{"id":7909,"date":"2019-07-05T07:17:58","date_gmt":"2019-07-05T07:17:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=7909"},"modified":"2021-04-20T15:02:09","modified_gmt":"2021-04-20T15:02:09","slug":"17-known-causes-of-lumbar-radiculopathy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/17-known-causes-of-lumbar-radiculopathy\/","title":{"rendered":"17 Known Causes of Lumbar Radiculopathy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Lumbar radiculopathy is a condition that happens when you have a pinched nerve in the spine. It can lead to many different symptoms but one of them is almost always a pain. With any type of nerve pain, you can expect weakness and numbness as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the disks in the spine become damaged, it can affect the nerve roots that are near those discs. This is exactly what radiculopathy is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The spine is made out of 33 bones called vertebrae which protect the spinal cord from injury. These bones allow a person to bend, twist or even stand upright. They are held in place by ligaments, muscles, and tendons. However, a large network of nerves runs through the spinal column. They extend from the spine to just about every other area of the body. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a look at some of the causes of Lumbar Radiculopathy or pinched spinal nerves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Herniated Disc<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A herniated disc<\/a> happens when desperate truths from the spinal column. It bulges out and presses up against the nerve that is running through the column. It is basically a fragment of the disc that makes up the spine that is pushed out of what is called the annulus. The annulus is the network of nerves, bones, tendons, and ligaments that make up the spinal column. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often, when you have a herniated disc it is because the disc has begun the process of degeneration. That means that it is breaking down and you have to have surgery in order to fix it. A herniated disc can be caused by a serious injury or it can happen over time. In either case, it usually requires major surgery in order to correct the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Sciatica <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sciatica <\/a>is sort of a blanket term for any condition that presses up against the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve runs through the spinal column and all the way down into the legs. Although you have sciatic nerves in both legs, symptoms usually present in the right leg. That\u2019s because the sciatic nerve pathways are more clear from the back to the right leg and the nerves are larger to allow for better conduction.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sciatic nerve starts in the lower back and then runs down the back of each leg. When something presses up against the sciatic nerve, it can cause pain anywhere from the lower back area where it starts all the way down to the hips, buttocks and even in the lower legs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sciatic nerve pain can be extremely uncomfortable and feel like someone is stabbing you with little knives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Degenerative Disc Disease<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another potential cause of a pinched nerve in the spine is degenerative disc disease. We have Artie discussed what a herniated disc is, and how are herniated disc can protrude from the spinal column in order to compress one of the nerves<\/a>, but degenerative disc disease can also do this. That\u2019s because degenerative disc disease and herniated disc have many things in common.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Degenerative disc disease simply means that you have a disease that makes your discs deteriorate at a faster rate than normal. This may be caused by genetics or have dozens of other potential causes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The point is, when your disc begins degenerating, it can cause compression against those nerves. That can lead to a pinched nerve in the spinal column that causes pain in that area or in some of the other areas of the body depending upon where the nerve leads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Bone Spurs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bone spurs<\/a> can also be a cause of a pinched nerve in the spine. If you are not familiar with what bone spurs are, they\u2019re basically calcified protrusions that can appear anywhere on a bone.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine sharp little points on the back of the spinal column that presses up against the bundle of nerves that exist there. Depending upon the severity of the bone spurs, the pain caused by them is the difficulty in removing them can be monumental. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since they are present in the bones of the spinal cord, they can be almost impossible to remove and make it so that a person has to live with that nerve pain for the rest of their life. Luckily, bones do not often form spurs along the spinal column. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most common place for them is where bones meet each other around the joints. Osteoarthritis can definitely raise your risk of developing bone spurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Tumors of the Spine<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Those that have been diagnosed with tumors <\/a>of the spine can experience pinched nerves. This is simply because of the tumor itself. Spinal tumors can definitely compress the nerves. In fact, the spinal column is the most common site for bone and metastasis.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the cause of most primary spinal tumors is completely unknown. Obviously, some of them may be attributed to cancer-causing agents, such as lymphoma which are cancer cells that affect lymphocytes, but there appears to be a higher occurrence of spinal tumors in a certain family so it is likely that spinal tumors are a genetic trait. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some cases, spinal tumors can result from Neurofibromatosis which is a condition where benign tumors begin to develop layers in the spinal cord or supporting glial cells and a rare disease called Von Hippel-Lindau disease where blood vessels develop benign tumors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Spinal Stenosis<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Spinal Stenosis<\/a> is a condition where the tissue of the spinal column grows thicker than it should and presses up against the nerves that are located there. This often results in sciatica, which can result in pain in the present elsewhere. For example, someone was stenosis may have a compressed nerve in their back that actually presents is pain or numbness in their legs. That\u2019s because the sciatic nerve runs all the way down from the lower back into both legs.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often, it is the right leg that presents with numbness or pain. Spinal stenosis is a serious condition that can be controlled with only surgery. Since spinal operations are so delicate, often it is managed by pain and nerve medication instead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, this depends upon the severity of the condition because spinal stenosis can lead to excruciating pain, cramping and complete numbness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Spondylolisthesis<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Spondylolisthesis <\/a>is a condition where a vertebra within the spinal column moves and then rests on the vertebrae below it. What happens basically is the slipping of the vertebrae occurs at the base of the spine. This is due to a defect or fracture in one or both of the wing shape parts of the vertebrae. This base of the vertebrae then slips backward or forwards or over a bone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the process, the vertebrae press up against one of the spinal nerve bundles or cause the vertebrae that it is resting on to move out of place and pinch one of the nerves there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This condition may be corrected by surgery, but because spinal surgery is difficult, it may not always make sense to do surgery. It will be up to your doctor to diagnose and determine the best possible treatment for this condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Scoliosis<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another potential cause for a pinched nerve in the spine is a condition called scoliosis<\/a>. Scoliosis is actually quite a rare condition these days, due to advances in medical technology and advances in finding out early if the condition exists.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The earlier that the condition can be identified, the more quickly treatment can be applied. Kids are tested these days were scoliosis in schools which has helped a lot with preventing the condition from growing in numbers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine. It often occurs during the growth spurt that happens right before puberty. Scoliosis may be caused by a number of conditions, and some of them are known, but others are completely a mystery. For example, it is known that scoliosis can be caused by muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy, but most of the time the reason that scoliosis happens is completely unknown. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it does happen though, it can result in a serious disability that causes the person to walk bent over or use some other mode of conveyance because their spine is so bent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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