Definition – What is pseudoradicular pain?
Pseudoradicular pain is pain in the back that is not caused by irritation of the nerve root, but only feigns it. Pseudoradicular pain is also called referred pain. This means that the pain is perceived at a different location than the actual point of origin. The most common explanatory model for this phenomenon is the principle of convergence, which states that pain information from the various regions of the body converges (“converge”) on common nerve cells in the spinal cord and the brain is therefore no longer able to distinguish exactly where the pain is located. As a result, pain in the lumbar spine, for example, is projected into the lower extremity and perceived as pseudo-radicular pain in the leg.
How does pseudoradicular pain differ from radicular pain?
Radicular pain is caused by compression of the nerve roots in the spinal cord (radix = root), whereas in pseudoradicular pain the nerve roots are not damaged. A typical cause of radicular pain is a herniated disc in which part of the disc presses against the nerve root, causing symptoms such as paralysis and sensory disturbances. Pseudoradicular pain, on the other hand, is often triggered by muscular tension and joint pain.
Causes
Pseudoradicular pain feels like radicular pain but, in contrast, does not have damage to the nerve root as its cause. Muscle tension, signs of wear and tear in small vertebral joints and ligament problems in the lumbar spine and sacrum are often the cause of pseudoradicular pain. Sacroiliac joint pain (ISG blockage) means that the joint is blocked and can no longer be moved properly.
Due to the pain, a relieving posture is adopted, which can additionally lead to muscle tension. The pain often radiates as pseudo-radicular pain into the thigh and the entire leg. Another cause of pseudoradicular pain can be irritation of the facet joint in the lumbar spine.
Wear and tear of the vertebrae causes back pain that extends down to the leg. Periarthropathia coxae can also cause pseudoradicular pain. Wear and tear on the hip joint causes massive pain that runs along the side of the thigh down to the knee.
