What is wrong when I have a pain in my lower back and it goes down my leg?

Question

It happens in spirts. I need to know what the problem is and how to fix it.

Answer 1

** It's probably Sciatica- I went to a chiropractor- It helped a ton!! When I go regulalry I don't have a problem anymore.
***
Sciatica is a symptom of a problem with the sciatic nerve, a large nerve that runs from the lower back down the back of each leg. It controls muscles in the back of your knee and lower leg and provides feeling to the back of your thigh, part of your lower leg and the sole of your foot. When you have sciatica, you have pain, weakness, numbness or tingling. It can start in the lower back and extend down your leg to your calf, foot, or even your toes. It's usually on only one side of your body.

Sciatica may be due to a ruptured intervertebral disk, narrowing of the spinal canal that puts pressure on the nerve called spinal stenosis, or an injury such as a pelvic fracture. In many cases no cause can be found.

Sometimes sciatica goes away on its own. Treatment, if needed, depends on the cause of the problem. It may include exercises, medicines and surgery.

Answer 2

It sounds like the sciatica problem I started having years ago and still comes and goes. An MRI on your back would confirm this. It's where one of the disks in your back becomes inflamed and weakens to a point where a bulge occurs that presses against this sciatic nerve that runs next to the spinal cord and down the leg.
Other then surgery which may or may not solve the problem, I've tried the chiropractic and pain medicine route. It usually takes me about three months of going to a chiropractor before the pain is completely gone but you have to continue to exercise on your own after that and be careful how you do things.
Whenever I start to feel the pain coming back, I have had a lot of success rubbing some " Arthricare " cream on my lower back where the MRI said my bulged disk was even if the pain feels like it is more in my buttocks or down the leg. This seems to work for me and an aspirin to help with the inflammation may help too.

Answer 3

It is sciatica. It's the longest nerve in ones body. Mine flares up every now and then. After by last episode, I went to the chiropractor and after a few treatments, it was gone.

There are no x-rays that will show that, I know, been there, done that. Big bill and then there was nothing they could do. Then the doctors look at you and TRY to come up with reasons why. First and foremost one will be weight. Lose it. Although they can't explain why you had the same problem when you were light as a feather, but...it sounds good to them.

It's amazing what a chiropractor can do for a person when certain pains hit us; and not that they can help on everything, but a lot of things IF, you find the right chiropractor.

Answer 4

I assume that you are young and am going to rule out arthritis.

I had the deal and it was like a hammy cramp; my ortho guy gave me an enzyme blocker that I took for three weeks and problem solved never to return.

In my experience, any time you have back pain it is caused by a mis-alignment. No I am NOT a ciropracter and don't have much use for them. The best way to re-align is to build the TOTAL AB region; you get a 12 pack going on and I bet it will go away. It will also help your stride have a better flow. Work on the Lats, deltoids and STRETCH big time.

Do you know if you are a pronator (run on the inside of your foot) or supinator (outside)? Look at the heals from the back and it will be clear.

On the surface it just sounds like your stide is screwed up and causing you to run crooked. When that happens, our bodies have a way of telling us to fix it.

Good luck

Answer 5

You may have degenerative disc disease. I have had chronic pain in my low back and down my right buttock and leg for 7 years now. It mimics siatic pain. My whole lumbar is to far along to do anything about now. You need to see a back specialist in order to find out more. You may have to be assertive to get the different tests done but you would benefit in the long run. If you can catch it early on then you may be a canidate for back surgery. If you put it off and it progresses to much then there isn't much that can be done.

Answer 6

(sciatica) ,,, a pinched nerve ,not to be taken lightly;;
did you fall ,car wreck, accident,sports,do you have insurance????if so covered go see a doctor?????sue somebody get money etc do someting!!!!!!

theres sports doctors;;;;;;;;specialist,xrays,mri-tracksion-surgery;;;;;;

if you do not have finacial resources for doctors or hospitals
ask around for a recomemded very good(chiropractor);
if this just happened,it may be put back in place,if you dont have a hot tub ues the highschool or colleges or a friends, a suana or hot tub with water jets,is great;take a tylenol, set in suana /
hot tub,let the jets spray on the places hurting
for 15 minutes or so get rel relaxed;like hold on to tub an rotate your waist, (float)all the way round as far as can ,while floating on side then reverse this do other side;;; the water takes the weight off skeleton frame an do other twist & turns waiting for a click; like work out in the tub;;;then go to bed& during sleep it might pop back in;;;;you might want a towel rolled up or very small pillow put under your waist while you sleep for support or a piece of 2"rolled rubber or foam

Answer 7

could be the siatic (sp?) nerve or a pinched nerve. My dad had a pinched nerve exactly how you are saying and he finally went for an x-ray or an mri after several months of pain. I am not sure what happened with that. I will check and respond back if I find out.

Answer 8

You could have a worn disc, or a misalignment in your spine. This will put pressure on the nerve bundle within your spinal column and will cause the pain to radiate downward into the lower extremities

Answer 9

It sounds like you may have a buldging disk that is pressing on you sciatic nerve which runs down your leg. Make an appointment with your physician, they may want to schedule you for an MRI.

Answer 10

Usually a pinched nerve. Could be from something being "wrong" in your back, like from an accident, or possibly just a temporary thing like something inflamed (a muscle, for instance) that is pressing on a nerve.

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