Causes, home remedies, and exercises

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A pinched nerve in the hip can be very painful. Certain home remedies and exercises can help relieve the pain.

In this article, we look at how to identify a pinched nerve, what home remedies can help, and exercises for this condition.

Share on PinterestA pinched nerve in the hip may cause sharp pain in the thigh, hip, or groin.

Nerves transmit pain signals. This means that when something goes wrong with a nerve, the symptoms can be very uncomfortable.

A common problem is when a nerve becomes pressed or pinched by nearby tendons, ligaments, or bone.

When a pinched nerve occurs, the nerve signals become aggravated, emphasized, or interrupted by pressure, irritation, or rubbing. This is known medically as radiculopathy.

In the hip, a pinched nerve can cause a:

• sharp, searing, or burning pain in the hip, thigh, or groin
• dull, achy pain in the hips and buttocks
• tingling, “pins and needles” feeling, or numbness in the hip or down the leg
• weakness or loss of movement in the affected hip and leg

Usually, the pain or numbness will worsen when a person moves. The nerve gets further irritated and aggravated by the structure that is pinching it.

A pinched nerve can be caused by a minor incident, such as sleeping in an improper position, or a major event, such as an accident.

Some of the more common causes of a pinched nerve in the hip include:

• repetitive stress on the hips, back, and nearby joints, such as walking, standing, or sitting in a particular position for long periods
• falls, car accidents, or sports injuries, which can throw the muscles and joints out of alignment
• sleeping in a position that puts stress on the hips and back
• hip flexors that are too tight, which may be caused by exercising without stretching before and after the activity

Minor pinched nerves can usually be treated at home.

Useful home remedies for a pinched nerve in the hip include:

• Rest. Avoiding any activities that make the pain worse can reduce irritation and stress on the nerve, allowing it to heal.
• Anti-inflammatories. These can reduce swelling, which may take pressure off of the nerve. Common brands include ibuprofen and naproxen.
• Heat pads and cold pads. Alternate between the two, or use the one that brings the most relief. Both heat pads and cool packs are available for purchase online.
• Gentle stretches. This can relieve pressure on muscles or tendons that may be too tight.

Certain stretches can be very beneficial for a person with a pinched nerve in their hip. Stretching the following muscle areas may be helpful:

Piriformis stretch

The piriformis is a muscle in the buttock area. When it is too tight, it can aggravate a pinched nerve and worsen hip pain.

This muscle gets tight when a person spends too long sitting down. It can also become overly tense if a person fails to stretch before and after strenuous exercise, such as running.

A person can use these three exercises to stretch the piriformis:

Piriformis stretch

1. Lie down on a flat surface.
2. Clasp the knee of the affected leg with both hands.
3. Slowly pull the knee upwards towards the head.
4. A person can deepen the stretch by holding the ankle and pulling the foot gently towards the opposite hip.
5. Hold for 10 seconds.
6. Repeat 3 times with both legs.

The bridge

1. Lie down on a flat surface, such as a carpeted floor.
2. Place feet flat on the ground, shoulder-width apart. Bend the knees about 45 degrees.
3. Put arms straight out to the side, flat on the floor.
4. Draw in the tummy and squeeze the buttocks.
5. Slowly push up through the heels and lift the buttocks and lower back off the floor, leaving the head and shoulders on the floor. Over time, the back will be completely off the floor, and the knees, hips, and shoulders will form a straight line.
6. Hold this pose for 10–30 seconds and slowly lower the back and buttocks down.
7. Rest for 15 seconds and repeat.

Floor slides

1. Lie on the floor, face up.
2. Bend the knees, placing the feet flat on the floor.
3. Gently draw the belly button in toward the spine, tightening the abdominal muscles. Breathe slowly and gently while holding the belly in.
4. Without moving the belly or spine, slowly extend one leg out straight until it is flat on the floor.
5. Hold the leg straight for up to 15 seconds and slowly slide it back up to a bent position.
6. Repeat with the other leg.

Glutes stretch

The glutes or gluteal muscles are muscles in the buttock area. They are closely connected to many causes of hip pain. Any tension in these muscles can also aggravate lower back pain.

Use the following exercises to stretch the glutes:

Sit and twist

1. Sit on the floor with legs straight out in front.
2. Bend the right knee and cross the right foot over the left knee.
3. Move the right heel up close to the left buttock, keeping the right foot flat on the floor. Reach the right arm behind the back and allow the fingers to touch the floor behind the back.
4. Put the left hand on top of the right knee. Slowly and gently pull the right knee towards the left until feeling a stretch in the buttock and hip area.
5. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Slowly release and repeat on the other side.

Lying down crossover

1. Lie flat on the floor, face up, with legs out straight.
2. Lift the left leg and hip, crossing it over the right. Keep shoulders and back flat on the floor.
3. Keep stretching until a stretch is felt in the glute and hips.
4. Hold for up to 30 seconds and slowly release. Repeat on the other side.

Full body stretches

Because all of the body’s muscles work together, having good flexibility in all muscle groups can help avoid a pinched nerve and muscle-related pain.

Try these relaxing and invigorating moves to stretch the various muscles in the body:

Classic bend and stretch

1. Stand up straight with feet hip-width apart. Knees should be slightly bent, not locked.
2. Breathe out and slowly bend forward at the hips. Gently lower the head toward the floor and focus on keeping the upper body relaxed.
3. Grab the back of the lower legs with hands.
4. Hold for 30 seconds while breathing deeply, and slowly rise to standing again.
5. Repeat.

The Sphinx

This yoga pose helps stretch the lower back and strengthens the abdominals, both of which are related to the hips.

1. Lie face down on the floor with legs straight. Tuck elbows in under the shoulders and put forearms flat on the floor.
2. Lift the chest off the floor and press hips and thighs downward into the floor. Keep lifting the chest until a stretch is felt in the lower back. Focus on relaxing the shoulders and stretching the spine.
3. Go only far enough to feel a stretch, and stop if it is painful.

As with any stretches, some are better for certain body types and fitness levels. The best way to adopt a full stretching program is with the help of a certified personal trainer, sports medicine physician, or physical therapist.

Anyone who experiences a hip pain that lasts more than a few days and does not get better with rest and over-the-counter pain medicines should consult a doctor.

Severely pinched nerves can lead to scarring in the affected area or permanent nerve damage if not treated. Also, other medical causes for the pain should be ruled out.

In more severe cases, a doctor may recommend specific treatments for a pinched nerve. They include:

• physical therapy
• steroid injections given directly at the site of the pinched nerve
• oral steroid medicines

A pinched nerve in the hip is rarely serious, but the painful symptoms can interfere with daily life.

