Lumbar radiculopathy refers to a disease involving the lumbar spinal nerve root. Lumbar radiculopathy symptoms can manifest as pain, numbness, or weakness of the buttocks and leg. Sciatica is the term most often used by people. Lumbar radiculopathy is typically caused by a compression of the spinal nerve root. This causes pain in the leg rather than in the lumbar spine, which is called "referred pain."
Lumbar radiculopathy may occur when the spinal nerve roots are irritated or compressed by one of many conditions, including lumbar disc herniation, spinal stenosis, osteophyte formation, spondylolithesis, forminal stenosis, or other degenerative disorders.
