May 2022

14 Conditions That Can Cause Leg Pain

By Dr.Poonam Sharma

Here are a few major causes of leg  pain to help you understand and treat it better. 

Trauma/Injury

The most common injuries are accidental injuries, bruises or sports injuries. These injuries affect the tissues, bones, joints or muscles of your leg and initiate leg pain. 

Fractures

A fracture injures the nerve endings located in your bones. As a result, the muscles around your bones develop spasms that make any kind of mobility painful.

Arthritis

A joint pain associated with swelling caused by accumulation of uric acid crystals around joints is called arthritis.The hardening of the crystals causes stiffness restricting movement and causing pain. 

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Blood Clot

A blood clot obstructs blood supply that causes pain. It may also lead to skin discolouration making it flaky and dry. 

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)

Restricted blood circulation due to plaque deposits or blood clots in your leg muscles leads to peripheral artery disease. PAD patients may experience classic claudication, atypical leg pain, rest pain, ischemic ulcers, gangrene. 

Compartment Syndrome

Abnormal swelling in your leg muscle compartments is a sign of compartment syndrome. Here, the blood circulation to the muscles cuts off, resulting in pain and numbness demanding immediate medical attention.

Skin Disorder

Skin disorders like bruises, injury, inflammations, ulcers or infections are painful. Since your skin has numerous nerve fibres, these skin disorders can also cause localized pain.

Sciatica

An injury to the sciatic nerve causes sciatica. The most common areas where you feel sciatica pain in the legs are your hips, thigh and foot. 

Peripheral Neuropathy

Damage to any nerve outside the brain and spinal cord leads to peripheral neuropathy. It may occur from nerve inflammation, never compression compression, accidents or infection..

Muscle Cramps

The most common causes of muscle cramps are dehydration, overstretching and imbalance of electrolytes like calcium, sodium, and potassium. 

Diabetes

High glucose levels cause constriction of nerves and blood vessels, preventing the nutrients from reaching the nerve cells.

Unhealthy Weight Gain

Excess body weight increases stress on joints and bones like the hips, knees and ankles, which bear your body weight.

Sprain

An injury to the ligament leads to a sprain. When a muscle stretches too far, it may cause a ligament injury. It generally occurs during sudden movements like playing intensely or running. 

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)

A blood clot present in any deep vein is called DVT. DVT mostly affects the thigh or lower leg. Symptoms include pain, swelling and redness without any history of injury.

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