- Common symptoms
- Typically the result of an injury or repeated activities over a long period of time
- Not all back and leg pain has a surgical solution
- Leg pain, numbness, tingling and weakness can be caused by pressure on the nerves traveling from the back down the arm
- Leg raising usually aggravates pain
- Imaging of the spine with an MRI is very useful to assess the status of the discs, patency of the spinal canal and assess for any nerve compression
- Treatment focuses on conservative management first
- Medications – to reduce pain and inflammation
- Epidural steroid injections – to reduce pain and inflammation. Performed by Pain specialists
- Activity restrictions
- Physical therapy
- Alternative therapies – e.g. acupuncture
- Surgery is recommended when:
- There is leg pain and/or numbness or weakness
- There is radiographic evidence of spinal cord or root compression at the level corresponding to the patient’s symptoms
- Symptoms are resistant to conservative therapy
Back and Leg Pain