Home remedies and exercises can usually solve the issue, but it is best to see a doctor if symptoms persist beyond a few days.

Causes, home remedies, and exercises

We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Here’s our process.

A pinched nerve in the hip can be very painful. Certain home remedies and exercises can help relieve the pain.

In this article, we look at how to identify a pinched nerve, what home remedies can help, and exercises for this condition.

Share on PinterestA pinched nerve in the hip may cause sharp pain in the thigh, hip, or groin.

Nerves transmit pain signals. This means that when something goes wrong with a nerve, the symptoms can be very uncomfortable.

A common problem is when a nerve becomes pressed or pinched by nearby tendons, ligaments, or bone.

When a pinched nerve occurs, the nerve signals become aggravated, emphasized, or interrupted by pressure, irritation, or rubbing. This is known medically as radiculopathy.

In the hip, a pinched nerve can cause a:

• sharp, searing, or burning pain in the hip, thigh, or groin
• dull, achy pain in the hips and buttocks
• tingling, “pins and needles” feeling, or numbness in the hip or down the leg
• weakness or loss of movement in the affected hip and leg

Usually, the pain or numbness will worsen when a person moves. The nerve gets further irritated and aggravated by the structure that is pinching it.

A pinched nerve can be caused by a minor incident, such as sleeping in an improper position, or a major event, such as an accident.

Some of the more common causes of a pinched nerve in the hip include:

• repetitive stress on the hips, back, and nearby joints, such as walking, standing, or sitting in a particular position for long periods
• falls, car accidents, or sports injuries, which can throw the muscles and joints out of alignment
• sleeping in a position that puts stress on the hips and back
• hip flexors that are too tight, which may be caused by exercising without stretching before and after the activity

Minor pinched nerves can usually be treated at home.

Useful home remedies for a pinched nerve in the hip include:

• Rest. Avoiding any activities that make the pain worse can reduce irritation and stress on the nerve, allowing it to heal.
• Anti-inflammatories. These can reduce swelling, which may take pressure off of the nerve. Common brands include ibuprofen and naproxen.
• Heat pads and cold pads. Alternate between the two, or use the one that brings the most relief. Both heat pads and cool packs are available for purchase online.
• Gentle stretches. This can relieve pressure on muscles or tendons that may be too tight.

Certain stretches can be very beneficial for a person with a pinched nerve in their hip. Stretching the following muscle areas may be helpful:

Piriformis stretch

The piriformis is a muscle in the buttock area. When it is too tight, it can aggravate a pinched nerve and worsen hip pain.

This muscle gets tight when a person spends too long sitting down. It can also become overly tense if a person fails to stretch before and after strenuous exercise, such as running.

A person can use these three exercises to stretch the piriformis:

Piriformis stretch

1. Lie down on a flat surface.
2. Clasp the knee of the affected leg with both hands.
3. Slowly pull the knee upwards towards the head.
4. A person can deepen the stretch by holding the ankle and pulling the foot gently towards the opposite hip.
5. Hold for 10 seconds.
6. Repeat 3 times with both legs.

The bridge

1. Lie down on a flat surface, such as a carpeted floor.
2. Place feet flat on the ground, shoulder-width apart. Bend the knees about 45 degrees.
3. Put arms straight out to the side, flat on the floor.
4. Draw in the tummy and squeeze the buttocks.
5. Slowly push up through the heels and lift the buttocks and lower back off the floor, leaving the head and shoulders on the floor. Over time, the back will be completely off the floor, and the knees, hips, and shoulders will form a straight line.
6. Hold this pose for 10–30 seconds and slowly lower the back and buttocks down.
7. Rest for 15 seconds and repeat.

Floor slides

1. Lie on the floor, face up.
2. Bend the knees, placing the feet flat on the floor.
3. Gently draw the belly button in toward the spine, tightening the abdominal muscles. Breathe slowly and gently while holding the belly in.
4. Without moving the belly or spine, slowly extend one leg out straight until it is flat on the floor.
5. Hold the leg straight for up to 15 seconds and slowly slide it back up to a bent position.
6. Repeat with the other leg.

Glutes stretch

The glutes or gluteal muscles are muscles in the buttock area. They are closely connected to many causes of hip pain. Any tension in these muscles can also aggravate lower back pain.

Use the following exercises to stretch the glutes:

Sit and twist

1. Sit on the floor with legs straight out in front.
2. Bend the right knee and cross the right foot over the left knee.
3. Move the right heel up close to the left buttock, keeping the right foot flat on the floor. Reach the right arm behind the back and allow the fingers to touch the floor behind the back.
4. Put the left hand on top of the right knee. Slowly and gently pull the right knee towards the left until feeling a stretch in the buttock and hip area.
5. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Slowly release and repeat on the other side.

Lying down crossover

1. Lie flat on the floor, face up, with legs out straight.
2. Lift the left leg and hip, crossing it over the right. Keep shoulders and back flat on the floor.
3. Keep stretching until a stretch is felt in the glute and hips.
4. Hold for up to 30 seconds and slowly release. Repeat on the other side.

Full body stretches

Because all of the body’s muscles work together, having good flexibility in all muscle groups can help avoid a pinched nerve and muscle-related pain.

Try these relaxing and invigorating moves to stretch the various muscles in the body:

Classic bend and stretch

1. Stand up straight with feet hip-width apart. Knees should be slightly bent, not locked.
2. Breathe out and slowly bend forward at the hips. Gently lower the head toward the floor and focus on keeping the upper body relaxed.
3. Grab the back of the lower legs with hands.
4. Hold for 30 seconds while breathing deeply, and slowly rise to standing again.
5. Repeat.

The Sphinx

This yoga pose helps stretch the lower back and strengthens the abdominals, both of which are related to the hips.

1. Lie face down on the floor with legs straight. Tuck elbows in under the shoulders and put forearms flat on the floor.
2. Lift the chest off the floor and press hips and thighs downward into the floor. Keep lifting the chest until a stretch is felt in the lower back. Focus on relaxing the shoulders and stretching the spine.
3. Go only far enough to feel a stretch, and stop if it is painful.

As with any stretches, some are better for certain body types and fitness levels. The best way to adopt a full stretching program is with the help of a certified personal trainer, sports medicine physician, or physical therapist.

Anyone who experiences a hip pain that lasts more than a few days and does not get better with rest and over-the-counter pain medicines should consult a doctor.

Severely pinched nerves can lead to scarring in the affected area or permanent nerve damage if not treated. Also, other medical causes for the pain should be ruled out.

