Low
back pain and lower extremity pain often get put into one category,
but the causes, and therefore the treatments, can be different. Lower
extremity pain, when it radiates from the low back, is usually the result
of pressure on a nerve. The pain is often in the distribution which
the nerve supplies. Low back pain is often related to the mechanics
of the spine. Muscle strain, arthritis, trauma, osteoporosis, and fracture
are often causes. Often, disease processes which cause lower extremity
pain can also cause low back pain, and vice versa.