. The pain will either lessen or disappear after surgery and stretching exercises and therapy will help build up the weakened area and reduce the chance for further injury and pain.

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