Understanding the meaning of signs and symptoms of lumbar<unk>  requires an understanding of what the syndrome is, and the prevalence of the condition. A review of lumbar<unk>  in the Journal of the American Medical Associations "Rational Clinical Examination Series" emphasized that the syndrome can be considered when lower extremity pain occurs in combination with back pain. The syndrome occurs in 12% of older community-dwelling men and up to 21% of those in retirement communities. Because the leg symptoms in<unk>  <unk>  are similar to those found with vascular claudication, the term pseudoclaudication is often used for symptoms of<unk> . These symptoms include pain, weakness, and tingling of the legs, which may radiate down the legs to the feet. Additional symptoms in the legs may be fatigue, heaviness, weakness, a sensation of tingling, pricking, or numbness, and leg cramps, as well as bladder symptoms. Symptoms are most commonly bilateral and symmetrical, but they may be unilateral; leg pain is usually more troubling than back pain. Pseudoclaudication, now generally referred to as neurogenic claudication, typically worsens with standing or walking, and improves with sitting, and is often related to posture and lumbar extension. Lying on the side is often more comfortable than lying flat, since it permits greater lumbar flexion. Vascular claudication can resemble spinal<unk> , and some individuals experience unilateral or bilateral symptoms radiating down the legs rather than true claudication. The first symptoms of<unk>  include bouts of low back pain. After a few months or years, this may progress to claudication. The pain may be radicular, following the classic neurologic pathways. This occurs as the spinal nerves or spinal cord become increasingly trapped in a smaller space within the canal. Determining whether pain in the elderly is caused by lack of blood supply or<unk>  is difficult; testing can usually differentiate between them, but patients can have both vascular disease in the legs and spinal<unk> . Among people with lower-extremity pain in combination with back pain, lumbar<unk>  as the cause is two times more likely in those older than 70 years of age while in those younger than 60 years it is less than half as likely. The character of the pain is also useful for diagnosis. When the discomfort does not occur while seated, the likelihood of<unk>  increases considerably, around 7.4 times. Other features increasing the likelihood of lumbar<unk>  are improvement in symptoms on bending forward (6.4 times), pain that occurs in both buttocks or legs (6.3 times), and the presence of neurogenic claudication (3.7 times). On the other hand, the absence of neurogenic claudication makes lumbar<unk>  much less likely as the explanation for the pain.
Lumbar spinal stenosis
Peripheral artery disease
Cervical spinal stenosis
Spinal stenosis
Spinal disc herniation
Spinal tumor
Lumbar disc disease
Spinal disease