Archive · 12 Aug 2026
Leg Pain's Hidden Cause May Be Nerves in Lower Spine
The biggest nerve in your body is called the sciatic nerve.
It runs from your lower back, through your bottom, and down your legs.
When a nerve in your lower spine gets squeezed or swollen, it can hurt.
The pain can show up in your leg, even though the problem is actually in your back.
Many people think leg pain comes from muscle strain.
Muscle strain can happen from standing too long, working out, or getting older.
But sometimes the leg pain has a different cause.
A doctor named Dr. Kalidutta Das says there may be something else going on.
He is the Chief and Director of Spine Services at ISIC Multispeciality Hospital.
So if your leg hurts, the real problem might be in your spine.
The sciatic nerve, the body's largest nerve, travels from the lower back through the buttocks and down each leg.
Compression or inflammation of a nerve in the lower spine can cause pain along the nerve's pathway.
Leg pain is commonly attributed to muscle strain from standing for long periods, exercising, or getting older.
Dr. Kalidutta Das says sometimes something different may be going on in the leg beyond muscle strain.
The article suggests spinal nerve compression may be the hidden cause of unexplained leg pain.
- Who
- Dr. Kalidutta Das, Chief and Director of Spine Services at ISIC Multispeciality Hospital, provided the expert explanation.
- What
- Leg pain may be caused by compression or inflammation of a nerve in the lower spine rather than muscle strain.
- When
- Not specified in the article.
- Where
- Along the sciatic nerve pathway from the lower back through the buttocks and down each leg.
- Why
- When a nerve in the lower spine becomes compressed or inflamed, it can cause pain and other symptoms along the nerve's pathway.
- Nerve involved
- Sciatic nerve — largest nerve in the body
- Nerve pathway
- Lower back through buttocks down each leg
- Hidden cause
- Compression or inflammation of a lower spine nerve
- Common misdiagnosis
- Muscle strain
- Usual attributed causes
- Standing for long periods, exercising, aging
- Expert source
- Dr. Kalidutta Das, Chief and Director of Spine Services
- Institution
- ISIC Multispeciality Hospital