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Back Pain with Leg Pain

  • Neuropathic Pain (E Eisenberg, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Purpose of Review

The clinical diagnostic dilemma of low back pain that is associated with lower limb pain is very common. In relation to back pain that radiates to the leg, the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) states: “Pain in the lower limb should be described specifically as either referred pain or radicular pain. In cases of doubt no implication should be made and the pain should be described as pain in the lower limb.”

Recent Findings

Bogduks’ editorial in the journal PAIN (2009) helps us to differentiate and define the terms somatic referred pain, radicular pain, and radiculopathy. In addition, there are other pathologies distal to the nerve root that could be relevant to patients with back pain and leg pain such as plexus and peripheral nerve involvement. Hence, the diagnosis of back pain with leg pain can still be challenging.

Summary

In this article, we present a patient with back and leg pain. The patient appears to have a radicular pain syndrome, but has no neurological impairment and shows signs of myofascial involvement. Is there a single diagnosis or indeed two overlapping syndromes? The scope of our article encompasses the common diagnostic possibilities for this type of patient. A discussion of treatment is beyond the scope of this article and depends on the final diagnosis/diagnoses made.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Pain Medicine, Rambam Health Care Campus, 11 Ephron Street, Bat Galim, 3109601, Haifa, Israel

    Simon Vulfsons & Elon Eisenberg

  2. Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion Institute for Technology, Haifa, Israel

    Simon Vulfsons & Elon Eisenberg

  3. Department of Family Medicine, Haifa, Israel

    Negev Bar

  4. Clalit Health Services, Haifa, Haifa and Western Galilee, Israel

    Negev Bar

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  1. Simon Vulfsons
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  3. Elon Eisenberg
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Correspondence to Simon Vulfsons.

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Simon Vulfsons, Negev Bar, and Elon Eisenberg declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Neuropathic Pain

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Vulfsons, S., Bar, N. & Eisenberg, E. Back Pain with Leg Pain. Curr Pain Headache Rep 21, 32 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11916-017-0632-x

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