Does Degenerative Discs Cause Knee Pain?

A lumbar herniated disc or lumbar spinal stenosis that causes compression of the L3 nerve root in your mid-back region may cause knee pain and weakness. You may also experience pain in the front of your thigh, side of your hip, and the groin region.

What spinal nerves affect the knee?

The nerves that send fibers to the knee are located at the second, third, and fourth lumbar vertebral levels in the lower back area. If a bulging disc, bone spur, or arthritic joint in the second, third, or fourth lumbar vertebra compresses ("pinches") a nerve, the referred pain will often be felt in the knee.

Can back problems affect knees?

Back pain can be related to knee pain simply based on the phenomenon of referred pain. The nerves to the lower extremities branch directly off the lower spine. So it's easy to see how a pinched nerve, perhaps due to a bulging lumbar disc in the lower back, could direct pain down that nerve branch and into the knee.