Sciatic Nerve: How Your Spine And Knees Are Connected
Your knee and your spine are more connected than youd expect. Unless you had a major knee injury like ACL, knee pain and associated symptoms are often caused by problems in the nerves that link the spine to the lower extremities. Issues with the nerves housed in your lower back can greatly impact how your muscles work.;
Problems commonly occur with the sciatic nerve, the longest and largest nerve in the body. It is a critical nerve that extends from your lower back all the way to your toes, travelling through the back of your knees. The sciatic nerve is linked to the muscles in these areas so any pressure applied to it can affect the lower half of your body.;
What Are The Symptoms
Classic sciatic pain starts in the low back and buttocks. It affects one leg traveling down the back of the thigh, past the knee, and sometimes into the calf and foot. The pain feels worse in the leg than in the back. It may range from a mild ache to severe burning or a shooting pain. Numbness or tingling can occur in your leg and foot. This usually is not a concern unless you have weakness in your leg muscles or foot drop.
Sitting usually causes the most pain because of the weight this position puts onto the discs. Activities, such as bending or twisting, worsen the pain, whereas lying down tends to bring relief. Running or walking may actually feel better than sitting or standing for too long.
Seek medical help immediately if you have extreme leg weakness, numbness in the genital area, or loss of bladder or bowel function. These are signs of a condition called cauda equina syndrome.
Can The Calf Pain From A Dvt Feel Identical To That From Sciatica
Well, calf pain from DVT is typically described as being a soreness, tenderness or cramp, including a really bad cramp, a la Charlie horse.
Calf pain from sciatica is typically described as shooting, stabbing, sharp and can be very severe.
Sciatica and DVT pain often come with other symptoms that can point heavily in one direction or the other.
But if just the symptom of pain is isolated and then compared, leaving out the consideration of other accompanying symptoms, it seems to be a situation of cramping or tenderness vs. sharp and shooting.
Leg pain can mean very different things, says J. Mark Anderson, MD, DABFM, of Executive Medicine of Texasand who is board certified in family medicine.
When assessing and reporting leg pain, first make note of the place where the pain occurs, continues Dr. Anderson.
Is it worse with exercise?
Is it sharp or dull?
Is the leg hot or swollen?
Where does it start and where does the pain end?
The answers to these questions are very important in determining if the pain is associated with a serious condition known as deep vein thrombosis or something painful, but less serious, like sciatica.
DVT pain is often felt in the calf or in a specific region of the leg. Its often worse with exercise and described as a burning or constant pain or cramp.
Shutterstock/TANAPAT LEK.JIW
Sciatica is pain that generally radiates from the buttock area and shoots down the leg.
Shutterstock/Nathan Devery
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How Knee Pain And Sciatica May Be Connected
Sciatica describes pain, pins-and-needles, or lack of feeling in the legs that is caused by damage or pressure to the sciatic; nerve. The sciatic nerve extends from your toes all the way up to your lower back. Because this critical nerve travels through the back of your knee and controls muscles in that area, problems with it often lead to knee pain.
If you are experiencing knee pain, you are certainly not alone. Among adult American chronic pain patients, 1 in 5 report knee pain, making it the second most common pain condition in the United States. To consider treatment, first it is important to assess your pains severity. At-home strategies are often effective for mild to moderate joint pain. However, for moderate to severe cases, care and expertise of a medical professional may be necessary.
When Should I Contact My Healthcare Provider
Get immediate medical attention if you experience:
- Severe leg pain lasting more than a few hours that is unbearable.
- Numbness or muscle weakness in the same leg.
- Bowel or bladder control loss. This could be due to a condition called cauda equina syndrome, which affects bundles of nerves at the end of the spinal cord.
- Sudden and severe pain from a traffic accident or some other trauma.
Even if your visit doesnt turn out to be an emergency situation, its best to get it checked out.
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Is The Weight Of Pregnancy The Reason Why So Many Pregnant Women Get Sciatica
Its true that sciatica is common in pregnancy but increased weight is not the main reason why pregnant women get sciatica. A better explanation is that certain hormones of pregnancy cause a loosening of their ligaments. Ligaments hold the vertebrae together, protect the disks and keep the spine stable. Loosened ligaments can cause the spine to become unstable and might cause disks to slip, which leads to nerves being pinched and the development of sciatica. The babys weight and position can also add pressure to the nerve.
The good news is there are ways to ease sciatic pain during pregnancy, and the pain goes away after birth. Physical therapy and massage therapy, warm showers, heat, medications and other measures can help. If you are pregnant, be sure to follow good posture techniques during pregnancy to also ease your pain.
How The Knees Are Linked To The Back
A study was conducted involving 160 patients that connected various forms of spinal imbalance to knee osteoarthritis in seniors. Researchers learned that the angle of spinal inclination was the number one factor in increased knee arthritis, but that a number of spinal imbalances increased knee problems. This is not the only evidence that a misaligned spine can lead to knee pain. But why does it happen?
