Back & Neck Pain Symptoms What You Should Know About Numbness and Tingling in the Lower Back By Jonathan Cluett, MD Jonathan Cluett, MD LinkedIn Twitter Jonathan Cluett, MD, is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with subspecialty training in sports medicine and arthroscopic surgery. Learn about our editorial process Updated on May 10, 2020 Medically reviewed Verywell Health articles are reviewed by board-certified physicians and healthcare professionals. These medical reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Jason DelCollo, DO Medically reviewed by Jason DelCollo, DO Jason DelCollo, DO, is board-certified in family medicine and on the faculty of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Learn about our Medical Expert Board Print Numbness and tingling are symptoms of a malfunctioning nerve. These are often evaluated as possible signs of an abnormality with the spine. The spinal cord and spinal nerves are the link from your brain to your extremities. Where there is an abnormality of the spinal cord, or the nerves branching off the spinal cord, this may be experienced by patients as numbness or tingling. Generally, if the problem is higher up in the spine, in the neck or cervical area, the numbness and tingling are most likely to be experienced in the upper extremity. If the problem is in the lower spine, or lumbar region, the symptoms are more likely to be felt in the lower extremity. Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin What Causes Numbness and Tingling Lumbar spine problems can cause symptoms of tingling and numbness in the lower extremities. Many patients expect that problems in the lumbar spine should cause symptoms of back pain. However, some of the most common symptoms of a lumbar spine problem are experienced in the lower extremities. One important function of nerves is to provide information about sensations from the body to your brain. When these signals are damaged, interrupted, or irritated, the sensations can be experienced abnormally. This can manifest as sensations of numbness, tingling, prickling, or other abnormalities of the skin. In many common spine conditions, these nerves that travel to your brain are pinched or compressed. This pressure on the nerve can cause abnormal sensations, commonly experienced as tingling or numbness. When the nerve that runs from your foot to your brain is pinched, you may experience a numb foot—even if that nerve is pinched all the way up in your back. This is the same reason your hand experiences tingling when you bump your "funny bone." Associated Spinal Conditions Conditions that can cause nerve pressure leading to tingling and numbness include herniated discs, spinal stenosis, and sciatica. Herniated Discs Discs are the soft cushions that sit between adjacent vertebrae. Normally, the disc is a flexible cushion that has good elasticity. In some circumstances, the elastic disc tissue can become less flexible, and prone to injury. When a disc herniation occurs, some of that disc material is squeezed out of the disc and into the area around the spinal cord and spinal nerves. This can cause pressure on the nerves that exit the spinal cord, leading to symptoms of pain, muscle weakness, and numbness. The numbness should correspond very directly to the nerve being pinched. For that reason, your healthcare provider will assess exactly where your numbness is located, as it is likely to lead to the source of your problem. Herniated Disc: Overview and More Spinal Stenosis Spinal stenosis is the term used to describe the narrowing of the space around the spinal cord and spinal nerves. There are many reasons why that space can become narrowed, but the most common is spinal arthritis. In this situation, arthritis causes tissue thickening, bone spurs, and joint swelling. All of these problems can use up the extra space around the spinal cord and spinal nerves leading to stenosis. Spinal stenosis is often a more widespread problem of the spine whereas disc herniations are more commonly focused on a specific nerve being irritated. Spinal Stenosis: Overview and More Sciatica Sciatica is the name given to the irritation of the large nerve going down the leg that is formed from the confluence of several spinal nerves. The sciatic nerve is a peripheral nerve (outside the spinal cord area), and therefore irritation of this nerve does not occur directly at the spine. However, sciatica can occur with problems around the spine and low back. Sciatica: Overview and More Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit 5 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Spinal cord injury. American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Spinal pain. Levin MC. Numbness. Merck Manual Consumer Version. 2019. Hospital for Special Surgery. An overview of lower back pain. 2016. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Lumbar spinal stenosis.