Leg Pain

What Is Leg Pain? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

By
Justin Laube, MD
by
Updated on November 15, 2022

Leg pain is a common problem, and can range from mild and annoying to severe and debilitating. In severe forms, it can affect your ability to walk or stand.

There are many possible causes of leg pain, from muscle injuries to problems with blood vessels. In some cases, leg pain can be caused by nerve problems in your spine.

Some conditions that cause leg pain may get better on their own or with lifestyle modifications. But it’s important to recognize conditions that need medical attention, including sudden injuries that require emergency treatment.

Signs and Symptoms of Leg Pain

Leg pain may be constant or sporadic, and it can develop suddenly or gradually. It may occur only with certain activities, or while your legs are at rest.

Pain can affect the entire leg or just one part of it. Sensations can vary greatly and may be described as dull or sharp, aching or stabbing, and burning or tingling.

Depending on the underlying condition, leg pain may be accompanied by other symptoms, including the following:

  • Cramping or seizing of muscles
  • Tenderness
  • Stiffness
  • Redness or bruising
  • Swelling
  • Muscle weakness or knees buckling
  • Difficulty walking

Common Questions & Answers

What causes leg cramps at night?
Age and pregnancy can make them more likely. Muscle fatigue might be a cause, but underlying nerve, kidney, and liver issues could also be at work. If painful sensations at night are accompanied by involuntary movements, this could be restless leg syndrome.
What causes aching legs?
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.
When should I be concerned about leg pain?
See a doctor quickly if you have signs of infection, such as redness or fever, or your leg is swollen and pale, or any intense pain develops suddenly. Seek immediate medical attention if the pain keeps you from walking or standing.
Can heart problems cause leg pain?
Chest pain is the most common sign of heart disease or a heart attack, but the poor circulation caused by heart disease can result in feeling pain, aches, or other discomfort in your legs.

Causes and Risk Factors of Leg Pain

Leg pain can develop because of many different health conditions, including the following:

  • Arthritis
  • Baker’s cyst
  • Bone cancer
  • Bone fracture
  • Bursitis
  • Chronic exertional compartment syndrome
  • Claudication
  • Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
  • Gout
  • Growing pains
  • Hamstring injury
  • Herniated disk in spine
  • Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease
  • Ligament injury
  • Meralgia paresthetica
  • Muscle cramps
  • Muscle strain
  • Osgood–Schlatter disease
  • Osteomyelitis (bone infection)
  • Peripheral artery disease (PAD)
  • Peripheral neuropathy
  • Sacroiliitis
  • Sciatica
  • Shin splints
  • Spinal stenosis
  • Sprains
  • Tendinitis
  • Thrombophlebitis
  • Torn meniscus
  • Varicose veins

The following factors are known to increase the risk of developing some common forms of leg pain:

  • Older age
  • Dehydration
  • Pregnancy
  • Diabetes
  • Being overweight or obese
  • Nerve disorders
  • Blood clotting disorders
  • Injury or surgery
  • Prolonged bed rest
  • Sitting for extended periods
  • Smoking
  • Alcohol abuse
  • Athletic activity, especially contact sports

How Is Leg Pain Diagnosed?

If your leg pain is severe or interferes with your daily life, it’s important to see a doctor for diagnosis and treatment. Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms and perform a physical exam.

Your doctor may also order imaging and other tests, including the following:

X-Ray This test creates images of dense structures, such as bones.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) This test uses a magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed images of areas of your body. These are often needed when detailed pictures of soft tissues and ligaments around the leg joints or back are needed.

Ultrasound This test uses sound waves to produce images of structures in your body, and can be useful to diagnose conditions affecting soft tissues, such as Achilles tendinitis.

Computerized Tomography (CT) Acan This test combines many X-ray images to create a very detailed cross-section of structures. This test is good for larger surveys of the body and is cheaper and often faster than MRI. Unlike MRIs, CT scans use small amounts of radiation.

Venography This test involves injecting a dye into a vein in your leg and using X-ray imaging to detect blood clots.

Electromyography (EMG) This test involves inserting a needle electrode into muscles to measure their electrical activity, which can help detect damage to nerves leading to muscles.

Blood Tests Your doctor may want to look for markers of inflammation, blood clotting, nutritional deficiencies, immune system abnormalities, diabetes, cholesterol, and other things that could be leading to your leg pain.

Prognosis of Leg Pain

How much your leg pain interferes with your life, and how long it lasts, depends on the underlying condition.

