Ask a doctor on the topic of Orthopedics

Back pain/radiation into the leg

June 29, 2012 | 15,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Dear Sir or Madam,

for the past 2 weeks I have been suffering from severe back pain. It all started with a painful pulling sensation in my coccyx during my morning trip to the toilet, which gradually decreased throughout the day. Now that sensation is gone, unfortunately I have very intense pain in the lumbar spine area, which radiates down my right leg. However, mostly only in the thigh, not in the foot. I also have a strange feeling in my leg, not numbness, it's more like a constant tension in the thigh or a kind of muscle soreness, which causes a strange feeling when walking.

I have a 1-year-old daughter whom I still carry a lot, unfortunately only on one side so far. I have also mostly lifted her from my back.

When the back pain started, I unfortunately focused too much on it and avoided physical activity, which only made things worse.

My general practitioner has already adjusted me twice and each time my sacroiliac joint was blocked. She also released many blockages in my thoracic spine as I am very tense and cramped due to my anxiety disorder. She has also diagnosed me with lordosis.

If I lay uncomfortably for a night, it can also happen that my whole back hurts in the morning and I can hardly bend down.

Now she has prescribed physiotherapy for me, as unfortunately I do not do any sports.

Could these pains be caused by incorrectly and unilaterally carrying my daughter? How can I get rid of the pain again? I have been taking painkillers (Ibuprofen 600mg) for 2 days now, which has helped a bit.

Since my grandmother passed away last year from a pelvic bone tumor, I also have a great fear that it could be something in that direction.

Thank you for your response.

Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Good morning,

Your symptoms are very typical for a back tension with sciatic irritation, and absolutely atypical for a pelvic bone tumor (which by the way would not be less painful with Ibu 600).

But the most important thing is movement! If you tend to have blockages, your muscles need to be strengthened, and that's where physical therapy comes in. Please have exercises shown to you that you can also do yourself every day. Additionally, it would be helpful if you could go swimming more often and alternately carry your daughter in your arms.

As a supportive measure, especially for an anxiety disorder, acupuncture would be beneficial. The costs are reimbursed by the health insurance if performed by a specialized doctor (address provided by the insurance). Not only can it help with the pain, but it can also help with the mental relaxation.

If you engage in regular physical activity (even if it's just 15 minutes of daily gymnastics) and also learn a relaxation technique (e.g. the one by Jacobson), you can get rid of your symptoms completely.

Kind regards,
Dr. Höllering