Why Does My Leg Go Numb When I Walk? | Kearny Mesa, CA

One of the more frustrating leg problems Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC sees is the person who feels fairly normal sitting in the exam room but can't walk very far without symptoms.

They'll say something like:

“I can sit here all day and my leg feels fine. But when I walk, it starts tingling. Then my calf or foot gets numb. If I sit down for a few minutes, it goes away.”

Sometimes they know almost exactly when it's going to happen.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

Halfway around the block.

From one end of Costco to the other.

That's different from having constant leg pain or numbness all day.

When symptoms consistently appear with standing or walking and then change when you sit or alter your position, Dr. Boelk wants to understand that pattern.

It can happen when nerves in the lower back are being irritated or compressed. Spinal stenosis, foraminal narrowing and certain disc problems are possibilities.

But leg numbness with walking can have causes outside the spine as well.

That's why Dr. Boelk doesn't want to guess from the symptom alone.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “I Can Walk, Run and Exercise Without Any Pain”

“I lost mobility and had difficulty even putting shoes on.”

“I have been seeing Dr. Boelk since November for my back pain due to disc herniation. I lost mobility and had difficulty even putting shoes on. The pain was interfering with my everyday lifestyle. After reviewing the X-ray results, we agreed upon a treatment plan. Agreeing to this treatment plan was the best choice I've made for my back pain. The spinal decompression has relieved all the pain I felt in my lower back. I can walk, run and exercise without any pain and I'm able to get back in the gym and continue my daily routines. The office staff are very friendly and caring as well. I highly recommend Dr. Boelk's office to anyone seeking exceptional care.”

— Paul C

Paul's review gets at something Dr. Boelk talks about with patients all the time.

Pain matters.

So does function.

Can you walk normally?

Can you exercise?

Can you put your shoes on?

Can you get through a normal day without constantly thinking about your back or leg?

When a patient's walking distance starts shrinking, Dr. Boelk wants to know why.

What Happens at the Point Your Leg Starts Going Numb?

This is where patients can give Dr. Boelk some very useful information.

Don't just tell him, “Walking bothers me.”

Tell him what actually happens.

Maybe the first five minutes are completely normal.

Then you notice tingling in the thigh.

A few minutes later the outside of the calf feels numb.

Then it reaches the foot.

Now tell him what happens next.

If you stand still, does it go away?

Do you have to sit down?

Does leaning forward help?

If you sit for five minutes and stand back up, can you walk again?

Do you get roughly the same distance before the symptoms return?

That history can tell Dr. Boelk much more than simply knowing that you have “sciatica.”

If You're Walking Less and Less, You Can Start With a No-Charge Consultation

The Spinal Decompression & Chiropractic Center of San Diego is located right here in Kearny Mesa on Murphy Canyon Road.

Dr. Boelk offers a limited number of No-Charge Consultations for people dealing with sciatica, leg numbness and possible disc-related problems.

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

You also don't need to decide that you want spinal decompression.

That's not what the consultation is for.

It's an opportunity to sit down with Dr. Boelk and find out what he thinks.

He may ask about:

• When the numbness first started.

• Exactly where you feel it.

• How far you can walk before it begins.

• Whether one or both legs are involved.

• What happens when you sit down.

• Whether leaning forward changes anything.

• Whether you have accompanying back pain.

• Whether the leg feels weak as well as numb.

• Whether you're stumbling or catching your foot.

• Treatments you've already tried.

• Previous injuries or spinal surgery.

• Your MRI images and report, if you have them.

If you have an MRI, bring the actual images whenever possible, not only the written report.

If you haven't had an MRI, you can still schedule the consultation.

There is no charge and no obligation to start treatment.

Dr. Boelk personally performs these consultations rather than handing them off to someone else. He also continues to treat his existing patients throughout the week, so the office can only set aside a limited number of consultation appointments.

Once those times are taken, the next callers are offered the next available openings.

Call 619-298-0800 and ask about the next available No-Charge Consultation with Dr. Boelk.

The Shopping Cart Detail Matters

Some people don't realize this is worth mentioning.

They'll tell Dr. Boelk:

“I can't walk very far normally, but I do pretty well at the grocery store if I'm leaning on the cart.”

That's interesting.

It means changing your posture changes your walking tolerance.

For some people with lumbar spinal stenosis, standing or walking more upright can bring on leg symptoms, while sitting or leaning forward may make them feel better.

That doesn't prove you have stenosis.

Dr. Boelk still needs to look at everything else.

But if that's your pattern, tell him.

The same applies if the exact opposite happens.

Maybe sitting is terrible and walking actually makes your leg feel better.

That's useful too.

Patients who both describe “leg numbness” can have very different clinical presentations.

Can a Herniated Disc Make Your Leg or Foot Numb?

It can.

A lumbar disc problem can irritate a nerve that travels into the leg.

Depending on which nerve is involved, the symptoms can show up in different areas.

One patient may notice symptoms in the thigh.

Another feels them down the outside of the calf.

Someone else mainly notices the foot or toes.

Some patients have significant back pain along with it.

Others barely notice their back.

This is why a patient can have a lumbar problem even when their main complaint is the leg.

But Dr. Boelk doesn't assume every numb foot is coming from a disc.

There are peripheral nerve problems, vascular problems and other medical conditions that can also affect the leg.

The location and behavior of the symptoms, examination findings and imaging—when appropriate—all need to make sense together.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Walking or Standing Felt Like Torture”

“Now, I’m walking regularly, standing up straight—something I couldn’t do before.”

“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

Amanda's MRI showed an extruded disc affecting the L5 nerve, and walking and standing had become extremely difficult for her.

Her situation doesn't mean someone else with numbness while walking has the same diagnosis.

