Possible causes of leg pain

The causes of leg pain are very diverse and often lie in various disorders and pathologies, from fatigue to serious ailments. The problem can be localized in the knees, feet, hips, calves and even give to the buttocks. By its nature and location, it is possible to judge about diseases of the legs that cause malaise.

Definition

Leg problems are nonspecific symptoms of various diseases. Although this pain occurs in people of different ages, ailments mainly concern women, as well as older people due to brittle bones and wear on cartilage and joints. But no one is safe from leg pain. Their reasons are varied, but only doctors can diagnose the disease and prescribe the right treatment.

How does the pain manifest

The most common ailments that cause leg pain are the following:

1. Cramps are muscle cramps of a painful nature caused by involuntary contractions in the transverse fibers. Most often they are a sign of fatigue and are caused by an imbalance of hydration. Often accompany women during the menstrual cycle, as well as athletes with excessive loads or with a poor diet.
2. Edema - this problem is formed due to the large accumulation of water in the body. It manifests itself as thrombosis or phlebitis, as well as during pregnancy, during menstruation or with venous congestion.
3. Redness - manifested by a sensation of warmth and a change in skin color associated with pain. It is a typical sign of thrombosis and phlebitis, therefore it is a very important symptom.
4. Ailments in the back very often cause pain in the leg. This is due to inflammation of the sciatic nerve or in late pregnancy.
5. Tingling is an obvious sign of circulatory disorders or neurodegenerative disorders that are associated with multiple sclerosis.
6. Fatigue together with leg pain can be a symptom of pathologies such as lymphoma and leukemia.

Physiological signs

The causes of leg pain are not always associated with severe ailments. Very often, unpleasant sensations in the shin, thigh or foot area arise as a result of training in a fitness club, long walks or any load unusual for the body. They cause discomfort, but pass quickly. Such manifestations are often found in completely healthy people and are not a reason for immediately contacting a doctor. It happens that for a very long time the pain in the joints of the legs does not go away. There can be many reasons for this, it is possible that the most harmless walk was an impetus to exacerbate the existing problem, and excessive exercise during aerobics led to injury. If the ailment does not go away and home remedies do not help with this, then you should definitely consult a doctor. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the main causes of malaise:

1. Sport. Active training can very often cause pain not only in adults, but also in children. The main reason for this is the accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles, which causes oxygen deficiency. In addition, with excessive training, there are stretching and tearing of muscles, leading to very strong problems in the limbs.
2. Pregnancy is an important cause of pain in the legs and knees. In particular, this manifests itself at the end of the term and is associated with weight gain, which puts additional stress on the back and lower limbs, and venous insufficiency and edema are often formed.
3. Birth control drugs. Women taking such contraceptives sometimes complain of leg pain, in which case you need to immediately see a doctor and stop taking all drugs.
4. Fluid retention. People with obesity, cellulite, or diets high in salt and fat may have problems with water retention. Edema often leads to malaise.
5. Another cause of pain in the arms and legs is considered a lack of nutrition, especially if a deficiency of minerals (iron, magnesium and potassium) and vitamins is formed. It occurs when a person adheres to an unbalanced diet with a minimum amount of vegetables and fruits.
6. Wrong shoes. Women who are used to wearing shoes with very high heels for many hours suffer from severe pain, as the muscles begin to get tired due to the unnatural position of the foot.
7. Climate change. Extreme heat or, conversely, cold can cause pain. Most often this is observed with a sharp transition from one temperature to another due to vasoconstriction or vasodilation factors.

Pathological causes

There are a huge number of ailments in which pain occurs in the lower extremities. Their severity can be very different: from mild tingling to severe attacks and numbness of the legs. Such symptoms are often associated with pathological processes in the ligaments, muscles, joints, blood vessels and nerves. If you have information about the signs of each disease, then you can recognize the disease in time and turn to the right doctor for qualified help.

The main causes of leg pain in women and men are:

• damage to the peripheral nerves;
• venous insufficiency;
• spinal problems;
• atherosclerosis;
• joint diseases;
• muscle pathology;
• flat feet;
• bone damage
• injuries.

Atherosclerosis

Arterial problems are another cause of pain in the arms and legs. With the disease, the lower and upper limbs ache strongly enough, which becomes the main reason for going to the doctor. As for the legs, negative sensations can be localized in the lower leg and thighs, both on the one hand and on both sides. Cramps are possible. A characteristic sign of atherosclerosis is a constant feeling of coolness in the legs, regardless of the weather.

Atherosclerosis of the vessels of the legs progresses gradually, experts distinguish four stages:

• preclinical (pain occurs only after prolonged walking and very intense physical exertion);
• in the second stage, the pain declares itself even with short walks at a distance of 250-1000 m, while the lumen of the vessels narrows by 20-40%;
• critical ischemia is characterized by pain when walking at a distance of 50 m;
• at the fourth stage, pain is constantly present, trophic ulcers, necrosis and, as a result, gangrene appear.

