Back pain plagues over 619 million people around the globe and is one of the most common reasons people seek medical care, but not all back pain feels the same.
Sometimes, the discomfort stays in one spot. Other times, it spreads or radiates down your legs, hips, or even into your arms. If you’ve ever felt sharp, burning, or tingling pain moving away from your spine, you may be experiencing radiating back pain.
But what causes it?
There isn’t just one single answer. Read on as Dr. John Regan and the Spine Group Beverly Hills team explain why pain can radiate and what could cause it.
Radiating back pain usually occurs when a nerve in your spine is irritated, compressed, or inflamed. Unlike muscle pain that stays localized, nerve pain often “travels” along the path of the nerve, which is why you might feel discomfort in your legs or arms even though the issue starts in your back.
The only way to know for sure what’s causing your back pain is a thorough examination, review of your symptoms, and imaging studies (such as an MRI). Dr. Regan can confirm the source of your pain and create a treatment plan that targets the root cause of your pain.
That being said, these are seven common causes of back pain that radiate:
Herniated discs (also known as a slipped or bulging disc) are notorious for causing radiating pain. Your disc may herniate if the soft cushion between spinal bones ruptures and presses on nearby nerves.
Depending on which nerve is compressed, your pain may radiate to different areas of your body. For example, if your L2 or L4 nerve is compressed, pain may radiate from your anterior (front) thigh and lower leg. If your L5 nerve is compressed, pain may instead radiate into your buttock, lateral (back) thigh, lateral calf, and top of your foot.
Your sciatic nerve is both your largest and longest nerve, and when it’s irritated, it can cause pain that radiates from your lower back down through your buttocks and leg. Typically, sciatica (inflammation of your sciatic nerve) affects only one side.
In addition to radiating pain, sciatica can also cause numbness, tingling, and weakness.
Many conditions, including herniated discs and piriformis syndrome, can contribute to the development of sciatica.
Spinal stenosis is a condition that causes the narrowing of your spinal canal and can squeeze the spinal cord or nerves. This leads to pain that extends outward.
The discs in your spine can wear down with age, and as this happens, your nerves can become exposed or pinched.
Your spine consists of 33 stacked bones called vertebrae, but if one vertebra slips forward onto another, it can put pressure on surrounding nerves.
When a vertebra slips out of alignment, it’s called spondylolisthesis. Spondylolisthesis is categorized as either high-grade or low-grade, depending on the severity of the misalignment.
Bone spurs, or osteophytes, can develop along your spine due to arthritis, aging, or injury. When these bony growths press against nearby nerves, they may trigger radiating pain, tingling, or numbness that travels down the arms or legs, depending on the location of the spur.
Kidney stones can cause sharp, severe pain that often radiates from the lower back to the side, abdomen, or even your groin. This type of pain, called renal colic, happens as the stone moves through the urinary tract and irritates surrounding tissues and nerves.
Not all radiating back pain is severe. For example, pregnant women may experience sciatica flare-ups during pregnancy that dissipate after their baby is born.
However, if your pain interferes with your daily activities, worsens over time, or is accompanied by weakness or loss of bladder/bowel control, you should seek medical help right away.
As a fellowship-trained and board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon, Dr. Regan uses advanced diagnostics and personalized treatment plans to target the root cause of your pain. From minimally invasive procedures to comprehensive rehabilitation, his goal is to help you get lasting relief so you can move freely again.
If you’re just now starting to experience radiating back pain or you’ve had it for years and need a second opinion, Dr. Regan is here to help.
Schedule your consultation at our Beverly Hills office today and get the answers you need. You can also reach us at 424-238-3281.
