Leg Pain Specialist

What is leg pain?

Leg pain is pain that occurs at any place along one or both of your legs--from your buttock to your feet and ankles. Your legs contain large and small muscles, blood vessels, and bones, as well as ligaments, tendons, and cartilage in the joints. While an injury to any of these components can cause leg pain, leg pain can also come from spinal injuries associated with nerves that travel through your legs.

Your leg pain may or may not come with other symptoms. Symptoms commonly associated with leg pain include:

• Numbness
• Tingling
• Cramps
• Weakness
• Inability to walk or stand

Inflammation surrounding an injury can worsen your leg pain. Many treatments, some of which are available at Athens Spine Center, aim to control the inflammation for long-term relief.

What are some common causes of leg pain?

Leg pain comes from a wide range of different causes. The team at Athens Spine Center can determine the cause of your leg pain by reviewing your symptoms and using imaging techniques like X-rays and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). They also ask about your medical history to find out if a disease or underlying condition contributes to your leg pain. 

Possible causes of leg pain include:

• Bone fractures
• Muscle cramps
• Arthritis
• Diabetic neuropathy
• Pinched lumbar nerves
• Deep vein thrombosis (blood clots)

A common type of leg pain is called sciatica. Sciatica can cause pain, numbness, or burning that radiates through your sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back, down through your buttocks, and down your legs. Sciatica often occurs when a herniated disc, bone spur, or other spinal condition causes compression on the sciatic nerve. 

What are my treatment options for leg pain?

The team at Athens Spine Center finds the cause of your leg pain and designs your treatment according to their findings. They rely on nonsurgical treatment methods to minimize your need for medications to control your leg pain and to treat the pain at the source. Your treatment options include:

Lumbar epidural steroid injections

Lumbar epidural steroid injections go into the epidural space around your spine to relieve leg pain originating in your lower spine. These injections are particularly successful when paired with physical therapy and other forms of rehabilitation.

Medial branch block

The team might use a medial branch block to find the source of leg pain coming from nerves in your spine and to provide some pain relief. The medial branch block injection is a strong local anesthesia. 

Physical therapy

The team might recommend physical therapy alongside minimally invasive procedures or medications to help you maintain your mobility in your legs. 

For more information about leg pain and available treatments, call Athens Spine Center today.