Nerve problems

If the ailments disturb from time to time in the form of short seizures and end on their own, then the problem must be sought in the activity of the nervous system. In particular, a pinch of the sciatic nerve may be the cause of pain in the left leg or in the right (unilateral version). The disease often occurs in people suffering from osteochondrosis, and during pregnancy.

Spine

Osteochondrosis, concentrated in the vertebral region, in itself can cause pain. Aching pain often spreads over the entire surface of the limb and gives it to the lower leg, thigh and knee. At the same time, there may not be a pain syndrome in the lesion focus, and this makes it very difficult to make a correct diagnosis. Such an attack is easily stopped by intramuscular injections of anti-inflammatory drugs.

Venous insufficiency

Problems with veins are on the first place in the list of reasons that provoke ailments with legs. Everything lies in varicose veins of the lower extremities. In this case, the pathological condition violates the normal blood flow, just after which there is severe pain in the limbs. If the disease is not treated, then it can develop into a severe form that provokes thrombophlebitis. The most serious complication is pulmonary thromboembolism, as this ailment is deadly. Varicose veins are considered to be the cause of pain in the calves and hips. The disease does not develop immediately, but over several years. Most at risk are middle-aged women. A aching pain is characteristic, which intensifies in the evening. If the limbs swell and buzz after a long walk, then this may be a sure sign of venous insufficiency.

Flat feet

Various changes in the arch of the foot (transverse or longitudinal) also deserve attention. The disease can be congenital or acquired and causes many problems for both babies and their parents. Flat feet is the cause of pain in the soles of the feet, with a severe degree of ailment, any movements become problematic. For therapy, therapeutic gymnastics and massage are used. Wearing specially made shoes gives an excellent effect. Sometimes surgical correction of the pathology is required.

Injuries

What to do if the cause of pain in the joints of the arms and legs is a blow, bruise or fall? In this case, you will not need to look for other causes of the discomfort. Any injury suffered even in childhood can cause severe or moderate pain. In the case of very serious damage, it is imperative to contact the emergency room.

Hypodynamia

A sedentary lifestyle, standing or sedentary work affect the state of blood flow in the lower extremities. In this case, short-term convulsions are present. If the cause of pain in the legs is a constant stay in the same position, it is often required to change the type of activity and engage in physiotherapy exercises. In this case, walking or massage can help.

Joint problems

Aching ache is a sign of damage to one of the joints. In case of inflammation of the hip joint, all sensations will be localized in the thigh area, and aching pain in the knee may indicate the development of gonarthrosis. The cause of pain in the feet is the defeat of small joints. The soreness around them indicates microtrauma of adjacent tissues.

Bone damage

Osteomyelitis is a serious suppurative disease affecting bone tissue. It manifests itself as a severe and sudden pain in the legs. The disease can develop as a result of ordinary bruises, fractures or violation of the integrity of the skin. In the event of its occurrence, a noticeable deterioration in the general condition and high body temperature are observed. If you do not treat the causes of pain in the legs and arms, osteomyelitis can lead to death or disability.

Muscle problems

The inflammatory process in the muscles in medicine is called myositis. The problem often occurs after an infectious disease. In this case, the legs are very sore. All unpleasant sensations intensify with active walking, after which they gradually subside. A characteristic sign of the disease is stiffness of movements, limitation of mobility.

Connective tissue

Autoimmune damage can also be the cause of pain in the joints of the legs and muscles. Such diseases are often inherited. With such a pathology, active antibodies destroy the body's own immunoglobulins. As a result, inflammation develops in the joint membrane, and then it is destroyed in the absence of adequate treatment. A characteristic of the disease is its prolonged development with remissions and exacerbations. With proper therapy, the patient can lead a familiar lifestyle without restrictions.

Doctor's actions

Initially, doctors will ask the patient about his symptoms, and then they will conduct an examination and collect a medical history. The results of the examination can often determine the causes of leg pain. Treatment and gymnastics are prescribed only after a detailed diagnosis.

Most often, doctors are interested in:

• duration of pain;
• when and in what period of time the malaise appears;
• intensity of discomfort;
• the nature of the pain (pulsating, pulling or acute);
• what actions performed by the patient exacerbate the problem;
• localization of the disease;
• patient actions to alleviate the condition;
• Do signs such as tingling and numbness occur?

