Lower Back Pain, Buttock Pain, Sciatica & Leg Numbness
Pain Can Travel Beyond the Lower Back
Lumbar spine problems do not always cause pain only in the back. Symptoms may spread into the buttock, hip, thigh, calf or foot when a lumbar nerve is irritated or compressed.
Buttock pain is especially important to include because many patients describe the problem as pain in the buttock that then travels down the leg rather than as back pain.
Common Symptoms
Lower back pain, Buttock pain, Pain travelling from the buttock into the leg, Sciatica, Leg numbness or tingling, Leg weakness, Symptoms that worsen with sitting, standing, bending or walking
Possible Causes
Common causes include lumbar disc herniation, spinal stenosis, degenerative narrowing, facet-related pain and other structural conditions. Hip, sacroiliac and vascular problems can also produce similar symptoms, so diagnosis should not be based on pain location alone.
Assessment and Treatment Direction
The examination looks at pain distribution, sensation, muscle strength, reflexes and walking. MRI may be used when there are persistent radicular symptoms, weakness, red flags or when treatment planning requires anatomical confirmation.
Depending on the cause, treatment may include medication, rehabilitation, spinal injections, RFA for selected facet-related pain, PLDD for carefully selected contained disc herniations, minimally invasive decompression, microdiscectomy or fusion when indicated.
Specialist Perspective
Dr Teo’s lumbar practice focuses on matching the treatment to the pain generator and neurological problem, using minimally invasive techniques where they are appropriate rather than treating every back or leg symptom as a surgical problem.