In more severe cases, a doctor may recommend specific treatments for a pinched nerve. They include:

• physical therapy
• steroid injections given directly at the site of the pinched nerve
• oral steroid medicines

A pinched nerve in the hip is rarely serious, but the painful symptoms can interfere with daily life.

Home remedies and exercises can usually solve the issue, but it is best to see a doctor if symptoms persist beyond a few days.

Causes, home remedies, and exercises

We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Here’s our process.

A pinched nerve in the hip can be very painful. Certain home remedies and exercises can help relieve the pain.

In this article, we look at how to identify a pinched nerve, what home remedies can help, and exercises for this condition.

Share on PinterestA pinched nerve in the hip may cause sharp pain in the thigh, hip, or groin.

Nerves transmit pain signals. This means that when something goes wrong with a nerve, the symptoms can be very uncomfortable.

A common problem is when a nerve becomes pressed or pinched by nearby tendons, ligaments, or bone.

When a pinched nerve occurs, the nerve signals become aggravated, emphasized, or interrupted by pressure, irritation, or rubbing. This is known medically as radiculopathy.

In the hip, a pinched nerve can cause a:

• sharp, searing, or burning pain in the hip, thigh, or groin
• dull, achy pain in the hips and buttocks
• tingling, “pins and needles” feeling, or numbness in the hip or down the leg
• weakness or loss of movement in the affected hip and leg

Usually, the pain or numbness will worsen when a person moves. The nerve gets further irritated and aggravated by the structure that is pinching it.

A pinched nerve can be caused by a minor incident, such as sleeping in an improper position, or a major event, such as an accident.

Some of the more common causes of a pinched nerve in the hip include:

• repetitive stress on the hips, back, and nearby joints, such as walking, standing, or sitting in a particular position for long periods
• falls, car accidents, or sports injuries, which can throw the muscles and joints out of alignment
• sleeping in a position that puts stress on the hips and back
• hip flexors that are too tight, which may be caused by exercising without stretching before and after the activity

Minor pinched nerves can usually be treated at home.

Useful home remedies for a pinched nerve in the hip include:

• Rest. Avoiding any activities that make the pain worse can reduce irritation and stress on the nerve, allowing it to heal.
• Anti-inflammatories. These can reduce swelling, which may take pressure off of the nerve. Common brands include ibuprofen and naproxen.
• Heat pads and cold pads. Alternate between the two, or use the one that brings the most relief. Both heat pads and cool packs are available for purchase online.
• Gentle stretches. This can relieve pressure on muscles or tendons that may be too tight.

Certain stretches can be very beneficial for a person with a pinched nerve in their hip. Stretching the following muscle areas may be helpful:

Piriformis stretch

The piriformis is a muscle in the buttock area. When it is too tight, it can aggravate a pinched nerve and worsen hip pain.

This muscle gets tight when a person spends too long sitting down. It can also become overly tense if a person fails to stretch before and after strenuous exercise, such as running.

A person can use these three exercises to stretch the piriformis:

Piriformis stretch

1. Lie down on a flat surface.
2. Clasp the knee of the affected leg with both hands.
3. Slowly pull the knee upwards towards the head.
4. A person can deepen the stretch by holding the ankle and pulling the foot gently towards the opposite hip.
5. Hold for 10 seconds.
6. Repeat 3 times with both legs.

The bridge

1. Lie down on a flat surface, such as a carpeted floor.
2. Place feet flat on the ground, shoulder-width apart. Bend the knees about 45 degrees.
3. Put arms straight out to the side, flat on the floor.
4. Draw in the tummy and squeeze the buttocks.
5. Slowly push up through the heels and lift the buttocks and lower back off the floor, leaving the head and shoulders on the floor. Over time, the back will be completely off the floor, and the knees, hips, and shoulders will form a straight line.
6. Hold this pose for 10–30 seconds and slowly lower the back and buttocks down.
7. Rest for 15 seconds and repeat.

Floor slides

1. Lie on the floor, face up.
2. Bend the knees, placing the feet flat on the floor.
3. Gently draw the belly button in toward the spine, tightening the abdominal muscles. Breathe slowly and gently while holding the belly in.
4. Without moving the belly or spine, slowly extend one leg out straight until it is flat on the floor.
5. Hold the leg straight for up to 15 seconds and slowly slide it back up to a bent position.
6. Repeat with the other leg.

Glutes stretch

The glutes or gluteal muscles are muscles in the buttock area. They are closely connected to many causes of hip pain. Any tension in these muscles can also aggravate lower back pain.

Use the following exercises to stretch the glutes:

Sit and twist

1. Sit on the floor with legs straight out in front.
2. Bend the right knee and cross the right foot over the left knee.
3. Move the right heel up close to the left buttock, keeping the right foot flat on the floor. Reach the right arm behind the back and allow the fingers to touch the floor behind the back.
4. Put the left hand on top of the right knee. Slowly and gently pull the right knee towards the left until feeling a stretch in the buttock and hip area.
5. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Slowly release and repeat on the other side.

Lying down crossover

1. Lie flat on the floor, face up, with legs out straight.
2. Lift the left leg and hip, crossing it over the right. Keep shoulders and back flat on the floor.
3. Keep stretching until a stretch is felt in the glute and hips.
4. Hold for up to 30 seconds and slowly release. Repeat on the other side.

Full body stretches

Because all of the body’s muscles work together, having good flexibility in all muscle groups can help avoid a pinched nerve and muscle-related pain.

Try these relaxing and invigorating moves to stretch the various muscles in the body:

Classic bend and stretch

1. Stand up straight with feet hip-width apart. Knees should be slightly bent, not locked.
2. Breathe out and slowly bend forward at the hips. Gently lower the head toward the floor and focus on keeping the upper body relaxed.
3. Grab the back of the lower legs with hands.
4. Hold for 30 seconds while breathing deeply, and slowly rise to standing again.
5. Repeat.

The Sphinx

This yoga pose helps stretch the lower back and strengthens the abdominals, both of which are related to the hips.

1. Lie face down on the floor with legs straight. Tuck elbows in under the shoulders and put forearms flat on the floor.
2. Lift the chest off the floor and press hips and thighs downward into the floor. Keep lifting the chest until a stretch is felt in the lower back. Focus on relaxing the shoulders and stretching the spine.
3. Go only far enough to feel a stretch, and stop if it is painful.

As with any stretches, some are better for certain body types and fitness levels. The best way to adopt a full stretching program is with the help of a certified personal trainer, sports medicine physician, or physical therapist.

Anyone who experiences a hip pain that lasts more than a few days and does not get better with rest and over-the-counter pain medicines should consult a doctor.

Severely pinched nerves can lead to scarring in the affected area or permanent nerve damage if not treated. Also, other medical causes for the pain should be ruled out.

