Can a Herniated Disc Cause Leg Pain Without Back Pain? | San Diego, CA

Yes. A herniated disc in your lower back can cause pain, burning, tingling or numbness down your leg even when your lower back doesn't hurt.

This confuses a lot of patients.

They'll tell Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC that their back feels fine, but they've had pain in the left buttock and calf for two months. Another patient may have burning along the outside of the leg. Someone else has tingling or numbness in the foot and can't understand why their doctor wants to look at their lower back.

The reason is fairly straightforward.

The nerve roots that eventually contribute to the sciatic nerve originate in the lower spine. If a disc bulge or herniation irritates or compresses one of those nerve roots, you don't necessarily feel the problem at the disc itself.

You may feel it farther down the nerve.

In some patients, almost all of the symptoms are in the leg.

How Can a Disc in Your Back Cause Pain in Your Leg?

Think about where the nerve starts and where it travels.

A lumbar disc sits between the vertebrae in the lower spine. When a disc bulges or herniates, it can narrow the space around a nearby nerve root or irritate the nerve.

If that nerve is involved in the pathway that travels into the leg, the symptoms may follow that pathway.

That can produce symptoms such as:

• Buttock pain

• Pain down the back or side of the thigh

• Calf pain

• Burning down the leg

• Tingling or pins and needles

• Numbness

• Foot pain

• Numbness or tingling in the toes

• Weakness in part of the leg or foot

You might have lower-back pain along with these symptoms.

But you don't have to.

After more than 22 years treating disc injuries and sciatica, Dr. Boelk regularly sees patients whose primary complaint is somewhere down the leg rather than in the lower back.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “My Sciatica Was Gone and I Was Nearly Back to Normal”

“Honestly, I wasn't sure I would ever heal.”

“I have had an outstanding experience with Dr. Boelk and his staff at The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego.

They follow a very structured treatment protocol and utilize the best spinal decompression equipment available. I've been treated elsewhere using lower-quality decompression systems and never experienced meaningful improvement.

Dr. Boelk is attentive, professional, and genuinely cares about every patient. You can see it in the way he interacts with everyone who walks through the door.

After about 12 treatments, my sciatica was gone and I was nearly back to normal. Honestly, I wasn't sure I would ever heal. What surprised me most was that after my very first treatment, I experienced significant relief and was able to sleep mostly pain-free for the first time in months.

The improvement has allowed me to get back to hiking, traveling, and enjoying life again.

This treatment was one of the best investments I've ever made.

Thank you, Dr. Boelk and your entire team.”

— Michael Langsdale, San Diego, CA

“But My Back Doesn't Hurt.”

Dr. Boelk hears this all the time.

A patient comes in because of leg pain and is surprised when the conversation turns toward the lumbar spine.

“But my back doesn't hurt.”

That's useful information, but it doesn't rule out the lower back as a possible source.

Pain isn't always felt exactly where a nerve is being irritated.

One patient may have significant lower-back pain and mild symptoms in the leg. Another patient with a similar disc problem may have almost no back pain but significant sciatica.

Some patients describe the leg as painful.

Others don't use the word pain at all.

They say the calf burns. Their foot feels strange. Their toes are numb. The leg feels heavy. They keep stretching a “tight hamstring” that never seems to loosen up.

This is why Dr. Boelk asks patients to show him exactly where the symptoms travel rather than simply asking, “Does your leg hurt?”

Can Sciatica Cause Foot Pain Without Back Pain?

Yes, it can.

Sometimes the symptom that finally brings someone into the office isn't back pain or even severe leg pain.

It's the foot.

A patient may notice tingling across part of the foot, numbness involving certain toes, burning or an unusual sensation that has persisted despite treating the foot itself.

That doesn't automatically mean the problem is coming from the spine. There are other conditions that can cause foot symptoms, including problems involving peripheral nerves and the foot itself.

But if a lumbar nerve root is irritated, symptoms can be experienced farther down that nerve pathway.

This is why treating only the place where you feel the symptom can sometimes miss the actual source.

