Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSpinal AnatomyCentral Low Back PainPain Into Both LegsPain Above ThighsPain Into ThighsPain Into Leg or FootTreatments
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Spinal Anatomy
Central Low Back Pain
Pain Into Both Legs
Pain Above Thighs
Pain Into Thighs
Pain Into Leg or Foot
Treatments
Low back and thigh pain can affect one or both sides. It may stop above the knee or go all the way to your foot.
This article examines the causes, symptoms, and treatments of lower back and thigh pain.
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Anatomy of Your Spine
The lumbar spine, also known as the low back, is composed of five bones called vertebrae that are stacked one upon another. Between the bones are soft, spongy discs. Your spinal cord runs down the center and nerves split off from it and exit between vertebrae.
Many nerves originate in the low back and travel down through the buttocks or legs. Some types of low back pain involve those nerves and cause pain along their entire length.
Hip joints—which include muscles, tendons, and ligaments—attach to the lumbar spine, giving it both mobility and stability.
By monitoring where you feel the pain and understanding how your pain changes, you can help your healthcare provider orphysical therapistdiagnose and find the best treatments for you.
Here are the most common symptoms of problems coming from the low back:
Central Low Back Pain With Pain Down Both Legs
This is very typical of a condition calledspinal stenosis. This condition occurs when the spinal canal is too narrow and the nerves that travel down the legs are compressed.
The common presentation of stenosis is low back andleg painthat worsens with walking and is often relieved with sitting or bending forward at the waist. Research shows that physical therapy can effectively treat spinal stenosis and should be considered before any surgical intervention.
One-Sided Lower Back Pain Only Above the Thigh
This pain presentation is usually due to muscular strain and should readily respond to postural correction and gentle stretching. A small bulging disc may also cause this type of back pain.
Degenerative arthritis may cause bony overgrowth around a joint in your spine, which may also pinch aspinal nerve, leading to pain in your back or buttock.
Piriformis Syndrome and Female Lower Back PainPiriformis syndrome is a condition in which the piriformis muscle, located deep in the buttocks, spasms, causing sciatica-like pain in the buttocks that may extend down the back of the thigh, calf, and foot.Piriformis syndrome is particularly common in females and pregnant people due to hormonal and/or pregnancy-related physical changes that cause the piriformis muscle to tighten.
Piriformis Syndrome and Female Lower Back Pain
Piriformis syndrome is a condition in which the piriformis muscle, located deep in the buttocks, spasms, causing sciatica-like pain in the buttocks that may extend down the back of the thigh, calf, and foot.Piriformis syndrome is particularly common in females and pregnant people due to hormonal and/or pregnancy-related physical changes that cause the piriformis muscle to tighten.
Piriformis syndrome is a condition in which the piriformis muscle, located deep in the buttocks, spasms, causing sciatica-like pain in the buttocks that may extend down the back of the thigh, calf, and foot.
Piriformis syndrome is particularly common in females and pregnant people due to hormonal and/or pregnancy-related physical changes that cause the piriformis muscle to tighten.
Lower Right Back Pain: Causes and Treatment
One-Sided Lower Back Pain With Thigh Pain
One-Sided Lower Back Pain With Pain In the Lower Leg or Foot
Emergency SymptomsIf you have pain with the sudden loss of strength or loss of bowel or bladder control, call 911 or get to an emergency room right away.
Emergency Symptoms
If you have pain with the sudden loss of strength or loss of bowel or bladder control, call 911 or get to an emergency room right away.
Treatments for Low Back and Leg Pain
Treatment for low back and leg pain depends on the underlying cause:
About 10% of people with sciatica have what’s known as a lumbar discectomy to repair a herniated disc. This is the most common surgery done in people with sciatica, but about 40% of people who get it report persistent pain post-surgery.
Summary
Low back and leg pain may be related to nerves, muscles, tendons, or bones. Sciatica and muscle strains are two of the most common causes. It can be related to spinal stenosis, arthritis, a pinched nerve, or a condition called piriformis syndrome, which is particularly common in pregnant people.
Treatment depends on the underlying cause, and may involve a combination of NSAID medications, hot and cold compresses, physical therapy, and low-impact exercises like yoga. When conservative treatments are not enough to relieve pain, steroid injections or surgery may be an option.
Physical Therapy as Treatment for Lower Back Pain
15 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lower back pain: What could it be?.Mount Sinai.Spinal stenosis.Zaina F, Tomkins-Lane C, Carragee E, Negrini S.Surgical versus non-surgical treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;2016(1):CD010264. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010264.pub2Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lumbar disk disease.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Spinal arthritis.Shah S, Consuegra J, Subhawong T, Urakov T, Manzano G.Epidemiology and etiology of secondary piriformis syndrome: A single-institution retrospective study.J Clin Neurosci. 2019 Jan;59(1):209-212. doi:10.1016/j.jocn.2018.10.069Rathod P, Dhawale P, Katage G.Assessment of piriformis tightness in third trimester of pregnancy - a prevalence study.Int J Health Sci Res. 2022 Mar;12(3):1-8. doi:10.52403/ijhsr.20220309Harvard Health Publishing.Do I have a pinched nerve?.Penn Medicine.Sciatica.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lumbar strain.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lumbar spinal stenosis.Harvard Health Publishing.Ask Dr. Rob and piriformis syndrome.Harvard Health Publishing.Treating a pinched nerve.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Sciatica.Rehman Y, Bala M, Rehman N, et al.Predictors of recovery following lumbar microdiscectomy for sciatica: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.Cureus. 2023 May;15(5):e39664. doi:10.7759/cureus.39664
15 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lower back pain: What could it be?.Mount Sinai.Spinal stenosis.Zaina F, Tomkins-Lane C, Carragee E, Negrini S.Surgical versus non-surgical treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;2016(1):CD010264. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010264.pub2Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lumbar disk disease.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Spinal arthritis.Shah S, Consuegra J, Subhawong T, Urakov T, Manzano G.Epidemiology and etiology of secondary piriformis syndrome: A single-institution retrospective study.J Clin Neurosci. 2019 Jan;59(1):209-212. doi:10.1016/j.jocn.2018.10.069Rathod P, Dhawale P, Katage G.Assessment of piriformis tightness in third trimester of pregnancy - a prevalence study.Int J Health Sci Res. 2022 Mar;12(3):1-8. doi:10.52403/ijhsr.20220309Harvard Health Publishing.Do I have a pinched nerve?.Penn Medicine.Sciatica.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lumbar strain.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lumbar spinal stenosis.Harvard Health Publishing.Ask Dr. Rob and piriformis syndrome.Harvard Health Publishing.Treating a pinched nerve.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Sciatica.Rehman Y, Bala M, Rehman N, et al.Predictors of recovery following lumbar microdiscectomy for sciatica: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.Cureus. 2023 May;15(5):e39664. doi:10.7759/cureus.39664
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lower back pain: What could it be?.Mount Sinai.Spinal stenosis.Zaina F, Tomkins-Lane C, Carragee E, Negrini S.Surgical versus non-surgical treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;2016(1):CD010264. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010264.pub2Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lumbar disk disease.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Spinal arthritis.Shah S, Consuegra J, Subhawong T, Urakov T, Manzano G.Epidemiology and etiology of secondary piriformis syndrome: A single-institution retrospective study.J Clin Neurosci. 2019 Jan;59(1):209-212. doi:10.1016/j.jocn.2018.10.069Rathod P, Dhawale P, Katage G.Assessment of piriformis tightness in third trimester of pregnancy - a prevalence study.Int J Health Sci Res. 2022 Mar;12(3):1-8. doi:10.52403/ijhsr.20220309Harvard Health Publishing.Do I have a pinched nerve?.Penn Medicine.Sciatica.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lumbar strain.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lumbar spinal stenosis.Harvard Health Publishing.Ask Dr. Rob and piriformis syndrome.Harvard Health Publishing.Treating a pinched nerve.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Sciatica.Rehman Y, Bala M, Rehman N, et al.Predictors of recovery following lumbar microdiscectomy for sciatica: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.Cureus. 2023 May;15(5):e39664. doi:10.7759/cureus.39664
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lower back pain: What could it be?.
Mount Sinai.Spinal stenosis.
Zaina F, Tomkins-Lane C, Carragee E, Negrini S.Surgical versus non-surgical treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;2016(1):CD010264. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010264.pub2
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lumbar disk disease.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Spinal arthritis.
Shah S, Consuegra J, Subhawong T, Urakov T, Manzano G.Epidemiology and etiology of secondary piriformis syndrome: A single-institution retrospective study.J Clin Neurosci. 2019 Jan;59(1):209-212. doi:10.1016/j.jocn.2018.10.069
Rathod P, Dhawale P, Katage G.Assessment of piriformis tightness in third trimester of pregnancy - a prevalence study.Int J Health Sci Res. 2022 Mar;12(3):1-8. doi:10.52403/ijhsr.20220309
Harvard Health Publishing.Do I have a pinched nerve?.
Penn Medicine.Sciatica.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lumbar strain.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Lumbar spinal stenosis.
Harvard Health Publishing.Ask Dr. Rob and piriformis syndrome.
Harvard Health Publishing.Treating a pinched nerve.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Sciatica.
Rehman Y, Bala M, Rehman N, et al.Predictors of recovery following lumbar microdiscectomy for sciatica: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.Cureus. 2023 May;15(5):e39664. doi:10.7759/cureus.39664
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