In more severe cases, a doctor may recommend specific treatments for a pinched nerve. They include:

• physical therapy
• steroid injections given directly at the site of the pinched nerve
• oral steroid medicines

A pinched nerve in the hip is rarely serious, but the painful symptoms can interfere with daily life.

Home remedies and exercises can usually solve the issue, but it is best to see a doctor if symptoms persist beyond a few days.

Hip Pain That Travels Down the Leg

Hip pain may sometimes radiate or be referred to the knee or lower in the leg. Pain in the lower limb(s) is usually associated with joint stiffness and makes daily activities hard to perform. Activities such as putting on shoes, standing up after sitting, walking, and/or driving are commonly affected.

Hip pain can occur in the front, side, or back of the hip.¹ The nerves from the hip that travel down the leg commonly cause radiating pain in the thigh, knee, and/or lower in the leg.² Pain may also be referred from muscles or joints. Here are some potential causes of hip pain that travels down the leg.

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Pain That Originates in the Front of the Hip

Hip pain that occurs in the front of the hip and groin area is usually caused by conditions that affect the hip joint.¹ A few examples are discussed below.

Hip osteoarthritis

Wear-and-tear of the hip joint, called hip osteoarthritis, commonly causes deep aching pain in the hip and groin region.^1,2 The pain may spread to the front of the thigh and knee, sometimes including areas below the knee. ² The pain is usually worse in the morning, after prolonged sitting or resting, and/or physical activity. A locking, sticking, or grinding sound may occur during hip movements.³

See Hip Osteoarthritis Symptoms

Hip labral tear

When the labrum or the cartilaginous ring around the hip socket (acetabulum) tears, the symptoms can be variable. Most often, labral tears cause pain in the groin. Pain can also occur along the side of the hip or buttocks.

Initially, the pain from a labral tear may be felt during or after exercise and other vigorous activities. Over time, pain may also be felt during less strenuous activities, such as sitting.

Read more about Hip Labral Tears on Sports-health.com

Hip impingement (femoroacetabular impingement)

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Read more about Hip Impingement on Sports-health.com

Hip osteoarthritis and/or labral tears may result from abnormal contact between the hip joint’s bones, resulting in hip impingement. Hip impingement pain may travel down from the front and side of the hip to the front of the thigh and knee. Sitting, driving, squatting, or performing hip movements and rotations typically aggravates this pain.⁴

Iliopsoas bursitis

Inflammation of the iliopsoas bursa (small, thin fluid-filled sac in the front of the hip) can cause hip pain. This pain is usually felt in the groin while actively bending the knee toward the chest.⁵

The condition may also cause snapping hip syndrome, where a pop, click, or snap occurs when the hip is moved.⁶ This snap is typically felt and/or heard while moving the hip from a flexed to straightened position, such as while standing up from a chair.

Read more about Snapping Hip Syndrome on Sports-health.com

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Pain That Originates from the Side of the Hip

Certain conditions may cause hip pain to originate from the side of the hip and travel down to the thigh. A few examples are discussed below.

External snapping hip

When a muscle or tendon slides over the bony protrusion (greater trochanter) at the top of the thigh bone (femur), it creates a snap, pop, or clicking sound. This condition causes pain that increases with direct pressure over the side of the hip. The pain may also travel down the side of the thigh.¹

Read more about 3 Types of Snapping Hip Syndrome on Sports-health.com

Hip bursitis (greater trochanteric bursitis)

Inflammation of the large trochanteric bursa located on the side of the hip joint may cause hip pain. The pain typically increases upon direct pressure on the side of the hip and may travel down the side of the thigh.^1,7

See Hip (Trochanteric) Bursitis

Both these conditions belong to a spectrum of hip disorders called the greater trochanteric pain syndrome. This syndrome also includes tears of the gluteus minimus and/or medius muscles located on the side and back of the hip that may cause pain in these areas. ¹

Nerve Pain from the Hip to Leg

Sometimes, hip pain may radiate through the nerves from the back of the hip down to the front, back, or side of the legs. This type of pain may be caused due to the irritation of certain lumbar and/or sacral nerve roots, also called sciatica. Musculoskeletal conditions, such as sacroiliac joint dysfunction or piriformis syndrome, may also cause sciatica-like pain.

Read more about Sciatica on Spine-health.com

Severe hip pain that starts suddenly or does not subside with self-care must be evaluated by a doctor. Additionally, associated symptoms such as swelling, leg numbness and/or weakness, nausea, and/or fever may indicate a serious underlying condition and require immediate medical attention.

Learn More:

Is My Hip Pain From Arthritis or Bursitis?

What’s Causing My Hip Pain?

References

• 1.Wilson JJ, Furukawa M. Evaluation of the patient with hip pain. Am Fam Physician. 2014;89(1):27-34.
• 2.Lam S, Amies V. Hip arthritis presenting as knee pain. BMJ Case Rep. 2015;2015:bcr2014208625. Published 2015 Feb 19. doi:10.1136/bcr-2014-208625
• 3.Lespasio MJ, Sultan AA, Piuzzi NS, et al. Hip Osteoarthritis: A Primer. Perm J. 2018;22:17–084. Published 2018 Jan 3. doi:10.7812/TPP/17-084
• 4.Pun S, Kumar D, Lane NE. Femoroacetabular impingement. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2015;67(1):17–27. doi:10.1002/art.38887
• 5.Di Carlo M, Draghessi A, Carotti M, Salaffi F. An Unusual Association: Iliopsoas Bursitis Related to Calcium Pyrophosphate Crystal Arthritis. Case Rep Rheumatol. 2015;2015:935835. doi:10.1155/2015/935835
• 6.Luca Di Sante, Marco Paoloni, Stefano De Benedittis, Lucrezia Tognolo, Valter Santilli. Groin pain and iliopsoas bursitis: Always a cause-effect relationship? BMR. 2014;27(1):103-106. doi:10.3233/BMR-130412
• 7.Nurkovic J, Jovasevic L, Konicanin A, et al. Treatment of trochanteric bursitis: our experience. J Phys Ther Sci. 2016;28(7):2078–2081. doi:10.1589/jpts.28.2078

Types of Pain – Hip and Leg | Sciatica and Leg Pain | Hip and Leg Pain

Hip Injuries and Disorders

Certain diseases also lead to hip injuries or problems that may be treated by your doctor and/or Orthopedic Surgeon. Patient may also experience hip pain due to pathology originating from low back spine including disk herniation, sacroiliac disease, facet joint arthritis or spinal stenosis.

Sciatica and Leg Pain

What is sciatica?

