Lumbar Radiculopathy Injury
A lot of times when you are injured from a car accident or fall, your spine endures the brunt of the impact. The spine can be very strong to carry our body, yet so fragile when it comes to injury. We often hear client's tell us that they are experiencing a radiating pain into their legs. Below is information pertaining to the symptoms, causes, diagnosis and treatment of lumbar radiculopathy.
If you were involved in an accident and have pain and would like to speak further about the facts of your accident, please call us at 609-392-7600.
Lumbar radiculopathy is pain in the lower back that can go down into your buttocks or legs. The bones of the spine are called vertebrae and the vertebrae are stacked on top of one another with discs in between each bone to provide a cushion. Nerves from the spinal cord come out through the vertebrae. The nerves in the lower spine go to the legs. If a nerve becomes pinched, entrapped, or irritated, you can endure pain and weakness.
Symptoms:
- sharp or burning pain in your lower back that shoots down into your leg
- leg pain
- buttock pain
- weakness in the leg or foot
- numbness or tingling in your leg, foot or toes
- muscle spasms
Causes:
- herniated disc
- bulging disc
- spinal injuries
Diagnosis:
Most of the time, your doctor can diagnose this problem with a careful history of your pain and symptoms and an examination. Your doctor may order an EMG test to test your nerves.
Treatment:
There are several treatment options your doctor may recommend, depending on the severity of your symptoms or the source of the pain and discomfort. Those are:
- rest
- pain medications
- muscle relaxants
- physical therapy
- trigger point injections
- epidural Injections
- surgery, in severe cases
