Have you ever wondered if your lower back pain and leg and foot swelling are connected? Many different conditions can cause lower back pain or swelling in the legs and feet separately, but a few conditions may cause both simultaneously.
Swelling in the legs and feet is caused by edema (swelling due to fluid buildup) and/or inflammation. Some conditions that can cause both lower back pain and swelling are not serious and can be treated at home, while others demand medical attention.
What’s Causing My Back Pain?
Lower Back Pain and Swelling in Legs and Feet from Edema
Edema is another word for swelling due to fluid buildup. Varicose veins, kidney disease, and pregnancy are a few conditions that cause both edema in the legs and feet and lower back pain.
Varicose Veins and Chronic Vein Insufficiency
Varicose veins are enlarged, twisted veins that mostly occur in the lower legs. Varicose veins result from increased blood pressure and weakening of blood vessel walls and valves of the affected veins. Insufficient blood flow from the legs back to the heart causes swelling in the feet and legs. Symptoms of varicose veins can also include leg aches and pains, heaviness, and itching or burning sensations.
Although varicose veins do not directly cause lower back pain, varicose veins and lower back pain share some common possible causes such as obesity, pregnancy, and prolonged standing. That said, it is not uncommon for lower back pain and varicose veins to occur at the same time.
Kidney Disease and Kidney Failure
Kidney disease and resulting renal (kidney) failure can cause pain in the lower back below the rib cage and at the sides of the body. Renal conditions that affect kidney function also cause edema in the legs and feet due to increased sodium and fluid retention because the kidneys cannot properly filter out sodium from the blood.
Pregnancy
Back pain commonly occurs with pregnancy due to the increased strain that the developing baby and associated weight gain places on the lumbar spine. The developing baby within the uterus also stretches the abdominal muscles, which weakens their ability to provide support. Altered pregnancy hormones also increase the laxity of ligaments, which can further weaken the stability of the lumbar spine, leading to lower back pain.
Swelling in the legs and feet can occur during pregnancy from increased fluid retention. This can be caused by a few different things:
- Increased blood plasma volume
- Water retention to support the growing fetus
- Pressure from the uterus putting pressure on the veins to the lower body, which interferes with blood flow
- Increased hormone production from the adrenal glands
Lower Back Pain and Swelling in Legs and Feet from Inflammation
Conditions like arthritis, sciatica, ankylosing spondylitis, piriformis syndrome, arachnoiditis, and infection can cause lower back pain and swelling in the legs and feet from inflammation.
Arthritis
Inflammatory forms of arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis, can affect multiple joints of the body, including the spine, hips, and knees. Symptoms of arthritis include joint pain, stiffness, inflammation, and swelling. Rheumatoid arthritis may cause inflammation and swelling of the feet and ankles.
Ankylosing spondylitis is an inflammatory form of arthritis that most commonly affects the back and neck, resulting in neck and lower back pain, stiffness, fever, and fatigue. As the condition progresses other joints may become inflamed as well including the hips, knees, and ankles.
Sciatica
Sciatica produces pain in the lower back and down the legs from compression of the sciatic nerve. Other symptoms that can result from sciatic nerve compression or irritation include numbness, tingling, Swelling in the legs is rare.
Piriformis Syndrome
Piriformis syndrome is a condition caused by irritation, spasm, or injury to the deep piriformis muscle of the back of the hip, causing sciatic nerve irritation and resulting pain, numbness and tingling down the affected leg. Piriformis syndrome can also cause pain in the lower back as well as swelling in the affected leg.
How to Sleep With Piriformis Syndrome
Infection
Infections can affect multiple parts of the body and cause a variety of symptoms. Cellulitis is a frequently occurring bacterial skin infection that affects the legs, resulting in pain, tenderness, redness, warmth, and swelling.
If cellulitis progresses, it can also cause osteomyelitis (a bone infection) that can cause lower back pain, and meningitis (inflammation of the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord), which can cause back and leg pain, weakness, fever, headaches, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and other neurological symptoms.
Treatments for Lower Back Pain
The source of your lower back pain will help guide your treatment options. Some of the possible treatments based on broad categories of causes include the following.
Mechanical:
- Core strengthening to improve the ability of your abdominal muscles to support your spine
- Weight loss to decrease lower back strain
- Lower back and leg stretching to improve mobility and flexibility to alleviate areas of nerve compression and joint stiffness
- Application of ice to decrease pain and inflammation or heat to improve mobility and decrease stiffness
Kidney disorder:
- Medication, hemodialysis, or kidney transplant to improve kidney function
- Medical management of underlying conditions that increase the risk of kidney disease, such as hypertension or diabetes
Autoimmune forms of arthritis: Medications such as anti-inflammatory drugs, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), and biologics
Infections: Antibiotics or antivirals
Chronic nerve compression: Surgery
Pain medications taken orally via pill form, topically via creams or gels, or through injections into painful joints may be recommended for various causes of back pain.
Treatments for Swelling in Legs and Feet
Swelling in the legs and feet can result from a variety of different causes so treatment will vary. Treating any underlying conditions is necessary, and you should consult with your healthcare provider before attempting the following common treatments for general edema. Here are a few easy treatments to consider for generalized edema:
- Wearing compression stockings to help improve circulation from the legs back to the heart
- Elevating your feet above the level of your heart after prolonged sitting or standing
- Regular exercise involving the legs to promote improved blood flow
- Increasing fluid intake and decreasing sodium intake
- Diuretic medication (water pills) to help get rid of excess fluid retention
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Back pain and swelling in the feet and legs that have not improved after one month warrants a visit with your healthcare provider to help determine the underlying cause. Having both symptoms at the same time without an injury to either your back, legs, or feet may indicate an underlying condition that needs to be treated.
If you exhibit significant pain, redness, warmth, and swelling in your legs, or experience fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, you should seek immediate medical attention as these are signs of an infection.
Summary
Lower back pain and swelling in the legs and feet are not abnormal or uncommon symptoms to have, but when they occur together underlying conditions need to be considered and treated accordingly.
Causes of both symptoms concurrently include varicose veins, pregnancy, kidney disease, arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, arachnoiditis, systemic infections, and sciatic nerve compression from piriformis syndrome.
Treating the underlying causes of lower back pain and swelling in the legs and feet comes first, often through medical intervention or medication, followed by symptom management including stretches, core strengthening, weight loss, heat, and ice to alleviate lower back pain, and compression stockings, leg elevation, exercise, and fluid and sodium regulation to alleviate leg and feet swelling.
If you have been experiencing symptoms for more than one month without any improvement, make sure you see a medical professional to determine the underlying cause and receive appropriate treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can back problems cause swelling in legs?
Some conditions that affect the back can also result in swelling in the legs if the blood vessels and/or nerves traveling from the back to the legs are impacted.
When should you go to the hospital for swollen feet and legs?
You should go to the hospital immediately if you exhibit significant pain, redness, warmth, and swelling in your legs, or experience fever, chills, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. These are signs that an infection is likely present.
Can COVID-19 cause back and leg pain?
Back pain and general body aches are among the most frequently reported symptoms of COVID-19. Swelling and redness in the toes and feet have also been reported.