It shows why finding the source matters.

Numbness Is Different From Weakness

Patients sometimes use these words interchangeably.

Dr. Boelk doesn't.

Numbness is a change in sensation.

Weakness means the muscles aren't functioning with their normal strength.

You can have one without the other.

If your foot feels numb but you can still move normally, Dr. Boelk wants to know that.

If the leg is also becoming weaker, he wants to know that too.

Pay attention to changes such as having more difficulty lifting the front of your foot, pushing off while walking, climbing stairs, standing on your toes or walking on your heels.

Are you tripping over that foot?

Is it beginning to slap the ground?

Are you suddenly having trouble doing something you could easily do a month ago?

Increasing weakness changes the conversation.

Rapidly progressing weakness, new bowel or bladder dysfunction, difficulty urinating, or numbness in the groin or saddle area requires prompt medical evaluation.

Don't Just Keep Testing How Far You Can Push It

Patients sometimes turn walking into a daily test.

“Yesterday I made it 12 minutes, so today I'm going to force myself to do 15.”

Dr. Boelk doesn't think that's particularly useful if every attempt ends with increasing numbness.

Walking is excellent exercise when you tolerate it well.

But if walking predictably produces increasing neurological symptoms, repeatedly pushing farther into those symptoms doesn't tell you why they're happening.

Instead, pay attention to your comfortable walking tolerance.

If the symptoms start, notice where they start and what makes them settle.

And notice the trend over time.

If you could walk 30 minutes comfortably three months ago and now you can walk 10, that's information Dr. Boelk wants.

Your MRI Report May Sound Worse Than You Feel—or Better Than You Feel

Dr. Boelk sees both situations.

One person has an MRI report full of disc degeneration, bulges and stenosis and is still functioning pretty well.

Another has a report that doesn't sound nearly as dramatic but can barely get through a parking lot.

That's why Dr. Boelk doesn't treat the written MRI report.

He treats the patient.

He wants to see the actual images when they're available and compare them with the history and examination.

Where is the narrowing?

Which nerve could be involved?

Does that match where you're numb?

Does it fit what happens when you stand or walk?

Are there stability concerns?

Those questions matter more than simply circling every abnormal word in a radiology report.

Could Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Help?

For the right patient, it may be an option.

Dr. Boelk evaluates people with 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.

But not every patient with leg numbness belongs on a decompression table.

Dr. Boelk considers the history, examination findings, neurological status, imaging when available, spinal stability, bone health, previous surgery and other medical factors before recommending treatment.

Significant osteoporosis, an unhealed fracture, unstable spondylolisthesis, abdominal aortic aneurysm, pregnancy for lumbar decompression, certain malignancies and other medical or structural conditions may make treatment inappropriate.

Previous spinal surgery also requires careful review, especially when fusion or metal hardware is present at the level that would need treatment.

★ An Evaluation Doesn't Guarantee Treatment

“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

Jeff traveled from Tucson to see Dr. Boelk and ultimately wasn't accepted for decompression because they determined surgery was the appropriate option for his condition.

That may not be the answer a patient hopes to hear.

It's still an important answer.

A No-Charge Consultation should help determine whether Dr. Boelk thinks he can appropriately treat you—not simply find a way to sell you treatment.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Spinal Decompression Is the Only Way That Gives Me Relief All the Way to My Feet”

“Dr Boelk is highly knowledgeable and has made a difference in my life.”

“Dr Boelk is highly knowledgeable and has made a difference in my life.

I have a degenerative bone issue in my lower back. Spinal decompression is the only way that gives me relief all the way to my feet. I highly recommend

the Spinal Decompression center.”

— Dee M., Peoria, AZ

Dee is another patient who came from outside San Diego for care.

Again, the point isn't that every person with leg symptoms should have decompression.

It's that the right diagnosis and the right patient selection matter.

Dr. Cassidy James Boelk, DC

Dr. Boelk has spent more than 22 years working with disc injuries, sciatica and Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression and has performed more than 100,000 spinal decompression treatments.

• Doctor of Chiropractic

• 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

His experience with spinal injuries is personal as well. Dr. Boelk suffered an L5 compression fracture at 16 and later dealt with disc injuries and sciatica himself.

Pay Attention to What You're Giving Up

If your leg went numb once after a long walk and hasn't done it again, that's very different from a pattern that's getting progressively worse.

Look back a few months.

How far were you walking then?

How far can you walk now?

Are you choosing the closest parking space because you're worried about the distance?

Are you skipping walks?

Do you lean on a shopping cart because it lets you go farther?

Are you avoiding amusement parks, vacations, golf, hiking or anything else that requires being on your feet?

Sometimes the change happens slowly enough that people don't realize how much they've adjusted their life around it.

If your walking tolerance keeps decreasing, simply waiting isn't necessarily doing nothing.

You may already be giving up more ground.

That still doesn't mean you should rush into treatment.

It means getting a good opinion may make more sense than continuing to guess.

Dr. Boelk's No-Charge Consultation lets you do that without committing to anything.

Bring your MRI if you have one.

Tell him exactly what happens when you walk.

Let him look at the whole picture.

Then ask:

“Do you think you can help me?”

If he doesn't believe you're a candidate, he'll tell you.

If he believes you may be a candidate, he'll explain why and what he recommends.

Then you decide.

There is no charge and no obligation.

Because Dr. Boelk performs the consultations himself while also caring for his existing patients, only a limited number can be placed into the clinic schedule.

Once those appointments are taken, the office schedules into the next available openings.

If your world is gradually getting smaller because you can't walk as far as you used to, it may be worth finding out why before it gets smaller still.

Call 619-298-0800

Ask about 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

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