Sometimes, leg pain can signal something more serious like a fracture, deep vein thrombosis or compartment syndrome. Seek medical attention urgently if: the leg is swollen. it looks deformed or you can't use it properly.
Other common causes of leg pain include: Peripheral artery disease (PAD), which causes a problem with blood flow in the legs (this type of pain, called claudication, is generally felt when exercising or walking and is relieved by rest) Blood clot (deep vein thrombosis) from long-term bed rest.
Leg Pain Can Indicate Risk for a Heart Attack or Stroke
Peripheral artery disease that causes leg pain can be indicative of heart issues. People that have PAD are at a higher risk of having a stroke or heart attack. This could be a sign that the coronary arteries are blocked and the blood flow is reduced.
Muscle cramps and strain play a part, but a number of health conditions may also result in leg pain, such as arthritis, gout, deep vein thrombosis, peripheral neuropathy, and sciatica.
The narrowing of the arteries causes a decrease in blood flow. Symptoms include leg pain, numbness, cold legs or feet and muscle pain in the thighs, calves or feet. The arteries which supply blood to the leg originate from the aorta and iliac vessels.
Vascular pain often feels like an uncomfortable heaviness or throbbing sensation. It can also feel like an aching sensation. It usually affects your legs and can be worse with walking or exerting yourself.
If you have plaque buildup in your blood vessels, you may feel pain in your calves when they need blood quickly. That pain is called claudication, and claudication is a symptom of peripheral artery disease, or PAD. Some people describe claudication as an ache; others say it's excruciating.
Leg pain can sometimes indicate a serious vascular issue. These can occasionally be fatal, and they require medical intervention. People can treat many types of pain at home, but severe or persistent pain can indicate a more serious condition.
Leg Pain Could Indicate Vein or Artery Disease
Often, leg pain is misdiagnosed as simply muscle aches or arthritis. The reality is leg pain and cramps may be signs of a more serious underlying disease; therefore, you should discuss your leg challenges with a vascular specialist.
If your hip and leg pain does not improve after a few days of rest or seems to be worsening, you should contact your doctor. You should seek immediate emergency care if you have any of these symptoms: Unable to feel sensation. Can't move your legs or feet due to weakness.
Common causes of lower leg ache at night may include muscle cramps, muscle or tendon inflammation, bone fracture, blood clots (such as deep vein thrombosis [DVT]), varicose veins, peripheral artery disease (PAD), peripheral neuropathy, pregnancy, gout, and inflammatory arthritis.
Does blood clot pain come and go? Unlike the pain from a charley horse that usually goes away after stretching or with rest, the pain from a blood clot does not go away and usually gets worse with time.
High blood pressure can lead to peripheral arterial disease (PAD), where narrowing of the blood vessels restricts the blood flow to the legs and feet, causing pain.
Lying on the side can cause or exacerbate leg pain in a couple ways: Putting direct pressure on a nerve root by lying on the leg affected by sciatic pain. Lying with the hips tilted too far to one side, which causes the spine to curve, pinching the nerve roots and causing leg pain.
Chronic leg pain is a primary symptom of peripheral artery disease (PAD), a common and treatable condition in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to your limbs and can threaten your heart.
Get immediate medical care if you have: Swollen legs accompanied by breathing problems. Sudden inability to stand or put pressure on leg. Sudden severe leg pain.
Leg pain is a symptom with many possible causes. Most leg pain results from wear and tear or overuse. It also can result from injuries or health conditions in joints, bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves or other soft tissues. Some types of leg pain can be traced to problems in your lower spine.
A stroke can cause muscle weakness down one side, also known as hemiparesis. Spasticity affects the weakened muscles, often in the arms and hands, but also in the legs.
Many different body parts can be affected, including the face, arm, leg, trunk or even an entire half of the body. Common characteristics are that the pain is constant (although there is also often an intermittent stabbing component), and is more likely to occur if the stroke occurred in the right side of the brain.
Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle doesn't pump blood as well as it should. Blood often backs up and causes fluid to build up in the lungs and in the legs. The fluid buildup can cause shortness of breath and swelling of the legs and feet. Poor blood flow may cause the skin to appear blue or gray.
The most prominent features of critical limb ischemia are called ischemic rest pain — severe pain in the legs and feet while a person is not moving, or non-healing sores on the feet or legs. Other symptoms include: Pain or numbness in the feet. Shiny, smooth, dry skin of the legs or feet.
The femoral artery is the major blood vessel supplying blood to your legs. It's in your upper thigh, right near your groin.