Doctors try to find symptoms that may indicate the cause of the pain. Very often, visible signs greatly simplify the diagnosis. For example, in case of problems in the back or neck, it can be assumed that the nerve roots are affected, and if there is a fever, then most likely an infection will develop. Heart palpitations and shortness of breath are symptoms of clogged arteries with a blood clot. The presence of an irregular pulse helps to determine the violation of the heart rhythm, which can provoke the movement of a blood clot and clogged arteries.

Be sure to inspect the legs for swelling, discoloration and other various problems with hair and skin. Your doctor will check your pulse, crepitus (the presence of cracking in the soft tissues, which may indicate the presence of gas caused by a serious infection) and the presence of soreness.

Compare sensitivity, strength and reflexes on a healthy and affected limb. Sometimes they can measure blood pressure on the ankle, and then compare the data of the same area, but only a healthy leg. If increased pressure in the affected leg is confirmed, this may indicate an obstruction of the arteries.

Diagnostics

The doctor will try to understand the causes of leg pain and the treatment that he will determine in the future will depend on the diagnosis made earlier.

In general, all surveys are based on the following principles:

• history taking - the patient describes the nature, frequency and location of the pain, its duration;
• examination, during which they conduct a thorough examination of the patient;
• blood tests, they are performed to identify the parameters of the thyroid gland, liver and kidneys, and data on the level of glucose, hemoglobin, electrolytes and white blood cells will be collected to determine any changes that may cause pain in the joints of the legs;
• other diagnostic tests, which include an echodoppler for assessing the state of veins and x-rays to identify problems in the bones.

According to the above studies, you can make an accurate diagnosis, and then prescribe a comprehensive and adequate treatment.

Treatment

Since leg problems are very common, after a quality examination, the doctor prescribes complex therapy. In case of unbearable and severe pain, the doctor will block the pathology zone using an anesthetic solution: Lidocaine, Novocaine and others. Injections of anesthetics or their administration in the form of tablets are still often practiced.

The symptomatic treatment of the causes of pain in the joints of the legs and bones includes the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: Ibuprofen, Diclofenac and others. It is possible to use ointments that have the same characteristics. Various gels have warming, anti-inflammatory and restorative properties - chondoprotectors.

Within the walls of the clinic, the doctor prescribes the introduction of muscle relaxants, thanks to which it is possible to relieve muscle spasm. Without fail, patients undergo treatment with mineral-vitamin complexes, among which a special place is occupied by B vitamins, they are required for high-quality support of nerve tissues.

Means are used that can improve peripheral blood circulation, they remove products of pathological metabolism. These include Cavinton, Actovegin, and others.

Phytotherapy

If the patient suffers from leg pain, then natural remedies can be used as adjunctive therapy. Without visiting a doctor, they are recommended to be used only when the problem is caused by water retention or mild venous insufficiency. In all other cases, without consulting a specialist, you can only aggravate the situation.

A huge amount of traditional medicine can be used to relieve pain in both children and adults. The most commonly practiced application of infusions and decoctions of the following plants:

1. Hazel. It is used when the problem is accompanied by venous swelling and heaviness in the limbs. The plant contains such active substances as tarasserol, myricitroside, beta-sitosterol, and, as you know, they have tonic, protective and astringent properties, have a beneficial effect on the walls of blood vessels. Most often, a decoction is used, for the preparation of which a tablespoon of dry leaves of hazel is poured with warm water, then brought to a boil, removed from the heat and insisted for 10 minutes. After the broth is filtered and drunk in small portions 2-3 times a day.
2. Claw of the devil. This plant contains triterpenes and arpagoside, which have an excellent anti-inflammatory effect. Ointments based on the devil's claw are used for lower back pain that extends to the leg. The cause of this ailment lies, as a rule, in pinching the sciatic nerve. To restore and relieve inflammation, this tool is very effective.
3. Boswellia. The main active component of this plant is boswellic acid. It has anti-inflammatory properties. Most often used in the form of ointments or as a dry extract, is available in capsules and tablets.
4. Horse chestnut. Experts recommend the use of funds based on it in case of pain arising from venous stasis and cardiovascular disease. Protoanthocyanidin, saponoside, triterpenes and flavonoids are present in it. It perfectly affects blood vessels, as it helps to strengthen their walls, and also has anti-inflammatory properties. It can be used in the form of tincture, which is taken in 40 drops 2 times a day. Pharmacies also sell tablets that contain 800 mg of dry matter. They must be taken strictly following the attached instructions.
5. Arnica. It contains sesquiterpenic elbows, flavonoids and arnickin. Use against pain in muscles and joints. It is used in the form of ointment, which is applied directly to the sore spot.
6. Dandelion. The well-known plant is especially effective for pain caused by stagnation of fluid in the body. It contains active substances such as insulin, taraserol and tarasakin, and they are known for their ability to cleanse the body. In pharmacies you can find capsules or packaged dry matter, which is brewed like tea.