A pinched nerve in your back can trigger serious pain that runs from your lower back and down the back of one leg running from the buttocks down the rear of the thigh and even into the calf and foot.
Pain from a pinched nerve may start suddenly or gradually. Generally, it is characterized by sharp, shooting pain that feels a lot like an electric shock. Moving the leg, back or other part of the body affected by the pinched nerve will often intensify this pain.
Pain from a pinched nerve may be dispersed uniformly along the leg, but there frequently are certain spots where the pain is more intense. This pain is often followed by numbness or a tingling sense 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 result from a process which causes pressure or inflammation of the nerve roots which make up the sciatic nerve. This pressure might be brought on by a variety of factors, including 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 three-quarters of an inch in diameter in adults. It starts in the sacral plexus, the network of nerves found 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 pressed, or “pinched”, it can cause pain along these paths. This is the reason pinched nerve pain can spread or radiate to other parts of your body.
Pinched nerve pain may be triggered by a bulging or herniated disc, degenerative disk disease, piriformis syndrome, pregnancy, spinal stenosis, a spinal tumor or spinal infection, or by injury.
Any one of these conditions can apply pressure to the sciatic nerve or other associated nerve roots located in your lower back. It is this compression, or pinching, that causes your pain and other symptoms.
Gentle, Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Therapy and Pinched Nerves
If you are experiencing persistent lower back pain brought on by a pinched nerve, consider seeking treatment from one of our medical experts. By providing light, non-surgical spinal decompression treatment, our team of spinal disc doctors can help relieve the pressure caused by your slipped disc and provide fast relief to your back pain.
Our medical professionals can tell you if gentle, non-surgical spinal decompression treatment is a good option for treating your pain.
Call Contra Costa Disc Center at 925-395-0252 to Schedule Your Free Consultation!
