• Pain
• Back Pain

What is Radiating Pain? Symptoms, Treatments, and Causes

Medically reviewed and edited by Jonathan Guirguis, DO

If you've ever experienced radiating pain, you've probably wondered what was causing it and whether you should be concerned. Symptoms such as radiating pain are often the first indication of a more serious medical issue.

In some instances, radiating pain can last for weeks at a time. In others cases, the discomfort can disappear in a matter of days.

This article will discuss what radiating pain is, what causes it, how to identify it, and how to treat it.

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What is Radiating Pain?

Radiating pain is pain that spreads from one area of the body to another. Initially confined to a small region, it quickly spreads to larger areas.

For example, a herniated disc might cause pain in the lower back. The sciatic nerve, which travels down your leg, might be the source of this discomfort, so technically your herniated disc will also cause the leg pain.

Radiating pain can be caused by a variety of things, and in some circumstances, it may be a sign of a more serious problem.

Radiating Pain vs. Referred Pain

Referred pain differs from radiating pain. Radiating pain travels through the body in waves, while with referred pain, the location of the pain doesn’t change. With radiating pain, the pain is felt in different parts of the body and migrates from where it started.

For example, when a person has a heart attack, they often experience pain in their jaw. Although the jaw is not directly affected by a heart attack, the pain can be felt there nonetheless.

When feeling radiating pain, pay attention to how it spreads throughout the body. When your doctor looks at this, they can figure out the underlying cause of your radiating pain.

Causes of Radiating Pain

When a body part is hurt, nearby nerves send signals to the spinal cord. These signals go to the brain, which recognizes the pain in the area that has been hurt.

However, all the nerves in the body are linked, meaning pain signals can spread — or radiate — through your body.

As the pain moves up and down a neural pathway, it can cause discomfort in other parts of your body that are supplied by that nerve. The result is radiating pain.

Here are some of the most common causes of radiating pain:

When Should I See a Doctor?

Most of the time, mild radiating pain can go away on its own. However, if you have any of the following symptoms you should contact a doctor immediately:

• Severe or worsening pain

• Pain that lasts longer than a week

• Pain after an injury or accident

• Difficulty with bladder or bowel control

You should get medical help right away if you think you might be having a heart attack or gallbladder attack or if you think you might have a peptic ulcer.

Treatment for Radiating Pain

There are typically four types of treatment used to treat radiating pain. The severity of the pain will determine whether your doctor will recommend one or more of the following:

Anti-inflammatory medication

When it comes to radiating pain, this is often the first line of treatment. As long as you don't show any signs of major muscle weakness, you'll usually be given an anti-inflammatory drug (like ibuprofen) or a steroid dose pack.

If taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicine doesn't work, your next step will be to meet with your doctor for a check-up.

Physical therapy

If the pain doesn't go away after a few weeks, your doctor will start you on physical therapy to help you strengthen and stretch the muscles linked to the nerve.

In the case of a suspected herniated disk, many doctors will recommend:

• Stretching exercises

• Back strengthening exercises

• A McKenzie Method

These exercises may help the symptoms go away over time. In most cases, surgery won’t be required to get rid of radiating pain.

Injections

If the pain and other symptoms persist for more than six weeks, your doctor might order X-rays or magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs).

If the scans show disk herniation or age-related arthritis, your pain management doctor may recommend a spinal injection.

Surgical evaluation

If spinal injections help for a short time but don't last, a surgical evaluation will be the next step.

At this point, your doctor will examine you and discuss surgical options (including the risks, benefits, and anticipated outcome).

Where Can I Learn More About Radiating Pain?

If your radiating pain is due to a minor condition, stretching and OTC pain relievers may help.

However, if your pain gets worse, doesn’t go away, or is accompanied by unusual symptoms, you should visit a doctor who can diagnose the cause of your pain and work with you to create a treatment plan. You can meet with a board-certified doctor or nurse practitioner right from your smartphone, laptop, or computer. Visit LifeMD.com to make your first appointment.

Jonathan Guirguis, DO

Dr. Guirguis attended Nova Southeastern University for medical school and stayed in South Florida to train in Internal Medicine. Born outside Chicago, he slowly made his way down south, settling in Texas with his wife and three children.

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