Some types of leg pain, especially if they’re caused by a muscle strain or another less serious injury, may respond well to self-care measures and not require extensive treatment.

But leg pain that’s due to a more serious injury, or involves nerve or tissue damage, may require ongoing treatment or surgery to resolve.

Duration of Leg Pain

Leg pain can be ongoing or sporadic, coming and going with activity or at what seem like random times. There’s no rule for how long leg pain lasts, given that many different health conditions may be behind it. But if you can’t take a few steps without severe pain and the need to sit down, you should seek medical care immediately.

If you can walk, but your leg pain doesn’t respond to a few days of home treatments and self-care, schedule a doctor’s visit to find out if you have a condition that needs medical treatment.

Treatment and Medication Options for Leg Pain

Leg pain caused by minor injuries will often respond well to home treatments and self-care. The following routines may help resolve pain and swelling soon after the injury:

  • Rest your leg(s) as much as possible
  • Apply an ice pack for 15 to 20 minutes, three times a day
  • Elevate your leg when sitting or lying down
  • Use an over-the-counter pain relief medication

When to See a Doctor

It’s a good idea to see a doctor for leg pain if it gets worse with walking, involves swelling, or if it doesn’t get better after a few days of home treatment.

It’s important to see a doctor quickly if any of the following are true:

  • There are signs of possible infection (such as redness, warmth, or a fever)
  • Your leg is swollen and pale or unusually cool
  • You have calf pain after a period of prolonged sitting
  • You have swelling in both legs along with breathing problems
  • Any serious pain develops suddenly

While leg pain usually isn’t a medical emergency, you should seek immediate medical attention if any of the following applies to your pain:

  • You’re unable to walk or stand
  • You develop pain, swelling, redness, or warmth in your calf
  • You have a sudden injury with a deep cut or exposed tissue
  • You heard a pop or grinding sound when you injured your leg

Medication Options

Common over-the-counter medications to help relieve leg pain include acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs), such as aspirin or ibuprofen.

Depending on the source of your leg pain, your doctor may prescribe other drugs to help relieve pain or inflammation when over-the-counter options aren’t strong enough.

For pain caused by neuropathy, your doctor may also prescribe anti-seizure or antidepressant drugs to help control pain, or a topical treatment containing capsaicin (a substance found in hot peppers) or lidocaine, a numbing drug.

Physical Therapy

If your leg pain is caused by an injury or a condition resulting in muscle weakness, you may benefit from seeing a physical therapist.

A physical therapist can teach you personalized stretches and exercises to help you regain strength and range of motion, and even to help certain types of injuries heal.

A physical therapist can also help determine whether you need to wear orthotic devices or use other medical support devices, such as foot braces, a cane, or a wheelchair.

Surgery

Some health conditions that cause leg pain may ultimately require surgery, including the following:

  • Achilles tendinitis or torn tendon
  • Bone fracture

  • Neuropathy caused by physical pressure
  • Sacroiliitis

  • Arthritis of the knee

Alternative and Complementary Therapies

If your leg pain is caused by arthritis or a related joint condition, it’s possible that taking a turmeric (curcumin) supplement will help. In fact, some studies have shown that turmeric supplements can be similar in effectiveness to certain NSAID drugs for this purpose.

Certain dietary supplements may be beneficial in managing leg cramps or neuropathy. Talk to your doctor about the risks and possible benefits of taking any supplements.

Other complementary therapies that may help with leg pain include:

  • Acupuncture
  • Massage
  • Hypnosis
  • Biofeedback
  • Relaxation training

Prevention of Leg Pain

While not all forms of leg pain can be prevented, some of the most common conditions that cause leg pain can potentially respond to preventive measures such as the following:

Increase activity gradually. Don’t jump into a high-intensity exercise routine. Instead, work up to a higher intensity level to avoid injury.

Mix up your exercise. Don’t do the same kind of exercise over and over, day after day. A varied exercise routine is less likely to cause injury.

Wear supportive shoes. Make sure your exercise shoes have enough heel cushioning and arch support.

Stretch regularly. Leg stretches may help avoid cramps, and stretching your calf muscles, in particular, can help prevent Achilles tendinitis.

Build bone strength. Strength-oriented exercise programs, as well as consuming enough calcium-rich foods and vitamin D, may help prevent bone fractures.

Stay hydrated. Getting enough fluids may help you avoid leg cramps.

Maintain a healthy weight and don’t smoke. These lifestyle factors can help prevent cardiovascular problems affecting your legs.

