Leg Pain Conditions

The sciatic nerve is your body’s longest nerve and one of the most important ones. It has a direct effect on your ability to control and feel your legs. When this nerve is irritated, you’ll experience sciatica. Sciatica is a sensation that can manifest itself as a moderate to severe pain in your back, buttocks, and legs. You may also feel weakness or numbness in these areas.

Common conditions that can cause sciatica:

• Herniated disk
• Spinal stenosis
• Spondylolisthesis
• Piriformis syndrome

Bursitis is a painful condition that affects the small, fluid-filled sacs — called bursae — that cushion the bones, tendons and muscles near your joints. Bursitis occurs when bursae become inflamed.

Bursitis is caused by inflammation that can result from local soft-tissue trauma or strain injury. Bursitis caused by injuries often occurs when you perform repetitive movements and activities while working or playing.

Your spinal column is made up of a series of bones (vertebrae) stacked onto each other. These bones are cushioned by disks. The disks protect the bones by absorbing the shocks from daily activities like walking, lifting, and twisting.

Each disk has two parts: a soft, gelatinous inner portion and a tough outer ring. A herniated disk is a disk that ruptures. This allows the jelly-like center of the disk to leak, irritating the nearby nerves. This can cause sciatica or back pain and can affect the leg.

As you age, the disks in your spine weaken and become flatter (less cushiony). If a disk becomes too weak, the outer part may tear. The inside part of the disk then pushes through the tear and presses on the nerves beside it. You could be at higher risk of getting a herniated disk if you:

• Are middle-aged or older
• Lift heavy objects
• Are overweight
• Do repetitive actions involving bending or twisting
• Sit in the same position for a long time regularly
• Live an inactive lifestyle
• Smoke

Peripheral artery disease is often caused by atherosclerosis. In atherosclerosis, fatty deposits (plaques) build up on your artery walls and reduce blood flow.

Although discussions of atherosclerosis usually focus on the heart, the disease can and usually does affect arteries throughout your body. When it occurs in the arteries supplying blood to your limbs, it causes peripheral artery disease.

Some people with PAD have leg pain when walking, called claudation. Claudication symptoms include muscle pain or cramping in your legs or arms that's triggered by activity, such as walking, but disappears after a few minutes of rest. The location of the pain depends on the location of the clogged or narrowed artery. Calf pain is the most common location.

The severity of claudication varies widely, from mild discomfort to debilitating pain. Severe claudication can make it hard for you to walk or do other types of physical activity.