The human body's musculoskeletal system is highly integrated, which often means that a problem in one area can have a far-reaching effect in distant regions, such as your legs. Whether your pain is local or caused by an issue elsewhere, such as your spine, pain management physicians help you diagnose and find relief for leg pain.
What are the Main Causes of Leg Pain?
When it comes to leg pain, more often than not, the source of your pain is one of two things:
- Local: By designating your pain as local, it means that the source of your discomfort resides in your leg. This pain can stem from a number of things, such as -
- A fracture
- A muscle pull or tear
- Arthritis
- Infection
- Tendinitis
- Knee or ankle issues
- Claudication, which is a circulation issue
- Spine: Your lumbar spine, or low back, is where the nerves in your legs originate, so often the pain you feel in your legs comes from a problem in your spine that’s affecting the nerve root and radiating out through your legs. This is often tied to -
- Sciatica
- Degenerative disc disease
- Stenosis
- Herniated disc
What are the Types of Leg Pain?
While the answer to this question may seem obvious pain is pain, after all the type, location, and occurrence of your leg pain gives your doctor valuable diagnostic information. With that in mind, leg pain can be:
- Constant and nagging
- Acute with certain movements
- Accompanied by numbness, tingling, and weakness
These symptoms, along with a review of your medical history and diagnostic imaging, give your doctor the information they need to treat your leg pain.
How is Leg Pain Treated?
The first order of business is finding a treatment that works to relieve your pain. In the case of your legs, and depending upon the source of your pain, your doctor may turn to one or more of the following treatments:
- Lumbar epidural injections
- Selective lumbar epidural and root blocks
- Peripheral nerve blocks
- Spinal cord stimulation
- Lumbar facet injections and medial branch blocks
- Discography
Thanks to the vast array of options, your doctor is able to choose an appropriate treatment that best meets your goals. Should your pain resist treatment, rest assured that they work with you until your leg pain is resolved.
Precision Pain Care and Rehabilitation has two convenient locations in Richmond Hill – Queens and New Hyde Park – Long Island. Call the Queens office at (718) 215-1888, or (516) 419-4480 for the Long Island office, to arrange an appointment with our Interventional Pain Management Specialist, Dr. Jeffrey Chacko.
