Morgan, thanks so much for your question. Let's see what we can find for you.
Lower back pain in itself is very common. But it sounds like you're used to dealing with that, and that this seems different. Am I right?
Is the reason that you can't put all your weight on your right leg due to pain, or to the numbness, or to both?
With your description of pins and needles in your toes and your numbness in your big toe, you might actually want to see a doctor. Those symptoms can occur with something like a pinched nerve or sciatica, which would continue to bother you while you're sitting or standing (and most likely regardless of what shoes you wear).
Here's a page that discusses possible causes of numbness and tingling in the toes:
And here's the Mayo Clinic's page on sciatica, which also has links to click on for symptoms and treatment:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sciatica/DS00516
Here's how they describe sciatic nerve pain:
"The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in your body. It runs from your spinal cord to your buttock and hip area and down the back of each leg. The term "sciatica" refers to pain that radiates along the path of this nerve — from your back down your buttock and leg."
Does that sound like the familiar path your pain takes? You didn't mention whether it ran down the front or back of your thigh.
The Mayo site says that in most cases, it goes away in six to eight weeks, if this is what you're dealing with. But it's impossible to know for sure unless you have someone look at it; and a doctor can prescribe anti-inflammatory medicine and/or muscle relaxants. If you have a herniated disc, physical therapy helps.
Do you work at a computer or in a job where you are sitting all day long?
Just to be sure, did anything happen two weeks ago before this started? A pulled muscle, extra exertion, a fall? Or is it something that just seemed to develop on its own accord?
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Morgan, thanks so much for your question. Let's see what we can find for you.
Lower back pain in itself is very common. But it sounds like you're used to dealing with that, and that this seems different. Am I right?
Is the reason that you can't put all your weight on your right leg due to pain, or to the numbness, or to both?
With your description of pins and needles in your toes and your numbness in your big toe, you might actually want to see a doctor. Those symptoms can occur with something like a pinched nerve or sciatica, which would continue to bother you while you're sitting or standing (and most likely regardless of what shoes you wear).
Here's a page that discusses possible causes of numbness and tingling in the toes:
http://www.medicinenet.com/numbness_toes/symptoms.htm
And here's the Mayo Clinic's page on sciatica, which also has links to click on for symptoms and treatment:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sciatica/DS00516
Here's how they describe sciatic nerve pain:
"The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in your body. It runs from your spinal cord to your buttock and hip area and down the back of each leg. The term "sciatica" refers to pain that radiates along the path of this nerve — from your back down your buttock and leg."
Does that sound like the familiar path your pain takes? You didn't mention whether it ran down the front or back of your thigh.
The Mayo site says that in most cases, it goes away in six to eight weeks, if this is what you're dealing with. But it's impossible to know for sure unless you have someone look at it; and a doctor can prescribe anti-inflammatory medicine and/or muscle relaxants. If you have a herniated disc, physical therapy helps.
Do you work at a computer or in a job where you are sitting all day long?
Just to be sure, did anything happen two weeks ago before this started? A pulled muscle, extra exertion, a fall? Or is it something that just seemed to develop on its own accord?
February 18, 2009 - 10:42amThis Comment
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