What is lumbar radiculopathy?
Lumbar radiculopathy also known as sciatica is the medical term referring to pain and the loss of function in a specific region within the legs. This occurs due to irritation or compression of one of the spinal nerve roots in the low back. Your Lumbar spine (low back) is made up of 5 connected bones called vertebrae. The vertebrae are connected to each other above and below through strong discs and joints on either side called facet joints. Your discs protect your spine by acting like shock absorbers to distribute weight through your back evenly. The facet joints on the other hand not only control but allow the movement of your back. Think of your facet joints like the steering mechanism of your spine it is their job to determine what movements can be made and the extent of those movements. The disc in the middle and the facet joints either side form what professionals refer to as the “three joint complex” that makes your spine a strong and durable structure. This portion of the spinal column needs to be very flexible, but at the same time needs to be able to protect the delicate spinal cord and spinal nerves that travel through it. Your lumbar spine surrounds the spinal cord to protect it from damage. Your nerves branch of from the spinal cord and pass out at the level of each disc through the intervertebral foramina and then continue to travel down into the leg. The nerve passes very close to the edge of the facet joint and disc.
Why and when does lumbar radiculopathy happen?
Lumbar radiculopathy occurs when the space that the spinal nerve travels through, called the intervertebral foramina starts to decrease. There are a few possible causes of this; each cause has a link to a thorough condition article explaining diagnosis and treatment. A lumbar disc herniation most commonly bulges to the side affecting the spinal nerves as they exit the cord. Bony growths that occur with certain arthritic changes to the spine can grow around the intervertebral foramina and in some cases can be large enough to encroach upon and compress the spinal nerve. Natural ageing/degeneration sees the discs in-between the vertebrae decrease in height as they lose a lot of their natural water content. This process causes foramina space to decrease. The narrowing of the intervertebral foramina and the spinal canal is referred to as Stenosis.
What does lumbar radiculopathy feel like?
Lumbar radiculopathy symptoms can build up gradually or may start suddenly after an injury. Symptoms include pain traveling from the low back into a specific region of the thigh, lower leg or foot. In many cases the leg pain is accompanied by numbness, weakness and pins and needles in a similar distribution to the pain. Some cases report leg symptoms without any low back pain and occasionally foot weakness with a sensation of the foot slapping the ground when walking has been reported.
For diagnosis and treatment information check out these articles…
Lumbar Arthritis Changes
Natural Aging and Lumbar Degenerative Disc Disease
Lumbar Disc Herniation