What is pseudoradicular pain?

Pseudoradicular pain is pain that feels like nerve pain. However, they do not actually cause nerve damage. Instead, a malregulation between the muscles and joints of the spine leads to severe tension. This can cause pain that is very similar to that of nerve damage. Just like nerve pain, pseudoradicular pain extends along a muscle group into arms or legs.

Why does it occur most frequently in the lumbar spinal region?

Besides our cervical spine, the lumbar spine is the weakest point of the back. Here the weight of the entire upper body rests on the spine. On the one hand, the lumbar spine has to support the upper body, on the other hand, the upper body is connected to the pelvis and the legs, so that especially when walking, the lumbar spine and the muscles located there are required to provide pronounced stabilization.

Our current lifestyle means that we usually spend several hours at a time sitting. Often the back is crooked, which can lead to tension in the entire back muscles. However, the lumbar spine is particularly affected by this.Here is the stabilizing contact between the fixed seat and the movable upper body, so that it is particularly important to stabilize at this point.

This inactive lifestyle also means that the back muscles are no longer sufficiently trained to adequately stabilize and support the spine in all situations. Therefore, especially with unaccustomed movements or new physical strains, a dysbalance in muscle work often occurs. The resulting dysregulation of muscles and joints triggers the pseudoradicular syndrome. And since the lumbar region usually bears the greatest load, these dysregulations occur particularly frequently there.

The diagnosis

The diagnosis of all types of back pain consists first of all of a medical history, in which the doctor asks the exact symptoms of the affected person. The most important thing here is whether an accident or an infection has occurred, as these can indicate an injury to the spinal column. This is followed by an examination in which the range of motion and nerve damage can be checked.

If there is no indication of spinal column or nerve damage, this diagnosis is sufficient. If serious damage is suspected, imaging (X-ray, MRT, CT) can be performed. The pseudoradicular syndrome can be accompanied by skin sensations.

For a more precise diagnosis of these symptoms, a detailed assessment by neurologists is sometimes necessary. The MRI, also known as magnetic resonance imaging, is the most suitable imaging procedure to assess soft tissues, organs and muscles. MRI is therefore used when there is a suspicion of damage to the spinal cord or nerve roots.

Herniated discs can also be assessed well by MRI. In pseudoradicular syndrome, the MRI is used for exclusion diagnostics. Structural damage that could explain the symptoms of the disease is to be excluded.

X-rays are a simple and fast procedure that allows particularly bony structures to be assessed well. If a pseudoradicular syndrome is suspected, bony defects in the spinal column should generally be excluded as the cause of the symptoms. In most cases, one waits about two to four weeks to see whether the pain will disappear again with movement and pain therapy.

If this is not the case, causes other than pseudoradicular syndrome must be investigated. An X-ray serves as a good orientation for the bony structure. CT is used in pseudoradicular syndrome as well as X-rays if bony defects are to be excluded.

In contrast to X-rays, CT images can be used to determine in three dimensions where each structure is located in the body. For this reason, CT is the next choice for unclear X-ray findings. In addition, softer structures such as the spinal cord and nerves can also be assessed (although not as well as in MRI). In the case of pseudoradicular syndrome, CT also serves to exclude serious structural diseases.