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Leg pain can be of different types and occurs between the pelvis and the heels. Some causes of leg pain are relatively more apparent, such as an injury after a severe accident, but others are hard to determine.
To identify the best treatment option for your leg pain, it is important to discuss details with your physician, who would help you move in the right direction.
This is any pain that occurs anywhere between the ankle and groin – it usually doesn’t include the hip and feet. People experience pain in a variety of ways, and it can be dull, sharp, tingling, numbing, aching, burning, and so on.
It is important to find the underlying cause first before starting the treatment. To get started, just keep reading…
8+ Reasons for Leg Pain Causes
There can be different causes of feeling pain in your legs. You may have restless legs syndrome, which is a condition developed due to an imbalance of a chemical called dopamine. It can also be genetic in some cases, and certain health conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, iron deficiency, diabetes, kidney failure, etc., may trigger the syndrome.
However, it is worth mentioning that most leg pain results from overuse, wear, and tear, or injuries to bones or in ligaments, muscles, tendons, or soft tissues.
Anatomy of a Tear – source sportskneetherapy
Other common causes of leg pain include:
- Achilles tendinitis
- ACL injury
- Bone cancer
- Baker’s cyst
- Bursitis
- Deep vein thrombosis
- gout
- Hamstring injury
- Infect
- Knee bursitis
- Night leg cramps
- Shin splints
- Sciatica
- Varicose veins
Leg Pain at Night
The pain you experience in your leg, especially at night, can be chronic or acute, and may also be mild or severe. As far as the pain in leg at night is concerned, there can be different underlying causes of this condition. One of the most common issues is Restless Legs Syndrome or RLS.
You may be a victim of this syndrome if you face an overwhelming urge to move your legs when you try to sleep at night. This is actually a neurological disorder and includes sensations like tingling, crawling, and itching in your legs.
In the following video, Dr. Greg MacLuckie explains the best exercise for restless leg syndrome and chronic lower leg circulatory issues briefly.
In this situation, the patient may not find relief while in the bed because the urge to move is usually so huge that they have to get out of bed to pace the floor for some time.
The pain subsides for some time, but it comes back again the moment they lie down again – the restless sensations come back again with the same intensity. Though this is a neurological issue, leg pain at night can be of other different causes as well.
Muscle pain, for instance, will make you face certain problems when trying to sleep at night.
Leg Muscle Pain
Leg muscle pain may occur due to many different reasons. The most common here is a muscle cramp. This is usually a sudden and intense lower leg pain – commonly known as ‘charley horse.’
You experience this pain because of heat, muscle fatigue, or dehydration. It is, therefore, more common in older people, but endurance athletes who may not be that well-conditioned may also end up facing this leg muscle pain.
The best way to ease your pain is to massage your lower leg or simply stretch it for some time – you may also consider applying cold packs to tender muscles or heat to tight muscles for relief.
Torn tendons or inflamed muscles may also cause pain in your lower leg or in the back of your leg. The most common sign of tendinitis or an inflamed tendon is that you will experience pain in the back of the heel.
Taking anti-inflammatory medications and applying ice packs will help in this situation. Supportive shoes may also help reduce tension on tendons, thus relieving pain to some extent. It is important to understand that stretching while the pain is. Still, there would aggravate the situation. Use other pain-relieving methods first and then try stretching exercises to strengthen your leg.
In addition to this, a blood clot may also make you experience pain in the back of your calf. Some blood clots develop in a vein deep in your body and are called vein thrombosis.
Simple techniques to get rid of lower leg pain
The most common place for them to develop in your body is the lower leg or thigh. There can be different underlying causes of this clot development. For instance, you may have to deal with this situation if you stay inactive for long periods or don’t have serious activity in your life.
Similarly, people who are overweight are prone to deep vein blood clots. It is important to understand that a blood clot usually contributes to pain in leg muscles, but sometimes, things can take a serious turn.
It happens when pieces of blood clots travel to other parts or organs of your body – they can travel to the lungs, for instance, and lead to severe complications. Support stockings, medications, and weight loss are some treatment options.
Pain in the Back of Leg
Sometimes, people complain about pain, specifically in the back of their legs. This usually happens due to Sciatica that begins in your lower back, goes to your buttock, and the go down to the back of one leg.
The pain is the result of sheer pressure on the sciatic nerve – the pressure may be caused by bone spurs, a herniated disc, or muscle strain.
Lower Back Pain Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment. Read more at spine-health.com
What you need to understand is that pain in the back of your leg caused by the compression of the sciatic nerve can be acute or chronic. It is important to make this diagnosis to find a better treatment option.
Acute sciatic pain occurs all of a sudden, but it heals on its own within a few days. The source of pain is usually in the discs, spinal joints, or ligaments. It will be considered chronic sciatic pain if it stays for more than three months. In this situation, the source is usually a bit tricky to determine.
Certain contributing factors include tissue scarring, nerve damage, arthritis, etc.
3 great exercises for pinched nerv and Sciatica
The bottom line is that leg pain can be of different types, and the treatment depends upon the underlying cause of pain. Consult with your physician as soon as possible to diagnose the issue and find a solution.
