About This Blog:
- Hip and leg pain are common conditions that can interfere with a person’s ability to complete normal, daily tasks.
- While symptoms of hip and leg pain can be a sign of an orthopedic problem, there is a chance pain in these areas is being caused by a spinal condition.
- In this blog, Dr. Mark Giovanini of NeuroMicroSpine explains why your spine may be to blame if you’re suffering from hip and leg pain.
Most people with hip or leg pain assume the problem is coming from these areas. This is completely understandable, but patients should also understand there are conditions that can cause “referred pain.” This type of pain is characterized as pain or discomfort that is felt in a part of the body that is different from its origin. Referred pain is especially common in patients with certain spinal conditions.
For example, if you’re experiencing numbness, weakness, tingling, and burning pain in the hips and legs, you may actually be suffering from spinal stenosis or a herniated disc in the spine causing sciatica. We’ll address spinal stenosis first.
Spinal stenosis is a relatively common spinal condition that can develop in patients around 60 or 70 years old. It usually occurs from thickened ligaments, bone spurs, or bulging spinal discs in the spine that are narrowing the spinal canal. This, in turn, causes symptoms of back, hip, and leg pain that are worse when standing, as well as abnormal walking, muscle cramping, and a reduced sense of touch in the lower extremities.
A herniated disc causing sciatica produces similar symptoms with the most notable being radiating pain that travels down the hips and legs. There are differences, though. Spinal stenosis usually causes pain in both legs whereas sciatica only occurs on one side of the body. Regardless, a herniated disc is a damaged spinal disc that protrudes from the spine, irritating surrounding nerves, muscles, and ligaments. These can occur at any age, especially if patients are involved in high impact sports like rugby or football. Still, they are most common in older adults over the age 50.
It’s important a spine surgeon like Dr. Giovanini checks out both of these conditions immediately because neither of them will heal on their own. In fact, the damage will get progressively worse if treatment isn’t sought.
While interventional pain therapies can help reduce pain, they won’t treat the underlying condition. Therefore, Dr. Giovanini of NeuroMicroSpine may recommend minimally invasive spine surgery followed by physical therapy to ensure the damage in the spine is corrected fully. If you’re experiencing some of the above-mentioned symptoms, be sure to call NeuroMicroSpine today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Giovanini. He will perform a physical examination and order x-ray imaging to figure out the cause of your symptoms.
If a herniated disc or spinal stenosis is to blame, he will walk you through the different surgeries he can perform to correct these conditions.
For more information on minimally invasive spine surgery or to make an appointment with Dr. Giovanini, please call (850) 934-7545 or visit https://www.neuromicrospine.com/request-appointment.
We hope to see you soon!
The advice and information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace or counter a physician’s advice or judgment. Please always consult your physician before taking any advice learned here or in any other educational medical material.