Sciatica is a pain that runs along the sciatic nerve, a large nerve extending from the lower back and down the back of each leg. Sciatica is a common kind of back pain. Although sciatica can be very painful, it is rare for the disorder to cause permanent nerve damage.

What are the symptoms of sciatica?

• Pain in the rear or leg that is worse when sitting
• Burning or tingling down the leg
• Weakness, numbness, or difficulty moving the leg or foot
• A constant pain on one side of the rear
• A shooting pain that makes it difficult to stand up

Sciatica usually affects only one side of the lower body. Often, the pain extends from the lower back all the way through the back of the thigh and down the leg. Depending on where the sciatic nerve is affected, the pain might also extend to the foot or toes. For some people, the pain from sciatica can be severe and debilitating. For others, the pain from sciatica might be infrequent and irritating, but has the potential to get worse.

What causes sciatica?

Any condition that causes irritation to the sciatic nerve can cause the pain associated with sciatica. In many cases, sciatica is caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve from a herniated disc (also called a slipped disc or ruptured disc). Additional common causes of sciatica include:

• Lumbar spinal stenosis (narrowing of spinal canal in the lower back
• Degenerative disc disease (breakdown of discs, which act as cushions between the vertebrae)
• Weakness, numbness, or difficulty moving the leg or foot
• Spondylolisthesis (a condition in which one vertebra slips forward over another one)
• Pregnancy

How is sciatica diagnosed?

In diagnosing sciatica, a doctor will take your medical history and perform an examination of the back, hips, and legs in order to test for strength, flexibility, sensation, and reflexes.

Other tests might include:

• X rays
• MRI scans
• CT scans

Nerve conduction studies are when an electrical current is passed through a nerve to determine the health or disease of that nerve and these are sometimes used.

How is sciatica treated?

Treatment for sciatica focuses on relieving pressure and inflammation. Typical sciatica treatments include:

• Medical treatments, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, oral steroids.
• Epidural steroid injections where steroids, with their strong anti-inflammatory effects, are delivered at the origin of the inflamed sciatic nerve roots.
• Physical therapy usually starts after adequate pain control, and has an essential role both for the acute episode as well as long-term avoidance of further episodes.
• Surgery for sciatica might be warranted if the sciatic nerve pain is severe and your surgeon feels surgery is necessary. Patients should seek immediate medical attention if they have any symptoms of progressive lower extremity weakness, loss of bladder or bowel control.

Hip and Leg Pain

How Is Hip Pain And Leg Pain Treated?

Hip pain and leg pain can get better even if you do not know the cause. We offer injection and non-injection therapy to treat chronic hip pain and leg pain. Possible treatment options that your doctor may send you to us for include:

• Hip Joint Injection
• Greater Trochanteric Bursa Injection
• Lumbar Selective Nerve Root Injection
• Sacroiliac Joint Injection
• Priformis Injection
• Lumbar Sympathetic Blocks
• Trigger Point Injections
• Spinal Cord Stimulation

Could Your Foot Pain Be Caused by a Problem in Your Spine?

A series of spinal nerves from your lower spine travel down your legs and terminate in your feet. When the nerve roots (part of the nerve as it exits the spine) of these spinal nerves are irritated or compressed, foot pain can occur. Foot pain can also occur if a nerve is compressed near your hip, knee, or in your foot.

Sciatica Causes and Symptoms Video
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Sciatic nerve pain in the foot is usually accompanied by a sharp pain in the leg.
Sciatica Causes and Symptoms Video

This blog provides a list of common causes of foot pain and helpful pointers to help you understand the origin of your foot pain.

Foot pain caused by a spinal problem

Nerve root irritation or compression in the lumbar or sacral spine (lower back) may cause sciatica pain to radiate down your leg and into the foot.¹ Specifically, compression of the S1 nerve root, also called classic sciatica, can cause pain along the outer side of your foot.²

Nerve roots may be compressed or irritated due to a number of causes. Common examples include³:

The inability to lift the front part of your foot or frequent tripping while walking may be due to a condition called foot drop. This condition is typically caused due to compression of the L5 nerve root. Rarely, compression of the L4 and/or S1 nerve roots may also cause foot drop.⁴

See Foot Drop Symptoms, Steppage Gait & Other Warning Signs

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Foot pain caused by compression of nerves in the hip, knee, or leg

Foot pain can also occur when nerves are compressed or damaged along their path in the hip, knee, or leg. For example:

• Peroneal neuropathy, a condition where the peroneal nerve is compressed or injured near the knee may cause foot pain and foot drop when you try to move your foot.⁵
• Sciatic neuropathy or damage to the sciatic nerve in the pelvic region (hip) may cause foot pain along the top of your foot with some degree of weakness.⁶
• Tarsal tunnel syndrome or dysfunction of the tibial nerve within the tarsal tunnel of the inner ankle may cause a sharp, shooting pain in your ankle area and along the sole of your foot. ⁷
• Sural nerve entrapment can occur in the leg or near the ankle and typically causes shooting pain along the outer side of your ankle and/or foot.⁸

Additionally, a corn may develop on the skin around your toes. Corns grow over time as a result of excessive friction, and they can compress nearby nerves, causing pain and other symptoms. Another possible cause of nerve pain in your foot is Morton’s neuroma, which is a thickening of the tissue around a nerve in the foot.

Read more about Causes of Leg Pain and Foot Pain

How to identify the source of your foot pain

With all the possible causes of nerve pain in the foot, it may be difficult to pinpoint the exact underlying cause. Here are a few useful signs to help you identify the source of your foot pain:

• Foot pain that follows recent trauma to the lower back, hip, knee, or ankle may help indicate the site of nerve damage
• Foot pain due to nerve root compression or sciatica may also be associated with other symptoms, such as pain, numbness, and/or weakness in the buttock, thigh, and leg; and typically affects one leg at a time
• Foot pain that develops after wearing tight boots or shoes may indicate peroneal or sural nerve compression near the knee or ankle
• Foot pain that develops after a hip injection or hip surgery may indicate sciatic neuropathy

Nerve pain in the foot may also occur due to nerve damage from systemic conditions, such as diabetes or multiple sclerosis.

Twisting, bending, or a direct hit on your ankle and/or foot may injure the foot bones, ankle joint, blood vessels, muscles, and/or tendons, causing foot pain.

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Schedule a visit with your doctor

It is important to schedule an appointment with your doctor to accurately diagnose the cause of your foot pain. Treatments for foot pain can differ widely and must be directed at resolving the underlying cause; not just masking the symptoms. For example, a lumbar herniated disc may require heat therapy and exercise, while a corn on your toe can often be treated with special shoes and warm water.