Don’t sit still for too long. Sitting for extended periods can increase the risk of blood clots in your legs.

Eat plenty of nutrient-rich foods and protein. A healthy diet can help you maintain your cardiovascular and nerve health.

Complications of Leg Pain

Leg pain can be harmful to your quality of life, especially if it interferes with your mobility. In addition, you may be reluctant to travel or attend certain public events if leg pain makes it hard to sit comfortably.

Leg pain can also sometimes lead to falls, which are the cause of 800,000 hospitalizations every year.

 And once someone with leg pain is hospitalized and immobile, they are a higher risk for developing deep vein thrombosis.
Certain conditions that cause leg pain may have serious long-term health consequences, including deep vein thrombosis and peripheral neuropathy. Talk to your doctor about managing these conditions effectively to avoid complications.

Research and Statistics: How Many People Have Leg Pain?

Since leg pain has so many possible causes, there isn’t much reliable data on how widespread it is. But there are rough estimates of the prevalence of several health conditions that can cause leg pain.

In a study published in the Journal of Pain Research, researchers looked at how common neuropathic pain is in the general U.S. population. Based on a representative sample of the population, they found that the overall prevalence of probable neuropathic pain was 10 percent, with Hispanic and Black people more likely to experience it than white people. The most commonly reported drug treatment was NSAIDs.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that while the exact number is uncertain, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) may affect up to 900,000 people each year in the United States. This serious condition causes 60,000 to 100,000 deaths each year.

In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers estimated that knee osteoarthritis has become 2.1 times as common as it was in the middle of the 20th century in the United States. This massive increase was seen after adjusting for age and body weight, so it can’t be explained by an increase in longevity or obesity rates.

Related Conditions of Leg Pain

Some of the most common conditions associated with leg pain include the following:

Muscle Cramps Involuntary muscle contractions may be due to overexertion, dehydration, prolonged time in one position, or other factors.

Achilles Tendinitis This overuse injury affects the tendon connecting your calf muscles to your heel bone.

Bone Fracture A broken bone in your leg may be caused by a fall, car accident, or sports injury.

Peripheral Neuropathy Nerve damage in your legs may be caused by diabetes, injury, infection, nutritional deficiencies, nerve entrapment from the spine, or exposure to toxins.

Resources We Trust

Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking

Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

Sources

  1. Leg Pain. Mayo Clinic.
  2. Achilles Tendinitis. Mayo Clinic.
  3. Peripheral Neuropathy. Mayo Clinic.
  4. Broken Leg. Mayo Clinic.
  5. Sacroiliitis. Mayo Clinic.
  6. Arthritis of the Knee. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
  7. Curcumin for Arthritis: Does It Really Work? Harvard Health Publishing.
  8. Alternative Medicine — Pain Relief. MedlinePlus.
  9. Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). Mayo Clinic.
  10. Important Facts About Falls. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  11. The Prevalence of Probable Neuropathic Pain in the U.S.: Results From a Multimodal General-Population Health Survey. Journal of Pain Research.
  12. Data and Statistics on Venous Thromboembolism. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  13. Knee Osteoarthritis Has Doubled in Prevalence Since the Mid-20th Century. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
  14. Muscle Cramp. Mayo Clinic.

Resources

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Justin Laube, MD

Medical Reviewer

Justin Laube, MD, is a board-certified integrative and internal medicine physician, a teacher, and a consultant with extensive expertise in integrative health, medical education, and trauma healing.

He graduated with a bachelor's in biology from the University of Wisconsin and a medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School. During medical school, he completed a graduate certificate in integrative therapies and healing practices through the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing. He completed his three-year residency training in internal medicine at the University of California in Los Angeles on the primary care track and a two-year fellowship in integrative East-West primary care at the UCLA Health Center for East-West Medicine.

He is currently taking a multiyear personal and professional sabbatical to explore the relationship between childhood trauma, disease, and the processes of healing. He is developing a clinical practice for patients with complex trauma, as well as for others going through significant life transitions. He is working on a book distilling the insights from his sabbatical, teaching, and leading retreats on trauma, integrative health, mindfulness, and well-being for health professionals, students, and the community.

Previously, Dr. Laube was an assistant clinical professor at the UCLA Health Center for East-West Medicine and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where he provided primary care and integrative East-West medical consultations. As part of the faculty, he completed a medical education fellowship and received a certificate in innovation in curriculum design and evaluation. He was the fellowship director at the Center for East-West Medicine and led courses for physician fellows, residents, and medical students.

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