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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Pain In Lower Back And Ankle After An Injury In Lower Back?

In a bout of sneezing I damaged something in my lower back fourteen days ago. From mild back pain in the early days it has now got much more severe and has gone down in my right ankle. I can't now walk properly or put weight on my right foot. I have only been taking over the counter pain tablets which have no effect. What can I do?
Mon, 30 Mar 2015
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Pain Medicine & Palliative Care Specialist,  's  Response
Im sorry to hear about your worsening pain. The symptoms , and circumstances of your pain are making me think this pain is actually coming from one of your spinal nerve roots. The name for such symptoms is lumbar radiculopathy, and specifically in your case it seems you have compression/irritation of the L5 nerve root on the right side. The radiculopathy is typically caused by a disc bulge/protrusion, and these can occur or worsen with increased intrabdominal/intrathoracic pressure, such as when you sneeze. I would suggest you see your primary care and obtain a MRI of the lumbar spine to better get an idea of what is exactly going on in your low back. Based on the MRI you may benefit from either physical therapy, treatment by a interventional pain physician, or a neurosurgery referral. I hope you feel better soon , wish you thes best of luck.
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What Causes Pain In Lower Back And Ankle After An Injury In Lower Back?

Im sorry to hear about your worsening pain. The symptoms , and circumstances of your pain are making me think this pain is actually coming from one of your spinal nerve roots. The name for such symptoms is lumbar radiculopathy, and specifically in your case it seems you have compression/irritation of the L5 nerve root on the right side. The radiculopathy is typically caused by a disc bulge/protrusion, and these can occur or worsen with increased intrabdominal/intrathoracic pressure, such as when you sneeze. I would suggest you see your primary care and obtain a MRI of the lumbar spine to better get an idea of what is exactly going on in your low back. Based on the MRI you may benefit from either physical therapy, treatment by a interventional pain physician, or a neurosurgery referral. I hope you feel better soon , wish you thes best of luck.