What part of the spine affects the legs?

Lumbar region
Nerve roots coming from the spinal cord in the lumbar spine control the legs. The lumbar region is where the spinal cord ends (the spinal cord is shorter than the spine).
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on uhhospitals.org


Which part of the spine affects the leg muscles?

The tibial branch of the sciatic nerve is derived from the L5, S1, S2, and S3 spinal nerves. This nerve supplies the calf muscles along the back of the leg.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on spine-health.com


Can your spine affect your legs?

Gait problems. Spinal stenosis can affect walking in different ways depending on its location within the spine, for example: Lumbar spinal stenosis (in the lower back) may cause gait problems due to foot drop. The condition may also cause weakness in thigh and leg muscles, such as the quadriceps and the calves.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on spine-health.com


What spinal nerves affect legs?

Sciatic Nerve Anatomy
  • The sciatic nerve is formed in the lower spine by the combination of motor and sensory fibers from spinal nerves L4 to S3. ...
  • This long, thick, and bulky nerve runs along the back of the thigh and leg and terminates in the foot.
  • The nerve supplies most areas of the thigh, leg, and foot.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on spine-health.com


What spinal problems cause leg pain?

Spinal nerve compression or irritation.

Inflamed, irritated, or compressed nerve roots in the lumbar or sacral spine may cause radiculopathy or nerve pain, commonly called sciatica, in the leg and foot. Nerves may also be damaged along their path in the leg, causing peripheral neuropathy and leg pain.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on spine-health.com


Five Signs that Spinal Stenosis Is Causing Your Back



Can thoracic spine affect legs?

Thoracic spinal cord injury symptoms depend on the type of nerve damage. Spinal pain can radiate into arms, legs or around the rib cage from back toward the anterior chest. The following may be associated with thoracic spine nerve damage: Significant leg weakness or loss of sensation.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on shepherd.org


Does spinal stenosis affect your legs?

With lumbar stenosis, it's common to feel numbness or tingling in one leg or foot, weakness in your leg, and pain or cramping after standing for long periods of time. Lumbar stenosis can make it difficult to walk and often feels better when you lean forward and relieve the pressure on your lower vertebrae.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on southeasttexasspine.com


Can C5 C6 cause leg pain?

An injury to the spinal cord at the C5-C6 level may cause pain, weakness, or paralysis in the arms and/or legs.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on spine-health.com


What are the symptoms of L4 nerve damage?

3 Telltale Signs of a L4-L5 Slipped Disc
  • Chronic Lower Back Pain. Pain in the lumbar region can mean many things. ...
  • Leg Pain and or Weakness. The leg pain that is often felt with an L4-L5 disc problem in conjunction with or separate from lower back pain is often categorized as sciatica. ...
  • Tingling and Numbness.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on discspine.com


What are the symptoms of L5 nerve damage?

L5 NERVE ROOT DAMAGE

This pain can come in the form of numbness, tingling, weakness and shooting and is commonly felt in the big toe, inside of the foot, top of the foot and ankle. Radiculopathy of the L5 nerve may also cause loss of coordination in the foot and toes.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on csiortho.com


Why does my lower back and back of my legs hurt?

Sciatica refers to back pain caused by a problem with the sciatic nerve. This is a large nerve that runs from the lower back down the back of each leg. When something injures or puts pressure on the sciatic nerve, it can cause pain in the lower back that spreads to the hip, buttocks, and leg.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on webmd.com


Can a pinched nerve in lower back cause leg pain?

Pinched nerve due to herniated disk

A herniated disk in your lower spine may "pinch" a nerve root, causing pain that radiates down the back of your leg (sciatica).
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on mayoclinic.org


Can cervical spine problems cause leg weakness?

Injuries, disorders and conditions that affect the cervical spine (neck) can trigger symptoms that extend far beyond the first seven vertebra of the spine. Individuals sometimes complain about weakness in the arms, hands and even legs after a neck injury – even minor ones.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on stelizabeth.com


Can a pinched nerve affect your legs?

