There are many potential sources of leg pain. The nerves that provide motor and sensory function to the legs start in the lower back. These are called the lumbar nerves. Leg pain that starts in the lower back and radiates down the leg is often referred to as ‘sciatica.’
where the soft cushion between the bony vertebrae of the spine herniates from its normal position and causes compression of the lumbar nerves
If you had to guess, what’s the one thing that almost all new patients have in common when they first arrive to clinic to be evaluated? Pain. Whether it is a new onset of symptoms that started after moving a big beautiful sofa or an unreliable low back that just started hurting with no recollection of injury, the primary motivating factor that brings most patients into the clinic is PAIN.
A bone spur or ‘osteophyte’ is new bone that forms at the end of bones or joints. Bone spurs form in response to movement when one bone comes into contact with another bone across a joint or disk space. Bone spurs can occur throughout the body but are common in the spine because of numerous bony joints and disks that make up and support the spine. Bone spur formation occurs to varying degrees and is expected in the aging spine but will be more common in patients that have significant arthritis.