An unusual extraspinal cause of bilateral leg pain

Low back pain with pain radiating to the lower extremities is common in pat ients referred to a spine center. Lumbar spine pathology is commonly the et iology of such symptoms, but extraspinal causes of back and leg pain can ma nifest as a radicular disorder. Extraspinal etiologies must be considered i n the workup of back and leg pain. This report describes an unusual case of spontaneously occurring bilateral femoral neck stress fractures presenting as low back pain with seemingly bilateral L4 radicular symptoms. (C) 1999 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academ y of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.