Sciatica is pain radiating along the sciatic nerve — from the lower back through the buttock and down one leg — caused by compression of a lumbar nerve root at L4, L5, or S1. Between 80 and 90 percent of cases resolve without surgery with appropriate care.

The sacroiliac joint connects the sacrum to the pelvis, transfers load between the spine and legs, and is a documented source of chronic low back pain in 15–30% of cases. Learn the anatomy, causes, and non-surgical treatment options.

Neurogenic claudication is leg pain, cramping, or weakness triggered by walking or standing and relieved by sitting or bending forward. It results from nerve root compression in a narrowed lumbar spinal canal. Learn the symptoms, causes, and non-surgical treatment options.

Ligamentum flavum hypertrophy is the thickening of the elastic ligament lining the rear spinal canal wall. It narrows the canal, compresses nerve roots, and causes the hallmark symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis. Learn what drives it and which non-surgical options apply.

A bone spur (osteophyte) is a smooth bony projection that grows along vertebral edges in response to mechanical stress or degeneration. Bone spurs are common, not always painful, and treated without surgery in most cases.

Lumbar lordosis is the natural inward curve of the lower back that supports upright posture, absorbs shock, and distributes body weight across the discs and joints of the lumbar spine.

Modic changes are MRI signal abnormalities in the vertebral endplates and adjacent bone marrow, classified as Type I (active inflammation), Type II (fatty marrow), or Type III (sclerosis). Type I is most closely linked to chronic discogenic back pain and guides non-surgical treatment evaluation.