Learn more:

Foot Pain Causes and Treatments

Sciatica Treatment

References

• 1.Alexander CE, Varacallo M. Lumbosacral Radiculopathy. [Updated 2019 Mar 23]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2019 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430837/
• 2. Wright R, Inbody SB. Radiculopathy and Degenerative Spine Disease. In: Neurology Secrets. Elsevier; 2010:121-130. doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-05712-7.00007-6
• 3.Davis D, Vasudevan A. Sciatica. [Updated 2019 Feb 28]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2019 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507908/
• 4.Liu K, Zhu W, Shi J, et al. Foot drop caused by lumbar degenerative disease: clinical features, prognostic factors of surgical outcome and clinical stage. PLoS One. 2013;8(11):e80375. Published 2013 Nov 5. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0080375
• 5.Reife MD, Coulis CM. Peroneal neuropathy misdiagnosed as L5 radiculopathy: a case report. Chiropr Man Therap. 2013;21(1):12. Published 2013 Apr 22. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3662609/
• 6.Daniels SP, Feinberg JH, Carrino JA, Behzadi AH, Sneag DB. MRI of Foot Drop: How We Do It. Radiology. 2018;289(1):9-24. doi:10.1148/radiol.2018172634
• 7. Kiel J, Kaiser K. Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome. [Updated 2019 Feb 4]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2019 Jan-.Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513273/
• 8.Brewer RB, Gregory AJ. Chronic lower leg pain in athletes: a guide for the differential diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment. Sports Health. 2012;4(2):121–127. doi:10.1177/1941738111426115

That Hip Pain Could Actually Be a Sciatica Problem: Healthy Life Family Medicine: Family Medicine Clinic

Your hips are incredibly active joints and no strangers to the occasional ache and pain, especially as you get older. But searing pain in one of your hips may have nothing to do with your hip at all, but a pinched nerve root in your lower back.

At Healthy Life Family Medicine in Goodyear, Arizona, Dr. John Monroe understands the many conditions that can lead to radiating pain. One of the biggest culprits in this regard is sciatica, which develops when certain nerve roots in your lower back are irritated or compressed, causing symptoms to travel down your sciatic nerve.

Here’s a look at how sciatica pain develops and why your hip pain may be a result of a problem in your lower back.

Understanding sciatica

The first thing to understand is that sciatica isn’t a condition, but a symptom of a problem that’s connected to your sciatic nerve. This nerve is the longest in your body and begins in your lower spine, where five nerve roots come together to form your sciatic nerve, which splits and travels down either side of your buttocks, hips, and legs.

When any of the nerve roots are irritated in your lower back, the symptoms can radiate out along the sciatic nerve, creating symptoms that run down your lower extremities, typically only on one side.

The hallmarks of sciatica pain include:

• Searing pain in your lower back that can come and go with certain movements
• Pain that radiates down one side of your buttocks, hips, and legs
• Dull pain in your back, hips, and buttocks
• Numbness or tingling anywhere along the nerve
• Weakness in your leg

The characteristics of your pain can vary, depending upon which nerve root is compressed or pinched. For example, if you’re experiencing pain in your foot, this is likely caused by a compressed nerve near your L5 vertebra. 

In most cases, sciatic pain stems from a herniated or bulging disc, but it can also develop because of:

• Spinal stenosis
• Spondylolisthesis
• Tumors
• Bone growths

Whatever the cause, the end result can leave you with moderate-to-severe pain that you feel in your back, hips, buttocks, and leg.

So, if you’re experiencing pain in your hip, and you haven’t had any problems with the joint before, the problem may lie in your lower back.

The indirect results of nerve compression

Another reason you may be feeling pain in one of your hips is that when you have a pinched nerve in your back that affects one side of your lower body, you tend to favor that side. The pain may alter the way you move, which can place added stress on your already hard-working hips.

So, if your hip pain is more of a dull ache and you’re also experiencing some of the more classic signs of sciatica, the two are likely related.

Treating sciatica pain

The good news is that we have plenty of options for quickly resolving your sciatic and hip pain. Dr. Monroe can administer a corticosteroid injection into the nerve root to quiet the pain signals and reduce the inflammation, which should bring you relief. Also, stretching and physical therapy can go a long way toward relieving the pressure on your nerve roots.

Whether your hip pain is a result of a problem in your sciatic nerve or something else, we can help you find a solution and put an end to your discomfort. Simply contact us at Healthy Life Family Medicine to set up an appointment.

90,000 Leg pain (differential diagnosis)

One of the most striking symptoms of a number of diseases is pain in the lower extremities.

An actively practicing doctor, regardless of his specialty, quite often meets with patients complaining of pain in the legs . Of course, the most likely to hear these complaints is surgeon, vascular surgeon or neurologist . It is to them that our patients are used to contacting in such situations.Unfortunately, general practitioners often support this habit, regarding leg pain as an almost obligate symptom of pathology of arteries or veins of the lower extremities ( obliterating atherosclerosis, varicose veins ) or articular pathology ( osteochondrosis, polyosteoarthritis ). A natural consequence of this decision is the referral of the patient for help to fellow surgeons.

Meanwhile, surgical diseases play a far from leading role in the structure of the causes of pain in the lower extremities.Moreover, statistical data indicate that in most cases of pain in the lower extremities are caused by some internal diseases or initiated by clinical situations that are within the competence of therapeutic doctors.

As a result, first of all, the patient suffers, who undergoes unnecessary examinations, moves from office to office, from one doctor to another, and even sometimes (very difficult for many, especially elderly people) “travels” through the city’s clinics in search of the truth, which he could find already within the walls of his district polyclinic from a therapist he knows well (neurologist, etc. )etc.). In an unfavorable way, this also affects the patient’s attitude to the doctors who participated in establishing the diagnosis in such an irrational way.

Undoubtedly, the situation requires correction, and the decision is directly related to a radical improvement in the quality of differential diagnosis of pain in the legs during the initial treatment of the patient with this complaint. In fact, it is the therapist who is most often the first doctor to whom the patient expresses his problem, even making an appointment for a completely different matter.The opinion often encountered among medical practitioners about the difficulty of recognizing pain syndrome is actually groundless. A specialist of any profile can very quickly assess the situation and make a preliminary diagnosis only on the basis of the clinical picture and anamnesis, not always resorting to the help of instrumental examination methods. To make a final diagnosis, it is already necessary to consult narrow specialists and conduct additional research methods.

Quite often, pain in the legs is a manifestation of diseases of the arteries or veins of the lower extremities, but often they are caused by diseases of the spine, nervous system and metabolism.It can occur in diseases of bones and joints, muscles and tendons, lymph nodes and blood vessels.

