Weakness in the Legs

spinal stenosis

Weakness in the legs is a common sciatica symptom often linked to a spinal abnormality, such as a bulging intervertebral disc or an osteoarthritis condition in the lumbar or lumbo-sacral regions. Weakness is a neurological symptom which is deemed quite serious by most back pain care providers, as it raises the possibility of nerve compression issues in the lower back, such as those typically caused by spinal stenosis, foraminal stenosis or even cauda equina syndrome.

Sciatica is a broad term used to describe pain, tingling, weakness and/or numbness in the lower body, including the buttocks, legs and/or feet. It is not a diagnostic conclusion unto itself, but rather a set of variable symptoms sourced by some better defined causative condition. True sciatica is always deemed to be caused by a spinal issue, while pseudo-sciatica is sourced in non-spinal concerns, such as piriformis syndrome or a variety of sacroiliac joint problems.

Weakness in the legs may be felt generally or in specific muscle groups. Many patients have wide spread weakness in the lower body which may be accompanied by pain, tingling or numbness. Other patients have more defined symptomatic patterns, including weakness or other symptoms in a specific set of lower body muscles. This can occur in the rear thighs, rear calves or feet in the most common examples, with foot drop being one of the most notably associated with a spinal source.

Patients diagnosed with a spinal causation enacting their symptoms must be very careful with how they pursue treatment. A great number of these pain syndromes are misdiagnosed, which explains why sciatica has such a reputation as a treatment-resistant chronic disorder. The clues to misdiagnosis are usually obvious to any who look for them, but unfortunately, most patients are not aware of the true facts of sciatic nerve pain and most doctors will blame the most convenient possible structural reason, even if the suspected source is obviously nothing more than a scapegoat...

True and well defined muscular weakness conditions in the legs, which affect a specific set of muscles exclusively, have the best chance of being correctly diagnosed. Far ranging pain and general weakness issues in the lower body are often blamed on some spinal issue, although it is usually quite impossible that the symptoms exist in such a large area due to any one disc or bone concern. Of course, it is well known that most sciatica patients have variable pain and neurological symptom patterns, which are highly unlikely to be sourced in any structural issue, but instead are almost always the direct result of an oxygen deprivation condition known as ischemia.

My advice for patients is to always get involved in their own care and learn all they can about their theorized diagnosis. It is crucial to compare the expected symptoms to the actual clinical expression and to be incredibly detailed in this process. If the symptoms do not correlate exactly, then misdiagnosis may be possible. For patients who have tried a multitude of sciatica treatments without enjoying lasting or significant relief, the chance for misdiagnosis increases exponentially. Many doctors will explain inconsistencies by saying that this is the nature of nerve pain, but this is a falsehood perpetuated by care providers who can not otherwise answer the common patient query, "Why does my pain never end, despite active treatment?" Do not buy into this mythology casually. Instead, do some independent research and learn the real facts about sciatica for yourself.