Radicular Pain

What is radicular pain?

Radicular pain is a type of pain that radiates from your back and hip into your legs through the spine. The pain travels along the spinal nerve root. The leg pain can be accompanied by numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness. Radicular pain occurs when the spinal nerve gets compressed (pinched) or inflamed.

Pain that radiates down the back of the leg into the foot is called radiculopathy or sciatica. Sciatica can be deep and steady, and it can worsen with certain activities, like sitting or walking. Sciatica is one of the most common forms of pain caused by compression of a nerve in the lower spine. 

What causes radicular pain?

There are several causes of spinal compression that can lead to radicular pain. This includes:

• herniated disc
• foraminal stenosis (a spinal nerve problem caused by bone spurs or arthritis) 
• diabetes
• nerve root injuries
• scar tissue from spinal surgery

Because radicular pain can affect the hip, back, and legs, it can also make it difficult to move, leading to mobility problems. This can make it hard to perform daily living activities, like walking, sitting, or standing for long periods of time or doing chores. 

How do doctors treat radicular pain?

Treatment for radicular pain may involve treating the underlying condition or finding the right combination of pain management strategies. Nonsurgical treatments can include:

• physical therapy to help strengthen and stretch the affected muscles or joints
• over-the-counter medicines, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen
• epidural injections
• alternative therapies, such as acupuncture and yoga

Pain management strategies also vary depending on the part of the body affected by radicular pain. For example, if the pain is affecting your hip, you may be referred to a care team to help you with hip pain management strategies. If it’s affecting your back, you may be given spine pain management strategies.

If conservative nonsurgical treatments aren’t effective, doctors may recommend decompressive surgery, such as a laminectomy (removing the back part of the vertebra that covers the spinal canal) or discectomy (removing a disc in the vertebra).

We successfully treat radicular pain at Beaumont 

Beaumont's Centers for Pain Medicine treat radicular pain with the latest technology and pain management procedures. Our pain medicine team provides multidisciplinary and state-of-the-art care for pain. We have services to help patients with all forms of pain, including acute and chronic pain.

We provide holistic treatment, individually tailored to meet each person’s pain management needs. We can offer interventions to reduce pain severity, improve coping and quality of life, and increase physical functioning. 

Make an appointment at Beaumont

If you’re experiencing radicular pain — or any type of back, hip, or leg pain — we can help. We are committed to delivering the highest quality of integrated care. Our mission is to provide this service to the community in a culturally sensitive manner with respect for patient and family tradition, values, goals, and perspective.

Call us today at 800-633-7377 to make an appointment with a Beaumont pain management specialist or another medical professional.