Leg Pain
Leg pain can result from any acute or chronic injury to skin, muscles, joints, or bones or nerves in the legs. present itself as a sharp, stabbing sensation or simply a dull ache. Sprains and strains are common causes of leg pain in athletes and people that rely on standing for work due to overuse. Muscular injuries in the legs are common and are amenable to physical therapy.
Pain in the quadriceps, groin, and hamstrings are especially common in athletes who rely on quickness in their sport such as sprinters, soccer players, football players, rugby players, lacrosse players, and basketball players.
Symptoms of leg pain:
• Pain when stretching or flexing thigh muscles
• Broken blood vessels on leg
• Bruising on the leg
• Leg swelling
• Weakness
• Muscle spasms
• neuropathic pain: numbness, tingling, burning, shock like pain
• Changes in temperature in legs
Goals of leg pain physical therapy treatment:
• Improve range of motion.
• Improve walking
• Strengthen the muscles and tendons.
• Reduced referred pain to leg from lower back.
Common Causes of leg pain:
• Atherosclerosis
• Leg ulcer related to infection or blood flow compromise
• Peripheral Vascular Disease
• Deep Vein Thrombosis (blood clots in legs)
• Sports injuries
• Sciatica
• Bulging or herniated disc in the back.
• Knee injuries.
• Bone fractures.
• Arthritis in the leg
• Osgood-Schlatter disease
• Legg-Calve-Perthes disease
• Tendinitis
• Surgical procedure
• Nerve damage in the leg
• Muscle cramps (charley horse)
• Acute leg injury
• Varicose veins
• Dehydration
• Overuse of leg muscles
• Torn leg muscle
• Inflamed leg tendon
• Shin splints
• Autoimmune conditions: Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, gout or pseudogout.