Legs hurt in different ways: feet, legs, knees, hip joints … And the data of an objective examination, anamnesis of the disease and symptoms of pain syndrome in most cases allow to determine the further tactics of examination and treatment of the patient. Possible causes of pain syndrome are presented below, depending on the place of its manifestation.

Pain in the hip joint is often poorly differentiated, increases with exertion (for example, standing, walking), but can radiate along the front and side surfaces of the thigh, to the front of the knee, to the buttocks. Hip pain can arise from a variety of local and distant causes. Sacroiliac pain is often diffuse, felt by the patient deep in the buttock, radiating to the back of the leg. Injury to the intervertebral discs involving the L1-2 roots causes groin pain, which is aggravated by pulling symptoms (walking, coughing, sneezing).Pain and local tenderness are defined with trochanteric bursitis radiating downward along the lateral surface of the thigh. With sciatic-gluteal bursitis, the pain is localized behind the joint. With neuropathy (eg, compression of the lateral cutaneous nerve of the thigh), pain or weakness may occur in one or both legs. This can appear with rapid or massive obesity, diabetes, as well as with alcohol and smoking abuse. The main cause of compression of the lumbar or sacral roots is the extrusion (hernia) of the intervertebral disc.Protrusion of the disc into the wide spinal canal can cause back pain, limitation of movement, protective muscle spasm due to tension in the posterior longitudinal ligament and irritation of the dura mater; radicular marks do not exist in such a situation. The pain associated with compression of the lumbosacral roots by a herniated disc is heterogeneous. The “classic” picture of compression radiculopathy consists in the occurrence of shooting, piercing, less often burning pain and paresthesias (“creeping creeps”, tingling), combined with a decrease in sensitivity (hypalgesia) in the innervation zone of the affected root.

Fig. 1. MRI picture of LV-SI disc herniation.

In addition to sensory disorders, the development of weakness in the so-called “indicator” muscles, mainly innervated by the affected root, is characteristic, as well as a decrease (loss) of the corresponding reflex. Typical sensory, motor and reflex disorders in the most common variants of compression radiculopathy of the lumbosacral roots are shown in Fig. 2. In addition, with radicular compression, there is often an increase in pain with an increase in intra-abdominal pressure (when coughing, sneezing, laughing), in an upright position and decrease in horizontal position.

Fig. 2. Typical sensory, motor, reflex disorders during compression of the roots LIV, LV, SI (according to H.A. Keim, Kirkaldy-Willis. Les lombalgies / Ciba pharmaceutical company. Rueil-Malmaison, 1980. as amended).

Pain in the knee joint area rarely radiates and their localization is associated with the affected section (for example, in the front with a lesion of the femoral-patellar joint or anteriorly and medially, or anteriorly and laterally with a lesion, respectively, of the medial or lateral parts of the joint).The anterior knee area (L2-3 dermatomes) may experience “reflected” pain when the hip joint or L3 root is affected. This pain has a number of characteristics. It is rarely clearly localized, does not always increase with walking, but can increase with coughing and is often combined with pain above the knee. The local causes of pain in the knee joint include enthesopathy of the muscles of the popliteal fossa and calf muscles, lymphadenopathy and aneurysm of the popliteal artery.

Pain in the lower leg and calf muscles. Most often, these pains occur when the arteries are blocked or narrowed. If the pain arising in the calf muscles forces to stop after some distance, and after rest passes (intermittent claudication), this is probably disease of the arteries of the lower limbs . If the pain in the legs increases with movement, increasing the load, but the patient can walk, and stopping does not lead to the cessation of pain, then this may be due to lumbosacral osteochondrosis with entrapment of nerve roots or joint diseases.Bursting pain in the lower leg often occurs with deep vein thrombosis and is often accompanied by dense edema. Characterized by soreness in the muscles of the lower leg when bending the foot and when feeling the muscles. There is also a pronounced bursting pain with lymphatic edema ( lymphedema ), especially in advanced stages. If the bursting pain in the lower leg is accompanied by high fever and hyperemia (redness) of the skin, as well as an increase in body temperature and chills, then in this case it is necessary to exclude erysipelas or phlegmon (Figure 3).If the pain is accompanied by redness and swelling, painful seals along the veins, this may be thrombophlebitis. Cramps in the calf muscles at night and swelling of the legs and feet are clinical manifestations of chronic venous insufficiency.

Pain in the foot have a clear localization and do not radiate. Metatarsophalangeal joint pain occurs over the metatarsal heads and usually worsens with standing and walking. When the posterior tibial nerve is pinched, there is a burning sensation, numbness and tingling sensation in the distal sole and toes.Symmetrical lesion of the small joints of the feet is characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis.

The defeat of the intermetatarsal joints leads to the appearance of pain in the middle part of the foot, which appears or intensifies with prolonged standing and walking without support on the toe. When the ankle is affected, pain occurs in the back of the foot along the line connecting both ankles. The pain is worse when standing or walking. With diabetic neuropathy, patients complain of paresthesia, a feeling of chilliness, burning, sharp, stabbing pain in the feet.Local pain and soreness in the heel result from a heel spur, tendinitis and bursitis of the calcaneal (Achilles) tendon, bursitis of the subcutaneous calcaneal bursa.

Fig 4. Heel spur.

Based on the main causes of pain in the legs described above, a polyclinic therapist at the initial visit can establish a preliminary diagnosis, after which, refer the patient to a narrow specialist consultation to confirm or exclude his diagnosis.

For clinical diagnosis, narrow specialists (neurologists, surgeons, etc.) carry out additional examination methods (general clinical studies, instrumental diagnostics). Different disciplines have their own “gold standard” of research methods. For example, for a vascular surgeon to diagnose obliterating atherosclerosis, the list of these studies includes: rheovasography of the arteries of the lower extremities, duplex scanning of the arteries of the lower extremities, after which, depending on the severity of the disease, a decision is made on the most effective method of treating the patient, be it conservative therapy or surgical treatment …A correctly diagnosed and well-chosen treatment will allow the patient to get rid of the pains that bother him, and not go in search of the cause of his illness from one doctor to another in search of the truth.

Appointment with a phlebologist

Be sure to consult a qualified specialist in the field of vascular diseases in the clinic “Family”.

To find out the prices for a phlebologist’s appointment or other questions, follow the link below

90,000 My leg cramped: is it true that the lack of salt in the body is to blame?

• Claudia Hammond
• BBC Future

September 28, 2017

Photo by, iStock

When your leg is cramped and your muscles are constrained by unbearable pain, after all, the best remedy is not salt, I am convinced columnist BBC Future .Why are there convulsions?

