Suggest Remedies For Lower Back Pain And Numbness In Left Leg

Posted on Tue, 6 Sep 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 6 Sep 2016 Answered on

Tue, 27 Sep 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : Experiencing lower back pain after playing basketball. Went to the doctor, determined it was pulled muscle - gave me a muscle relaxer and pain medication. Said to return to activities once I felt comfortable. I returned to activities. Back pain no longer there really but I am experiencing numbness in my left leg. Thank you.

Answered by Dr. Kathy Robinson (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
could be coming from your back

Detailed Answer:
Hello and thank you for your question.
The nerves to the legs come from the spinal cord in the lower back. It depends upon where the numbness is, what part of the spinal cord may be the cause.
Numbness can also be caused by local irritation to the nerves outside of the spinal cord.
The problem with numbness or nerve pain is that the longer it is present the more likely it is to become permanent.
Please see your doctor as soon as possible and let them to a complete neurologic exam to determine the extent of the damage.
They may then want to refer to for an MRI or to see a neurologist. There is no way to treat it without knowing the source of the problem
Regards,
Dr. Robinson

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar