Leg pain

Disease	Injury	Nutrition	Poison

Special Topic	Surgery	Symptoms	Test

Overview

Treatment

Leg pain

Definition:

Leg pain involves any pain in the leg. See also foot pain, hip pain, knee pain, muscle pain, joint pain, and shin splints.

Alternative Names:

Pain - leg; Aches - leg; Cramps - leg

Considerations:

Pain in the legs is a common complaint or symptom.

Common Causes:

Cramps caused by muscle fatigue, strain, injury, or depletion of certain minerals such as potassium, calcium, sodium, and magnesium (particularly when taking diuretics)
Simple muscle spasm or charley horse
Overuse problems associated with strenuous exercise, often called shin splints
Trouble with the veins (the vessels returning from the legs to the heart)
- veins develop blood clots (phlebitis)
- deep venous thrombosis
Diseased arteries (the vessels that bring blood to the muscles of the leg)
- arteries narrowed by arteriosclerosis
- arteries blocked by clotted blood fragments (thrombi)
Injury to the joints in the leg
Infection of the leg joints
Inflammation of the leg joints (by arthritis or gout)
Neuropathy (nerve damage)
- common in diabetics, smokers, and alcoholics
- pain or weakness present in one or both legs
- numbness, tingling or a pins-and-needles feeling
Infection (osteomyelitis, cellulitis, pelvic inflammatory disease, retroperitoneal inflammation)
Slipped capital femoral epiphysis
Legg-Calve-Perthes disease
Benign tumors or cysts of the femur or tibia (osteoid ostioma)
Malignant bone tumors (osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma)
Fracture
Drugs such as allopurinol and corticosteroids
Sciatic nerve pain (radiating pain down the leg) caused by a slipped disk in the back

Review Date: 10/31/2002
Reviewed By: Steven Angelo, M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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