A pinched nerve in your back can trigger severe pain that runs from your lower back and down the back of one leg running from the backside down the back of the thigh and even into the calf and foot.
Pain from a pinched nerve may begin abruptly or gradually over time. Generally, it is characterized by sharp, shooting pain that feels a lot like an electrical shock. Moving the leg, back or other part of the body affected by the pinch nerve will often intensify this pain.
Pain from a pinched nerve may be dispersed uniformly along the leg, but there commonly are certain spots where the pain is more intense. This pain is often followed by numbness or a tingling feeling along the sciatic nerves, the longest nerve group in the body which runs from the lower back and down the rear of both legs.
Sources of a Pinched Nerve.
A pinched nerve may come from a process which causes pressure or inflammation of the nerve roots which make up the sciatic nerve. This pressure might be triggered by a variety of factors, including things like a ruptured intervertebral spinal disc, the narrowing of the bony spinal canal (known as spinal stenosis), or, in rare cases, by an infection or tumor.
The sciatic nerve is the longest and largest in the body, measuring 3/4 of an inch in diameter in adults. It starts in the sacral plexus, the web of nerves located in the lower back (lumbosacral spine).
The sciatic nerve and its sections are what allow movement and feeling, or motor and sensory functions. in the thigh, knee, calf, ankle, foot and toes.
If your sciatic nerve is compacted, or “pinched”, it can cause pain along these pathways. This is the reason pinched nerve pain can spread or radiate to other parts of your body.
Pinched nerve pain may be caused by a bulging or herniated disk, degenerative disk disease, piriformis disorder, pregnancy, spinal stenosis or spinal infection, or by injury.
Any of these ailments can apply pressure to the sciatic nerve or other associated nerve roots located in your lower back. It is this compression, or pinching, that results in your pain and other symptoms.
Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Therapy.
If you are experiencing reoccurring lower back pain caused by a pinched nerve, consider seeking treatment from one of our medical specialists. By providing gentle, non-surgical spinal decompression therapy, our team of spinal disc doctors can help relieve the pressure caused by your slipped disc and provide quick relief to your back pain.
Contact Indianapolis Disc Center at (317) 554-0748 for a Free Consultation!