diff --git a/docs/configuration/http_conn_man/headers.rst b/docs/configuration/http_conn_man/headers.rst
index 212d44fb91d97..7594b7c042e8b 100644
--- a/docs/configuration/http_conn_man/headers.rst
+++ b/docs/configuration/http_conn_man/headers.rst
@@ -162,3 +162,17 @@ following features are available:
   <config_http_conn_man_runtime_random_sampling>` runtime setting or via forced tracing using the
   :ref:`config_http_conn_man_headers_x-envoy-force-trace` and
   :ref:`config_http_conn_man_headers_x-client-trace-id` headers.
+
+.. _config_http_conn_man_headers_x-ot-span-context:
+
+x-ot-span-context
+_________________
+
+The *x-ot-span-context* HTTP header is used by Envoy to establish proper parent-child relationships
+between tracing spans for LightStep tracing. *x-ot-span-context* is a Base64 encoded
+`binary OT <https://github.com/opentracing/basictracer-go/blob/master/wire/wire.proto>`_ carrier.
+Envoy relies on data from the *x-ot-span-context* header to extract the parent
+context for the current span. For example, an egress span is a child of an ingress
+span (if the ingress span was present). Envoy injects the *x-ot-span-context* header on ingress requests and
+forwards it to the local service. Envoy relies on the application to propagate *x-ot-span-context* on
+the egress call to an upstream. See more on tracing :ref:`here <arch_overview_tracing>`.
diff --git a/docs/intro/arch_overview/tracing.rst b/docs/intro/arch_overview/tracing.rst
index c58fc0ce3d624..87a8c49606cbf 100644
--- a/docs/intro/arch_overview/tracing.rst
+++ b/docs/intro/arch_overview/tracing.rst
@@ -20,10 +20,13 @@ sources of latency. Envoy supports three features related to system wide tracing
   be used to join untrusted request IDs to the trusted internal
   :ref:`config_http_conn_man_headers_x-request-id`.
 
+Envoy relies on properly propagated :ref:`config_http_conn_man_headers_x-request-id` and
+:ref:`config_http_conn_man_headers_x-ot-span-context` HTTP headers for LightStep tracing functionality.
+
 How to initiate a trace
 -----------------------
 The HTTP connection manager that handles the request must have the :ref:`tracing
-<config_http_conn_man_tracing>` object set. There are several ways tracing can be 
+<config_http_conn_man_tracing>` object set. There are several ways tracing can be
 initiated:
 
 * By an external client via the :ref:`config_http_conn_man_headers_x-client-trace-id`