Some patients have low back pain and knee pain, knee pain can be caused by their own problems, or they can be caused by lumbar spine problems, which is due to the nerves in the lumbar spine connected to the knee area, and if these nerves are compressed, there will be intermittent low back pain along the nerve pathway, muscle tension in the back of the thigh, weakness of the buttocks or quadriceps muscles, and knee pain.
If the following signs are present, then the source of knee pain may be in the lower back:
It is usually manifested as obvious knee pain, low back pain is relatively mild, it may just be a muscle tension and tightness, this situation must be noted, it mostly occurs in people who are used to sitting for a long time, such as people who are engaged in office work, when sitting, the lumbar spine is compressed, sinking and shortening, and the central axis of the body is moved back, causing the intervertebral disc to herniate backwards, especially for elderly people, the degeneration or protrusion of the intervertebral disc compresses the lumbar nerve that leads to the lower limbs, which may lead to knee pulling pain, and people who often sit for a long time have knee pain and waist pain. Then the problem may be in the lumbar spine.
The hamstrings are a group of muscles in the back of the thigh, and if the thigh feels tight when it is stretched or flexed, then knee pain may also be caused by it. When the hamstrings are tense, it will affect the stability of the lower back above, and the physiological curvature of the lumbar spine is forced to form an abnormal posture in order to maintain stability, resulting in stiffness and pain in the lower back radiating to the knees and legs, in this case, if you continue to exercise, it is likely to aggravate the injury to the knee.
Why are hamstrings tight? It is also related to lumbar spine problems, the L5 lumbar nerve through the lateral hamstring muscle, to the biceps femoris muscle, if this nerve is stimulated or damaged, the hamstring muscle will be inflamed and painful, and the movement of the knee will be affected.
The quadriceps muscle is a muscle group located on the front side of the thigh, it is one of the most powerful muscles in the body, and it has its role in leg extension, hip flexion, and knee extension. The nerves that control the motor function of the quadriceps muscles are located between the vertebrae of the lumbar vertebrae, and if the nerves are stimulated or pinched by the vertebrae, the movement of the hips and quadriceps muscles is affected. The knee joint has to provide a compensatory effect, the patient will feel pain, and it will also accelerate the wear and tear of the knee joint.
If you have a problem with your lower back, you may develop bunions or bone spurs on your feet. Spinal nerves propagate to the muscles that stabilize the inside and outside of the foot. If these nerves are injured, the muscles become weak and unable to function effectively. People have difficulty walking, running, or standing as they used to, and their feet roll inward, using the inner edge of their feet to support their weight, and the arches of the feet flatten, and if they progress, the big toe joint tilts unnaturally as the tendons continue to misalign, resulting in bunion. When both the lower back and feet weaken, the knee joint has to provide compensation, which causes pain and accelerated wear and tear.
Here are two common causes of knee pain caused by the lower back:
The sciatic nerve is the longest and thickest nerve in the human body, from the lumbosacral out, through the buttocks, along the back of the thigh down extension, once this nerve is compressed, it can cause pain in the thigh, knee, calf, foot or toe, mostly on one side of the body, the sciatic nerve is squeezed for more than one reason, intervertebral disc problems, spinal stenosis, that is, spinal narrowing, piriformis syndrome, spondylolisthesis, etc., can cause knee and lower limb pain.
Lumbar disc herniation is also a cause of knee pain, when the lumbar disc ruptures, the jelly-like nucleus pulposus is squeezed out, once the lumbar 2 3, lumbar 3 4 intervertebral disc herniation compresses the nerve root innervating the knee joint, it can also cause pain around the knee.
Medical science, for reference only.