Leg pain can have many causes. You may have had a fall and damaged some muscles tendon or ligaments; you may have an infection. One of the more common reasons for leg pain is sciatica. It is of course difficult to say without a detailed history of your problem and a proper examination.

What is Sciatica?

Simply put sciatica is when the sciatic nerve is pinched, irritated or inflamed causing pains or sensations down the leg. The sciatic nerve stems from the lower back (lumbar sacral nerve roots), it travels through the buttocks down the leg into the foot. The irritation of the sciatic nerve commonly happens at the lumbosacral nerve root (in the lower back). The severity of the symptoms can vary from mild discomfort to severe pain, either of which can have a significant impact on your day-to-day activities and quality of life.

What Causes Sciatica?

Sciatica is commonly caused by an irritation of the nerve at the spinal level. Most commonly the issues stem from either the facet joints (the joints in the spine) or from disc derangements (slipped disc). If the nerve compression is sufficient enough the person may experience symptoms such as numbness or tingling with a loss of muscle strength and coordination. Sciatica can start slowly through imbalances or weakness within the spine, such as arthritis. Or can start suddenly usually through some sort of trauma, like a car crash or sporting injury. Typically, the worse the nerve compression the further it travels down the leg this is called peripheralisation.

What Causes Arm Pain?

Arm pain can have many causes, broken bones, sprained ligaments, wear and tear and rotator cuff injury are amongst the most common. One of the more overlooked problems with arm pain is a nerve pain referred down form the neck. All the nerves that supply all of the tissues of the arm and hand stem from the neck. If there is a problem in the neck it can irritate the nerves and cause pains and changes in sensation or coordination in the arm or hand. This can commonly be misdiagnosed with a problem in the shoulder or arm and sometimes people can try many methods of treatment without success as a result.

How can I tell if my arm pain may be related to my neck?

It is always important to get a thorough examination from a health professional for an accurate diagnosis. However, typically there are a few signs that perhaps your arm pain may not be a problem with the arm. Firstly, have you always suffered with neck pain or issues. This may be stiffness, tightness or pain and could be constant or episodic. Secondly, does the range of motion of your neck aggravate or relieve the pain or problem. Is the range of motion uneven when comparing left and right. Finally, have you had multiple treatment attempts on the arm and not much success. All of these could be a sign.