For one thing, the nerves that detect sensations in the knee are all linked to the lower spine. Thats why sciatica pain can extend down the leg and even cause knee pain. Pain often radiates from the lower back when this is the case, but pain can also occur in the knee without pain in the lower back area.The lower back nerves are also responsible for how the muscles around the knee function. Therefore, a minor irritation in the lower back can cause dysfunction in how the muscles around the knees function. This, in turn, can lead to pain that may not seem to trace back to the spine. Doctors may try everything to correct the knee issue, but without looking higher to discover the underlying problem, knee pain just keeps returning.
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Pain Behind The Knee: Common Causes And Treatments
Have you ever been standing at barbecue or party and felt you needed to sit down due to an aching pain behind your knee?
Have you ever been sitting at a movie theater and felt a sharp shooting pain behind your knee that distracted you from enjoying the movie?
Pain directly behind the knee is very common but can be misdiagnosed due to the amount of muscles, tendons, and tissues that reside there. ; Likely, you have searched the Google trying to find information on what could possibly be causing the pain behind your knee only to find scary and intimidating causes such as deep vein thrombosis or posterior cruciate ligament tear.
These are potential causes you want to pay attention to if you have had recent surgery, take blood thinners due to previous clotting, or had recent trauma to your knee. ;In these specific cases the course of action would be to call your doctor for a speedy appointment.
How about the majority of other cases though where the knee pain began without a know cause?
In this article we will explore the most common causes for pain in the back of the knee, but first lets peer into the anatomy of the back of the knee.
Visiting Our London Chiropractors At Motionback
Chiropractic is a primary healthcare profession that specialises in the diagnosis, treatment and overall management of conditions that are due to problems with the joints, ligaments, tendons and nerves, especially related to the spine.
Chiropractic Treatment involves a wide variety of manipulative techniques designed to improve the function of the joints, relieving pain and muscle spasm. Other methods of treatment such as mobilisation, soft tissue therapies, stretches, dry needling and the use of rehabilitation programmes may also be used.
Chiropractic focuses on causes, not just symptoms. It is therefore suitable for both acute and chronic conditions.
Our Chiropractors are trained to take and interpret x-rays and as primary health care professionals are qualified to assess your general health.
To book and appointment with one of our chiropractors, please call us on 0207 112 5408 or you can book online on our website
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How Soon Can You Find Pain Relief After Physical Therapy
It takes approximately four weeks to build new muscle, and the change in symptoms usually corresponds to the building of new muscles to decrease compensations. Temporary relief can generally be achieved within a few visits, but lasting changes are highly variable with factors such as how long you have had sciatic pain.
How To Tell The Difference
If you have leg pain without significant back pain, it can be hard to tell if the problem is your back or your hip. Vinita Mathew, MD, FAAPMR, is a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at Northwestern Medicine Integrated Spine Center. Here, Dr. Mathew explains what to look for and what to expect if you see your physician for leg pain.;
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What Does Sciatica Pain Feel Like
People describe sciatica pain in different ways, depending on its cause. Some people describe the pain as sharp, shooting, or jolts of pain. Others describe this pain as burning, “electric or stabbing.
The pain may be constant or may come and go. Also, the pain is usually more severe in your leg compared to your lower back. The pain may feel worse if you sit or stand for long periods of time, when you stand up and when your twist your upper body. A forced and sudden body movement, like a cough or sneeze, can also make the pain worse.
What Are The Symptoms Of Sciatica
The symptoms of sciatica include:
- Moderate to severe pain in lower back, buttock and down your leg.
- Numbness or weakness in your lower back, buttock, leg or feet.
- Pain that worsens with movement; loss of movement.
- Pins and needles feeling in your legs, toes or feet.
- Loss of bowel and bladder control .
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Chronic Knee And Back Pain
As we have seen in research studies, an unacceptably high percentage of patients suffer from chronic pain, and it is important to understand that pain is not necessarily the problem but a symptom of a problem. Failure to identify the cause of pain could lead to unnecessary knee replacements that do not really address the causes of pain.
Given the importance of nailing down the actual source of the pain, you need to know if it stems from your back. If you have acute or chronic knee pain, look for other pain or discomfort that accompanies it. The affected areas may seem completely independent, but they can trigger mutually, causing pain that only leads to the muscles failing and destroying the otherwise necessary protection of the knees and joints.
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Sciatica And Knee Pain: Can Sciatica Cause Knee Pain
If you have knee pain but no traceable cause, chances are you have sciatica leading to your nerve pain in the knee.
Wait! Can sciatica cause knee pain? Is that true?
Well, it is true and sciatica does cause knee pain. In fact, sciatica nerve pain in the knee can last for more than six weeks in chronic cases of sciatica.