Pinched Nerve

When pressure pinches one of your spinal nerves, it can interfere with the messages sent to your legs. As a result, you can feel pain, tingling or numbness in one or both of your legs. Pinched nerves need immediate treatment to avoid long-term problems.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on spineina.com


Does degenerative disc disease cause leg pain?

Degenerative disc disease may cause back and/or leg pain, as well as functional problems such as tingling or numbness in your legs or buttocks, or difficulty walking.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on medtronic.com


Can lower back pain cause weakness in the legs?

As the lumbar spinal canal shrinks, the nerves that go through it are squeezed. This squeezing may cause back pain, leg pain and leg weakness. Many adults have this kind of stenosis.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on aafp.org


What are the symptoms of L3 nerve damage?

When the L3 spinal nerve is involved, the following symptoms may occur:
  • Sharp pain, typically felt as a shooting and/or burning feeling that may occur in the thigh and/or inner part of the leg. ...
  • Numbness in the thigh and/or inner part of the leg. ...
  • Weakness while moving the thigh and/or knee in different directions.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on spine-health.com


What are the symptoms of L4 L5 nerve damage?

Common symptoms and signs include: Sharp pain, typically felt as a shooting and/or burning feeling that originates in the lower back and travels down the leg in the distribution of a specific nerve, sometimes affecting the foot. Numbness in different parts of the thigh, leg, foot, and/or toes.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on spine-health.com


What are the symptoms of L2 L3 nerve damage?

Pain, numbness, tingling, or burning sensations are common when the l2-l3 nerves are compressed, irritated, or damaged. Also, internal organs can malfunction when problems occur at the L2-L3 spinal segment.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on mychiro.com.my


What nerves are affected by C4 C5 C6 and C7?

C5, as mentioned earlier, along with C3 and C4, contributes to the phrenic nerve that innervates the diaphragm. Roots C5, C6, and C7 produce the long thoracic nerve, responsible for controlling the serratus anterior.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on ncbi.nlm.nih.gov


What are the symptoms of a pinched nerve at C3 C4?

Signs and symptoms of a pinched nerve include:
  • tingling.
  • burning.
  • numbness.
  • pain.
  • muscle weakness.
  • stinging pain, such as pins and needles.
  • the area may feel it has “fallen asleep”
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on medicalnewstoday.com


What are the symptoms of a pinched nerve at C7?

When the C7 nerve is compressed or irritated, additional complaints may follow, such as:
  • Pain from the neck radiating to the shoulder down to the middle finger. ...
  • Numbness in the palm, index finger, and middle finger. ...
  • Weakness in the upper arm, forearm, elbow, and wrist; affecting the motion of these regions.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on spine-health.com


What does the C6/C7 nerve control?

The C6-C7 Nerve Root

This nerve root controls both muscle and skin in the arm via its sensory and motor roots. Some basic actions like stretching the fingers, contracting the triceps, and moving the elbow and wrists are controlled by the C7 motor roots.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on deukspine.com


Why does my leg keep giving way?

Causes of nerve damage include direct injury, tumor growth on the spine, prolonged pressure on the spine, and diabetes. A spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injuries are among the most common reasons that legs give out. These injuries vary in severity but should always be evaluated immediately by a spine specialist.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on summitortho.com


How do you fix spinal stenosis without surgery?

Nonsurgical Treatment Options for Spinal Stenosis
  1. Steroid Injections. Epidural steroid injections are commonly used to provide long-term pain relief. ...
  2. DRX9000. ...
  3. Medication. ...
  4. Physical Therapy. ...
  5. Correcting Posture. ...
  6. Permanent Lifestyle Changes. ...
  7. Facet Blocks. ...
  8. Radiofrequency Ablation.
Takedown request   |   View complete answer on texasspineclinic.com