Where Does Your Leg Pain Travel?

This is one of the first things Dr. Boelk wants to know.

If you tell him your left leg hurts, he'll usually want more detail than that.

Where does it start?

Does it begin in the buttock?

Does it travel down the back of the thigh or more along the outside?

Does it go below the knee?

Where do you feel it in the calf?

Does it reach the foot?

Which part of the foot?

Which toes?

Is it pain, burning, tingling, numbness—or some combination?

Those details can provide clues about which nerve may be involved, although patients don't always follow a perfect textbook pattern.

Dr. Boelk then compares that history with the examination and, when available, the imaging.

That's much more useful than deciding what's wrong based on one symptom alone.

Not Sure Whether Your Leg Pain Is Coming From Your Back?

If you've been dealing with persistent leg pain, burning, tingling, numbness or foot symptoms and aren't sure where they're coming from, Dr. Boelk offers a No-Charge, No-Obligation Consultation at The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego.

You don't need to know your diagnosis before you come in.

And you aren't agreeing to start treatment by scheduling the consultation.

During your consultation, Dr. Boelk can:

• Go through how and when the symptoms started.

• Have you show him exactly where the symptoms travel.

• Discuss pain, burning, tingling, numbness or weakness.

• Review what makes the symptoms better or worse.

• Go over treatment you've already tried.

• Review your actual MRI images and report if you have them.

• Compare the MRI findings with your symptoms.

• Discuss whether additional examination or imaging may be appropriate.

• Determine whether Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression may be an option.

• Tell you if he doesn't believe you're a candidate.

• Answer your questions.

If you don't have an MRI, that's okay.

Dr. Boelk personally performs these consultations while also treating his existing patients, so the office can only set aside a limited number during the clinic schedule.

Call 619-298-0800 and ask for the next available No-Charge Consultation with Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC.

What If Your MRI Shows More Than One Disc Problem?

This is another common situation.

A patient brings in an MRI report that mentions disc degeneration at several levels, a bulge at one level and a herniation at another.

Which one is causing the leg pain?

Sometimes one finding fits the patient's symptoms much better than the others. Sometimes the imaging is less clear.

That's why Dr. Boelk prefers to review the actual MRI images rather than looking only at a written diagnosis.

An abnormal MRI by itself doesn't tell the whole story.

Dr. Boelk wants to see whether the location of the disc problem, the nerve that may be affected, the patient's symptoms and the clinical findings reasonably fit together.

If they don't, that needs to be considered before deciding on treatment.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I Had an Extruded Disc Pressing on My L5 Nerve”

“Getting out of bed was excruciating, and walking or standing felt like torture.”

“Last year, I spent three months constantly going back and forth between doctor’s appointments and urgent care. The pain was unbearable—I was taking medication regularly just to get through the day. Getting out of bed was excruciating, and walking or standing felt like torture. Every step filled me with dread.

In December, my doctor finally ordered an MRI. That’s when I learned I had an extruded disc pressing on my L5 nerve, which affects the leg and foot. My doctor scheduled two follow-up appointments: one for pain management (spinal injections), and another to evaluate me for surgery.

Then I discovered spinal decompression therapy. I was thrilled to find a non-invasive alternative. I never ended up needing either of those appointments.

Now, I’m walking regularly, standing up straight—something I couldn’t do before. When I first sought help, I was so hunched over that I had to use a cane just to move forward. Because of the pain, I hadn’t exercised in months. But now, I’m doing a program called 75 hard which requires not one but 2 45-minute workouts per day, and I've even gotten back to lifting weights!

I’m so thankful I found this place. It’s conveniently located near my work, which makes it easy to fit sessions into my lunch break. Dr. Boelk and the staff are incredibly friendly and polite—it’s always a pleasure to come in.

The environment is so relaxing that I look forward to each visit. I truly thank God for leading me to this alternative. It’s made such a difference in my life.”

— Amanda, San Diego, CA

Don't Ignore Weakness Just Because Your Back Doesn't Hurt

Pain isn't the only thing Dr. Boelk asks about.

