Leg and Back Pain Connections

If you’ve ever had pain in your leg, you may have tried adjusting your posture in a way that also put strain on your lower back. But the connections between our legs and the lumbar region go deeper than that. ChiroCareLA.com in Glendale offers a variety of complementary therapies for reducing pain in a holistic, safe manner, so to help our patients understand why we use them, we wanted to take some time to discuss some of the ways in which the back and legs are connected.


 


The nerves that lead to our legs emerge from the spinal cord in the lower back. They exit the lumbar vertebrae through small holes called foramina and weave through the muscles and bones of the pelvis. Compression in these nerves could cause a shooting pain, tingling, or numbness down the leg, which are the symptoms of sciatica, but the pressure causing the pinch could have several origins. Swelling from a dislocated facet joint or herniated disc, or a back muscle stretching over a spinal spur, could compress nerves at the foramina. An injury to the piriformis muscle could cause swelling in the pelvis, resulting in the tight muscle pulling on both the lower back and the top of the leg. A tight muscle could also be compressing bursae, or pain may be radiating from the muscle itself.


 


If we determine that a patient’s leg or back pain is due to a musculoskeletal problem, we will advise them on which treatments are likely to reduce their inflammation and help them to regain their flexibility. Besides offering chiropractic adjustments for lower back joints, we also provide Acoustic Compression Therapy and Rapid Release Technology to loosen tight muscles and tendons. Since different people respond differently to similar conditions, we may also recommend low level laser therapy to help increase blood flow to tense areas, and frequency specific microcurrents as a safe form of pain relief.


 


Dr. Jack Alajajian and his staff operate ChiroCareLA.com at 815 E Colorado Suite 250, Glendale CA, 91205. Call 818-246-3600.

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