Radiating leg pain has many causes. According to the New York University Langone Medical Center, structural problems in the lower back can cause radiating leg pain, along with leg numbness, tingling and weakness. Tight muscles in the gluteal region can also cause radiating leg pain. Conservative therapies are often effective for alleviating radiating leg pain, although surgical intervention may be necessary in some cases. Radiating leg pain usually occurs in the back of the leg.
Lumbar Disc Herniation
Lumbar disc herniations can cause radiating leg pain. According to MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, a lumbar disc herniation can cause sharp pain in the buttocks, hip or leg that may radiate to the back of the calf or even to the sole of the foot. Lumbar disc herniation-related leg pain is often accompanied by sensations of numbness, tingling and weakness in the affected lower extremity. MedlinePlus states that a herniated disc occurs when the central part of a lumbar or lower back spinal disc ruptures through its fibrous outer ring and compresses a spinal nerve root, which is an offshoot of the spinal cord. When a nerve root is compressed, the condition is called radiculopathy. A lumbar disc herniation is just one of many possible causes of radiculopathy. Lumbar disc herniations occur more frequently in people who perform strenuous activity on a regular basis.
Piriformis Syndrome
Piriformis syndrome can cause radiating leg pain. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, or NINDS, a division of the National Institutes of Health, states that piriformis syndrome is a rare neuromuscular condition that manifests when the piriformis muscle---a pear-shaped muscle in the gluteal region that runs from the tailbone to the top of the femur, or thigh bone---compresses the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body. Irritation of the sciatic nerve can cause radiating leg pain, along with numbness and tingling in the lower extremity along the path traveled by the sciatic nerve. According to the NINDS, piriformis syndrome-related leg pain can worsen during prolonged periods of sitting or when climbing stairs, walking or running. Piriformis syndrome can usually be treated using conservative care methods, such as stretching, massage and temporary activity modification.
Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
Lumbar spinal stenosis can cause radiating leg pain. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, or NIAMS---a division of the National Institutes of Health---lumbar spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal or intervertebral foramen in the lumbar, or lower back, vertebrae. The spinal canal houses the spinal cord. The intervertebral foramen houses the spinal nerve roots as they exit the spinal column. Stenosis, or bony encroachment, in either of these locations can put pressure on nerve tissue, especially the nerve roots, and cause radiating pain or numbness, weakness and cramping in the legs. People with lumbar spinal stenosis often feel relief when sitting or flexing the lower back, as this position creates more room in the spinal column and reduces the pressure on the spine and nerve roots. In most cases of lumbar spinal stenosis, exercises that involve low back flexion are part of a conservative care treatment plan.