Numbness and weakness can be especially important when a nerve is involved.

Tell your doctor if you've noticed that one leg is getting weaker, you're having difficulty lifting the front of your foot, your foot begins slapping when you walk, you're catching your toes, or you're having difficulty with movements that used to be easy.

Those aren't symptoms Dr. Boelk recommends simply stretching through.

Most cases of sciatica aren't emergencies, but rapidly progressing weakness, new bowel or bladder dysfunction, difficulty urinating, or numbness involving the groin or saddle area requires prompt medical evaluation.

Can Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Help?

Possibly, but not everyone with leg pain or a herniated disc is a candidate.

Dr. Boelk evaluates patients with conditions including disc bulges, disc herniations, degenerative disc disease, disc-related sciatica, foraminal narrowing and selected cases of spinal stenosis.

The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego uses the DRX9000 exclusively for Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression.

Before recommending decompression, Dr. Boelk considers the patient's symptoms, imaging, neurological findings, spinal stability, bone health, previous surgery and medical history.

There are also conditions that can make decompression inappropriate, including significant osteoporosis, an unhealed fracture, unstable spondylolisthesis, abdominal aortic aneurysm, pregnancy for lumbar decompression, certain malignancies and other medical or structural problems.

Previous spinal surgery also needs to be reviewed carefully, particularly if there is fusion or metal hardware at the level that would need treatment.

★ Not Every Patient Is a Candidate

A consultation isn't very useful if every patient is told they need the same treatment.

Jeff J. traveled from Tucson to meet with Dr. Boelk about his back. After reviewing his situation, they determined that spinal decompression wasn't the appropriate option.

“After a honest and forthright conversation, we both determined that surgery was my only option to correct my back issues.”

“I found this terrific practice on social media. I followed up and did my own research so I decided to pay them a visit. The place is clean, well organized and run by a very efficient receptionist. I met with the doctor and after a honest and forthright conversation, we both determined that surgery was my only option to correct my back issues. I will return as a customer when the time is right.”

— Jeff J., Tucson, AZ

Sometimes Dr. Boelk recommends decompression.

Sometimes he wants more information.

And sometimes he tells a patient that another approach makes more sense.

Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC

Dr. Boelk has worked with disc injuries, sciatica and Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression for more than 22 years.

• Doctor of Chiropractic

• More than 100,000 spinal decompression treatments

• Certified Spinal Decompression Doctor

• Certified Pain-Free Performance Specialist (PPSC)

• Founder, Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Training Academy

• Trains other doctors in spinal decompression protocols and techniques

• Founding Member, American Spinal Decompression Society

• Member, International Disc Education Association

• California X-Ray Radiation Supervisor & Operator

Dr. Boelk also has personal experience with significant spinal injuries. He suffered an L5 compression fracture at 16 and later dealt with disc injuries and sciatica himself.

That experience is one reason he doesn't look only at an MRI.

The symptoms, the patient and the imaging all need to make sense together.

Leg Pain but No Back Pain? Find Out Where It's Coming From.

If your calf keeps burning, your foot is tingling, pain is traveling down one leg, or part of your foot has gone numb, don't assume it can't be coming from your lower back simply because your back doesn't hurt.

It may be related to a lumbar nerve.

It may not be.

That's what needs to be figured out.

You don't have to decide whether you want spinal decompression before coming in. The first decision is simply whether you'd like Dr. Boelk to look at what's going on.

There is no charge for the consultation and no obligation to begin treatment.

No MRI is required to schedule. If you already have one, bring the actual images and report.

Because Dr. Boelk personally performs these consultations while treating his existing patients, only a limited number can be set aside during the clinic schedule.

Call 619-298-0800

Ask for the next available No-Charge Consultation with Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC.

The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego
5095 Murphy Canyon Road, Suite 300
San Diego, CA 92123

619-298-0800
SanDiegoBackCare.com

Live 24/7 Answering Service • Hablamos Español