These are not uncommon symptoms that can occur for any number of reasons, both in younger and older people. For some, they are merely a nuisance that will eventually go away. Sometimes, however, the pain can be persistent and overwhelming. They can affect a person’s ability to walk, sleep, or engage in everyday activities.
While the cause of the pain can originate in the legs, it is more often associated with the lumbar spine. This includes the five vertebrae situated between the pelvis and rib cage. Vertebrae are the bones that form the spinal column.
This article discusses what conditions in the lumbar spine can cause shooting leg pains and why it happens.
Lumbar Spine and Shooting Leg Pain
The lumbar spine is a segment of the vertebral column. It’s responsible, in large part, for supporting the upper body and holding you in a standing up position. The five vertebrae are designated as L1 at the top proceeding downward to L5 at the bottom.
The positioning of these vertebrae can sometimes shift, due to injury, degeneration, or progressive disease. These changes can impact nearby nerves and connective tissue, causing pain or weakness.
Shooting leg pains can often occur when a lumbar vertebra suddenly shifts. This places abnormal pressure on a nerve, causing it to misfire. The brain registers these signals as pain, which we feel down the nerve line of the leg, often intensely.
People describe the pain as feeling like:
An electric shock Having your foot suddenly plunged into a bucket of ice water A prickly sensation called paresthesia, similar to the uncomfortable pain you feel immediately after a sleeping leg awakens
Leg pain can be often accompanied by numbness and weakness.
Associated Conditions
There are a number of conditions that can cause nerves to be pinched or compressed by lumbar vertebrae.
Age and Spinal Stenosis
Deterioration caused by age is a chief cause. The progressive breakdown of cartilage and tissue can cause narrowing of the spinal foramen, which is the space available for the nerves. This condition is called foraminal stenosis, and it can pinche on the spinal nerve root. Sometimes the spine narrows, and this is called spinal stenosis.
Co-occurring conditions like osteoarthritis can exacerbate the condition.
Injury
Injury can impact spinal integrity. While the associated leg pain may only be temporary, it can sometimes persist, and may even become permanent for some people.
Disc Herniation
Disc herniation is also known as a slipped disc. A disc is a round rubbery cushion that sits between your vertebrae. A tear in the rubbery outer portion of the disc allows some of the jelly-like inner portion of the intervertebral disc to bulge out. Most disc herniations occur at the bottom of the spine at the L4/5 and/or L5/S1 discs.
Loss of bladder and bowel controlDiminished sexual function
The condition may not always cause symptoms, but the symptoms can include lower back pain, numbness, tingling, and general weakness in the legs. Radiating pain is common and typically affects only one side of the body, generally the lower extremity or buttocks.
Sciatica
Sciatica is defined as pain radiating down the leg from the lower back. Sciatica occurs when the nerve roots that form the sciatic nerve, L4, L5, S1, S2, and S3 are pinched, causing pain in the leg.
Sciatica can be caused by any number of conditions, including a slipped disc, injury, spinal stenosis, and infection. Sciatica can be an early warning sign of herpes zoster (shingles) infection of a lower extremity. Pregnancy can also cause sciatic pain as the fetus presses against the nerve.
Summary
Shooting pains in the legs can be caused by various conditions affecting the lumbar spine in the lower back. The vertebrae in the lower back can shift due to injury or conditions such as disc herniation or spinal stenosis. When a vertebra presses on a nerve, it can feel like pain or prickly sensations that run down the leg.
A Word From Verywell
If you’re experiencing shooting pains in your legs, check with your healthcare provider. They can help you to pinpoint what’s causing the problem. By getting the right diagnosis, you can get a treatment that allows you to return to your normal activities.