Now you may ask what can be the cause of sciatica knee pain? Well, a pinched nerve in the knee is the most obvious cause of knee pain. But mind you, its not necessarily sciatica!
However, there are several ways to manage knee pain from sciatica. We will learn them all in this article. So, buckle up!
Can sciatica cause knee pain? What is the link between sciatica and knee pain? How do we treat the knee nerve pain arising from sciatica?
Lets find out!
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You Have Bunions Forming On Your Feet
It may be surprising to hear that bunions on your feet and your spine can affect each other. You may be wondering how these two can be connected and how they have an impact on your knees.;
Bunions or bone spurs may grow on your feet if you have a back problem. The L5 and S1 spinal nerves travel to the muscles stabilizing inside and outside of your feet. If these nerves become injured, the muscles will be weakened and unable to perform effectively. You wouldnt be able to walk, run, or stand as you normally would.;
Once this happens, your feet will roll towards the inside and the arches will flatten out to support your weight with the inner edge of your feet. Foot pronation occurs when the main tendon continues to stay misaligned and keeps the joint of the big toes tilted unnaturally, creating pressure in the joint where bunions can form.;
The strain of moving this way tends to cause back pain. When the back and feet areas are weakened, the knee joints have to work harder and wear out faster, causing knee pain.;
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of A Pinched Nerve In The Knee
The peroneal nerve supplies both sensation and movement to the outside of your lower leg and the top of your foot. When its compressed, it becomes inflamed, which causes the symptoms of a pinched nerve.
Usually only the lining, or myelin, around the nerve is injured. When the nerve itself is also damaged, the symptoms are the same but more severe.
Weakness that limits your ability to lift your foot toward your leg, known as dorsiflexion, is often considered the most bothersome symptom. This causes your foot to drag when you walk.
Your ability to turn your foot outward and extend your big toe are also affected.
Other symptoms of a pinched peroneal nerve are felt on the outside of your lower leg and on the top of your foot. These include:
- pain
- loss of sensation
If youve had a pinched nerve for two or more weeks, the muscles supplied by the nerve can begin to waste away.
Your symptoms may be intermittent or continuous depending on whats pushing on the nerve.
The other common cause of these symptoms is a pinched nerve in your lumbar spine. When this is the cause, youll also have pain in your lower back or the back and outside of your thigh.
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How To Differentiates Sciatica From Knee Pain
Few Symptoms like Pain around Knee and swelling, Joint stiffness are seen Both in Sciatica and Knee Pain But Other Symptoms like Radiating pain in Back side of the legs seen only in Sciatica while Knee Crepetations are seen only in Knee pain.
Knee Pain Symtoms which differentiate to sciatica are :
- Pain and Swelling in Front side of the knee.
- Tenderness in Medial side of Knee Joint.
- Crepitations During Knee Movement.
- Sever Joint Stiffness seen only in Knee Pain.
Sciatica Pain Symptoms which are Differentiate to Knee Pain are :
- Back Pain
- Back side of Leg Tingling Numbness
- Loss of Sensation and Foot seen only in Severe Cases.
- Tenderness in Buttocks and Low Back Area
Differential Diagnosis done mostly by Physiotherapist or By Orthopedics.
Knee Pain May Be A Symptom Of Sciatica
Common knee symptoms that you may experience when you have sciatica include:
- A warm sensation, sharp pain, or dull ache in the front, side, and/or back of the knee
- Inability to bear weight on the knee
- Buckling/giving out of the knee
- Weakness while extending the knee
When knee pain is a part of your sciatica symptoms, you may also experience pain in your buttock, thigh, calf, and/or foot. The pain will almost always affect one leg at a time, so knee pain in sciatica typically does not affect both knees together.
Read more about Sciatica Symptoms
Sciatica is commonly caused by a medical condition that affects your lower back. These underlying conditions may affect your spinal discs, nerve roots, joints, or soft tissues, such as muscles.
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How Does The Sciatic Nerve Affect The Knee
As you grow older , the vertebrae discs protecting your spine may degenerate or bulge out, pressing on the nerves and irritating them. The sciatic nerve roots located in your lower back transmit pain sensations depending on which disc is protruding.;
If the pinched nerve is at the second, third, or fourth lumbar vertebrae, referred pain will be received by the knee. Referred pain is a phenomenon where discomfort is felt at a location other than where the cause is situated as a result of pain signals being sent along interconnected sensory nerves.;
Signs Your Knee Pain Comes From Your Spine
Unless you have suffered a traumatic injury to your knees, the knee pain you feel is not an inflammation or a problem with your joints. Most likely, the discomfort in your knees is a symptom of the underlying cause and theres a good chance your spine is the real culprit.
Here are four signs that can help you determine if your knee pain is a sign of a spinal condition:;
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