Hi,
It depends of the type of pain.
Sharp shooting pain down the leg, could be from compression of the sciatic nerve which runs from your lower spine down the back of your leg. This will need to be confirmed, you could start with a chiropractor, if that is an option.
A dull ache on the front of the leg could be coming from the intestines (in some cases the ovaries, for women). Although the pain is in your back, inflammation in the lower abdominal area may be felt in the back and top of the leg. If the pain is constant, this needs to be checked out by an internist. Since you're having difficulty walking, I would assume that the problem stems from your back as mentioned above.
hi,
have you ever concitered that you may have a lower spinal fracture? You may want to have your L5 x-rayed because i had similar symptoms and i infact have a L5 fracture on both sides. Do not let anyone reajust anything (like your hips) to try and reduce pain. they almost did this to me and it could have paralyzed me.
Good luck! i hope you feel better!