My 15 year old son has lower back pain, but no injury. he says it hurts at the base of his spine when he sits and sometimes has pain in one leg. ?

Back Pain?: Back pain in an adolescent is not uncommon and can sometimes be debilitating. Many different conditions can give the symptoms your son has, a few can be diagnosed with something as simple as an x-ray others require more advanced imaging such as a MRI or bone scan. After he receives a diagnosis then a treatment plan can be begun to help with relieving the pain.

Bad sign: Back pain in childern should checked becusae they could resemble a lot things. In this age we have to warry about conditon called spodololthetis, which some of stress fracture or other things.

Pinched nerve: He may have a developmental abnormality that is putting pressure on the nerve as it leaves the spine and enters the leg. If the pain has been over a month, it should be evaluated with x-ray and exam.

Time 4 medical eval.: Spondylolysis (a stress fracture or congenital defect of the pars portion of the spine) is one possible cause of low back pain in this age group. Spondylolysthesis, a condition where one vertebrae slips off the one below can be present as well and both conditions can be associated with leg pain. There are other possibilities of course , but the point is it is time to see an orthopaedic surgeon.

Get him evaluated: Pain in the low back with radiation into a leg is not a normal complaint for a 15 year old. Please have him seen by a pediatric orthopedic surgeon or neurosurgeon. They will get a full history, examine him, check a plain x-ray first to look for any obvious issues of alignment, fracture, tumors, cysts. Then MRI with no radiation is next imaging to look for nerve root compression or other things.

No,! Wrong Specialis: The work up from either an orthopedics surgery or neurosurgery will be much more expensive. Pain in the base of the spine is most likely sacroiliac joint pathology, possibly sacroiliitis. Pain of inflammation becauses greatest after immobility, ie. Sitting. He should see someone in rheumatology first.

Need work up : Back pain in 15 year olds is not very common. It may signal a more serious problem in the spine or hips. If rheumatology work up is negative, see a pediatric orthopedist to assess hips and spine. Some causes of pain include hip dysplasia, scoliosis, bone tumors etc and ankylosing spondylitis. Do not neglect.