Do you suffer from leg pain or numbness? In many cases, this can occur because of a problem in your lower back, whether or not you have back pain.
To simplify the matter, we can categorize the severity of lower back problems in 3 stages.
Simple mechanical back pain without radiating down the leg: It’s a pain in the lower back without referred leg pain. This prognosis is generally very favorable and the recovery is fairly quickly, without long-term consequences through good management & treatments by a physiotherapist.
Mechanical lower back pain with nerve irritation: This is where the pain radiates down the leg with or without back pain. The leg pain is due to an irritated nerve in the lower back. The more the nerve is irritated, the more you will feel radiating pain down the leg. There is no compression of the nerve, so the leg strength and sensitivity are not affected. This type of problem is usually treated well, but may take longer to process. It is important to see your physiotherapist as soon as possible.
Mechanical lower back pain with nerve compression: When there is a nerve compression, there can be loss of strength and sensitivity in the affected foot and/or leg. The prognosis of this injury depends on how much the nerve is compressed & how long it’s been. In a minority of cases, surgery is an option for treating this type of problem.
The causes of sciatic pain are varied (disk, arthritis, muscle weakness, etc.) and your physiotherapist is trained to identify and treat it accordingly.
It is important to take care of your lower back pain as soon as possible. A backache that is not treated properly has high probabilities of recurrence and, over the years, this pain can worsen and become more complicated to treat. A good rehabilitation followed by advice and recommendations of a registered physiotherapist has been proven to be the most effective way to get rid of the vast majority of lower back pain.
Don’t wait before it’s too late!
