Nerve root irritation of the lumbar spine may cause pain and neurological symptoms in the buttock and legs. It can result from a variety of conditions that irritate a nerve root in the lumbar spine. Proper treatment can relieve the symptoms. Treatment includes medication, physical therapy or surgery.
Nerve root irritation of the lumbar spine is a condition when the nerve root of lumbar spine is irritated by compression, inflammation or a spinal injury. Besides backpain, this will also cause sciatica, dragging pain along the affected nerve from the buttock to the upper legs or even to the feet.
The causes of nerve root irritation in the lumbar spine are various, for example: 1) herniation of a lumbar disc can compress and irritate the nerve root, 2) stenosis caused by bone spurs due to degenerative spine conditions or arthritis can narrow the opening through which the spinal nerves pass, 3) nerve root irritation caused by spinal injuries, 4) scarring, which is caused by a previous spinal surgery, can affect a nerve root and compress it. 5) an Infection, bleeding or a tumor in direct proximity can also irritate a nerve root. Normally nerve root irritation of the lumbar spine will lead to sciatica – radicular pain along the sciatica nerve. The pain is typically located in the buttock and drags into the upper leg, but it could also drag into the whole leg even the foot. In severe cases this sciatica is accompanied with neurological symptoms such as numbness or muscular weakness in the leg.
The clinical suspicion of an irritation of the lumbar root nerve can mostly be confirmed with an image study. The treatment includes medication, physical therapy or surgery. Medications such as anti-inflammatory drugs as well as stronger painkillers are able to relieve the symptoms. Physical therapy can help to regain the muscle power as well as to reduce the pain. In some severe cases, surgery to decompress the affected nerve root is necessary. The common surgeries include foraminotomy, discectomy or micro-discectomy.
Several years of work in academia, medical practice and finally commercialization make it possible to provide an end-to-end process to help users to “find the appropriate medical help based on their present symptoms”. Below you will find a short explanation, showing you which part of the platform will help you best in finding the appropriate medical support.
Proceed as follows to enter your current symptoms.
Click on the appropriate body part on the picture. Select one/multiple symptoms corresponding to your complaint.
You can also add symptoms by typing your medical complaint in the search box and selecting the best matching suggestion.
Note: Your information will be kept anonymously.
Once you have selected all applicable symptoms, click the “analyze disease pattern”-button.
Accordingly, you will get a list of possible diseases and matching doctor categories who can further help you.
You can inform yourself about the possible diseases by reading the related information. But you can also return to the previous step and add more symptoms or delete already added ones to further narrow down your disease pattern.
Click on the desired doctor category to find a doctor who can help you.
If you are logged in with your profile, you will be displayed the appropriate doctors in your area. Otherwise you can enter an address in the “address” field and you will be displayed a doctor’s list around that specified address.
You will receive further information about the displayed doctors when you press on “details”.
Online bookable doctors in your area will be indicated with the notation “Book appointment” or “Book externally”, additionally they will be displayed on top of the list for your convenience.
Click on “Book appointment” to start the online appointment booking process with the desired doctor.
Please select an available appointment. “Green“ appointments are booked directly. “Red“ appointments need to be confirmed by the doctor.
Enter your general personal and health information.
Enter your present medical symptoms.
Enter your mobile phone number to identify yourself and you can finalize the appointment booking.
Name
Email address
Type your message here