What are neuritis, radilulitis, radiculopathy, sciatica and cauda equina?
Spinal disc degeneration, disc tear, disc bulge, disc herniation, bone spurs, bone slippages, spinal facet diseases, and spinal stenosis are common causes of lower back and leg pain. In these conditions, inflammatory chemicals irritate surrounding nerve tissues or spinal nerves (neuritis and radiculitis, Figure 1). Spinal nerves are also injured by mechanical compression due to disc herniation, spinal stenosis, or other causes (radiculopathy). Patients with radiculitis and radiculopathy feel numbness, pins and needles, and weakness in the legs and feet. In severe cases, patients feel their legs becoming smaller, muscle atrophy, and foot drops. Two lower lumbar spinal nerves (L4 to L5) and the first sacral nerve (S1) unite together to form a big trunk of nerve travelling down the leg to the foot (sciatic nerve). Compression of the sciatic nerve causes leg pain and is called sciatica. Some spinal nerve compressions cause loss of bowel and bladder control, or control of gait and balance (
