Back Pain Muscle Weakness and Numbness
Muscle weakness and/or back pain and numbness in association with neck pain can signify a considerable compromise of the spinal nerve.
When experiencing neck pain or back pain that is presently accompanied by muscle weakness and/or numbness, this may signify the development of a certain functioning of the abnormal nerve or neuropathy due to disease or damage. Somehow, it’s related to the back pain and numbness.
In relation of back pain and numbness, neuropathy is commonly caused by nerve compression, or nerve “pinching” which means a nerve has gone out of the spinal column. Various spinal disorders may potentially cause this condition and this includes herniated disc as well as other conditions linked to the disc degenerative disease including bone spurs and stenosis.
Compressing of the spinal nerves slows down the manner in which nutrients flow to the membrane of the spinal nerve. In case of continued blockage, this results in the eventual loss of the nerve membrane’s capability of transmitting the small electrical impulses responsible for creating sensation and the eventual death of the nerve fiber. When sufficient nerves cease functioning, a manifestation of this collective sensation results into back pain and numbness in the affected area’s nerve serve. The muscles that the nerves supply may equally cease functioning normally.
Causes of Nerve Compression
Being well-designed, the spine structure comprises bones (vertebrae), muscles, discs, tendons, nerves and ligaments. The essentially important intervertebral discs serve as the vertebrae’s cushions and facilitate normal spinal mobility and function.
Every disc comprises two parts namely:
- nucleus pulposus which is the disc’s gel-like and soft center.
- annulus fibrosis which is a fibrous and strong outer ring surrounding and supporting the nucleus pulposus.
The intervertebral discs dry out over time or compress and otherwise become damaged as they age or due to genetics and daily tearing and wearing. As a result, part of or the entire nucleus pulposus pushes via the annulus fibrosis which is a condition referred to as herniated disc. Consequently, disc degeneration occurs in the spurs of the bone also referred to as spinal stenosis or osteophytes which is tapering of the spinal area where the separation of the spine and nerve occurs before the latter moves to the other body parts.
If the bone material or disc impinges or pushes on a close spinal cord or nerve root, this may result in back pain and numbness, coordination loss, pain, muscle spasms and weakness at the damage site and other body parts. Medically, radiculopathy is the term that depicts symptoms known for radiating into extremities and is a derivative of Latin words such as “pathos” for disease and “radix” for roots.
These symptoms as well as the conditions responsible for causing them are jointly known as degenerative disc diseases if this condition becomes chronic with time. Comparable symptoms may quickly develop, although the sudden herniation of an intervertebral disc may cause severe nerve compression in addition to back pain and numbness.
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