Pain Down the Leg

Pain down the leg is often triggered by a pinched nerve in the lumbar region of the back. Nerves run throughout the entire body, so when a nerve is pinched, compressed, or damaged in one area of the body, uncomfortable sensations may arise elsewhere. As physiatrists, we often treat pinched nerves associated with:

• athletic activities
• injuries on the job
• motor vehicle accidents
• degenerative disease

By identifying the location of your back pain, our specialists can apply a highly specific treatment to help you progress toward a speedy recovery.

Tingling in Feet and Potential Lumbar Radiculopathy

Pain down the leg, a tingling in the feet, and toe numbness are often connected with chronic back pain. Lumbar radiculopathy, also known as Sciatica, is a common diagnosis for this chronic pain down the leg. Other possible disorders include a herniated disk, degenerative disk disease, and spinal stenosis. All of these symptoms arise when a lumbar nerve root is pinched or pushed. Damage at each lumbar level of the spine targets specific areas of the lower body. At Peachtree Spine, our specialized physiatrists can help target and treat pain down the leg. We use back pain treatments such as epidural injections to return our patients to a more natural, physical state. Epidural steroid injections help to quickly relieve back, neck, and even arm pain caused by a bulging disc or irritated nerve root. The corticosteroid medicine is injected, along with a local anesthetic, into the space between the disc, spinal cord, and spinal nerve. All of our injections are fluoroscopically guided procedures to ensure the pain is targeted correctly.

Numbing of Toes and Potential Lumbar Radiculopathy

If a person begins to complain of pain down the leg and/ or numbing toes, this may be caused by compression of one of the spinal nerves. Although the toes are very far from the spinal area, nerves stretch the length of the body, directly connecting to the toes. Often these nerve impairments are so severe, intense pain down the leg becomes chronic. It is important to address these sensations quickly. If left untreated, a person could potentially have long-term loss of sensation in the legs and toes. Causes of numbing in the toes can be similar to the causes of pain down the leg. Bulging or herniated discs, as well as degenerative bone spurs around the vertebral bones create direct pressure on the nerve roots and such nerve irritation is known as lumbar radiculopathy.

Often people experiencing chronic pain down the leg ask themselves, "Do I need back surgery?" At Peachtree Spine we utilize the industry's most advanced treatments to help patients maximize their physical function without surgery. Only a small number of back and neck pain patients actually require invasive back surgery, and in many cases these injuries can be treated successfully through our conservative non-invasive treatments. Peachtree Spine physicians are committed to helping our patients without having to resort to risky back surgery options, and through a combination of rehabilitation, therapy, injections, and modalities, we can help alleviate your pain.