A ruptured disc in your lower back can cause pain that radiates down your buttocks and leg, called sciatica.
Identification
Between each of your vertebrae in your lower back are discs that serve as shock absorbers for the spine. When these discs rupture or herniate, they can press against nerves nearby.
Effects
When the disc presses against a nerve, it causes pain to radiate where the nerve goes. With a ruptured disc in the lower back, the associated nerve leads down the leg, thus pain radiates down the leg as well.
Location
Discs are identified by their location between two verterbrae. Lower leg pain is generally caused by the disc between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae, or L4-L5, or between the fifth lumbar and first sacrum disc, or L5-S1, according to Kevin Foley, a professor of neurosurgery at the University of Tennessee.
Prevention/Solution
Non-surgical treatments such as physical therapy, pain management and chiropractic care are prescribed to treat the lower leg pain associated with a ruptured disc first. If those do not work, surgery is sometimes recommended.
Warning
A ruptured disc can also cause numbness and tingling in the lower leg and foot. This can be a sign of long-term nerve damage. Report any numbness or tingling to your doctor.
Tags: lower back, ruptured disc, fifth lumbar, numbness tingling, radiates down, your lower, your lower back