You wake up in the middle of the night and writhe in pain. Your calf muscle seems to be living its own life. She was so brought together that the back of her leg ached unbearably.

You try to find a comfortable, more relaxed position for your leg, hoping it will ease the pain, but to no avail. This is a seizure, and this type is very common – for example, in the later stages of pregnancy.

The older you get, the more you run into this.Those overweight are also susceptible to seizures. But in principle, this can happen to anyone – either after training or in the middle of the night.

Low salt levels in the body or, more specifically, low sodium levels are often cited as the cause of seizures.

In such cases, it is suggested to eat a little salt to ease the pain. However, as I will discuss later, there is an easier, salt-free way.

What’s the salt?

Cramps most commonly occur in the calf muscle in the back of the leg below the knee, in the hamstring, or in the quadriceps in the front of the thigh.

Sometimes they are associated with more serious health problems, such as lameness resulting from a lack of oxygen in the muscles. Or – in rare cases – seizures are due to low calcium levels due to malfunctioning of the parathyroid gland.

Author of the photo, iStock

Caption to the photo,

My leg has come together. Very painful!

But as Raymond Playford, professor at the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, points out, most seizures are not related to your body’s need for salt or a lack of salt in your diet.

The stoker’s convulsions

What is the cause of such convulsions? This is still a mystery. More than 100 years ago, it was noticed that those who supported the fire in the stoves of steamers often suffered from them, the phenomenon was even called that – the stoker’s convulsions.

This led to the birth of the following theory: the lack of salt is to blame. It was explained as follows: the heat of the stove and hard work make a person sweat profusely and thus lose sodium.

So, they concluded then, eat more salty, and you will not have seizures.

Photo author, iStock

Photo caption,

Stoker’s work – hard work

The biological explanation could be this: a lack of salt together with dehydration of the body leads to the fact that the space between muscle cells is reduced. This, in turn, increases the pressure on the nerve endings, which gives rise to pain.

However – here’s the bad luck – there is no reliable evidence of this.

Light electroshock

To be fair, it must be said that this is a difficult topic for research, since the occurrence of seizures is unpredictable.And if you collect test subjects in the laboratory in the hope that some of them will lose their legs, you will have to wait a long time.

All that remains is to watch for cramps in real life – as in a study that found that American football players tend to bend their legs more often during hot weather. Which would seem to support the theory of sweating and salt loss.

The only problem is that athletes living in countries with cold climates also suffer from seizures.

And when they measured the sodium level of athletes who took part in the Super Marathon in Cape Town (South Africa), it turned out that the difference between those who experienced convulsions and those who did not (with a similar sodium loss) is so negligible that it can be neglected …

In another experiment, they tried to artificially induce convulsions by subjecting volunteers to mild electric shocks.

The reasoning was this: if the problem is really a lack of sodium, then a weaker discharge will be needed to cause convulsions in a person whose body is partially dehydrated (and, accordingly, desalinated).

Photo by, iStock

Caption,

On the football field, this happens in almost every match

However, Kevin Miller and colleagues from the University of North Dakota (USA) did not find any effect of sodium loss on the onset of seizures.However, they noted, it is not known whether more severe fluid loss will bring the “seizure threshold” closer.

Follow the example of football players

So, if you are looking for a method that will quickly help you in a situation with a flattened leg, then see how, for example, football players deal with it ( see photo above ). After all, they do not run across the field with a salt shaker in store just in case.

When this unbearable pain comes to you, the best remedy is not salt, but stretching the muscles.

Grab your toes firmly and slowly pull your foot toward you. The muscle contracted by the spasm will stretch, and the pain should gradually go away.

And you don’t need to swallow the salt.

Legal information. This article is for general information only and should not be construed as a substitute for the advice of a physician or other healthcare professional. The BBC is not responsible for any diagnosis made by the reader based on the materials of the site.The BBC is not responsible for the content of other sites, links to which are present on this page, and also does not recommend commercial products or services mentioned on these sites. If you are concerned about your health condition, see your doctor.

To read the original of this article in English, visit BBC Future .

Pulls the leg under the knee in the back and the calf below: possible reasons, what to do

Pain in the knee is common to many diseases.Sometimes it signals age-related pathologies, sometimes it reflects the development of the inflammatory process. Treatment depending on the type of problem may differ – sometimes only surgery will help a person.

Who has knee pain?

Usually, chronic pain syndrome in the joints is observed in people over 50-60 years old.

By this age, the majority already have changes in the cartilaginous tissue of the large joints of the bones – it becomes thinner, cracks, dries up.

But even regular degenerative disorders in a number of people proceed faster, expressed in vivid symptoms. The rapid progression of joint diseases can be provoked by:

• Obesity;
• Incorrect food;
• Alcohol abuse;
• Smoking;
• Sports injuries;
• Overloading of legs, etc.

Professional athletes often have pain under the knee at a young age.Their joints wear out due to high loads, especially in football players, hockey players, and runners.

The risk group also includes people engaged in heavy physical labor, those who have suffered bruises, fractures in the past.

Lack of sports in life also negatively affects the condition of the joints, as well as sedentary work.

Causes of pain under the knee

In a healthy person, a sensation that hurts behind the knee on both sides can occur during high and prolonged physical exertion, as well as during sports for beginners.Pathological causes of pain under the knee behind are characteristic of a huge number of diseases. Among them, various groups of pathologies are distinguished:

• Joint lesions.
• Diseases of the periarticular tissues.
• Diseases of the nervous, circulatory system.
• Irradiating pain not associated with the knee.

Severe pain – why does it occur?

Most often, severe, sharp pain is associated with traumatic injury to the knee area.Indeed, if there was a fact of injury, blow, fall, domestic or sports injury, it is worth contacting the emergency room. Such injuries can directly provoke severe pain:

• Contusion. Damage to the soft tissue around the joint does not cause any serious bone or ligament defect. The back of the leg may hurt if the blow fell on this part of the knee. After a while, you may notice a bruise on the leg, a slight swelling.
• Ligament affection. Rupture, stretching of the knee ligaments is a common injury that occurs when jumping, falling, or a sharp turn of the limb.Symptoms are severe pain, swelling under the knee, instability of the joint, clicks, crunching.
• Injury to the meniscus. With excessive application of force during a jump, impact, the meniscus tears, cracks, and may even break completely. Blood flows into the knee cavity, it becomes sharply painful, flexion-extension is almost impossible.
• Damage to the patella. In this case, the pain will, for the most part, be localized in the front of the leg, but its irradiation is also observed in the popliteal fossa.The cause of the injury is a sharp turn, a fall to the knee. Complex fractures of the patella lead to the need for arthroplasty.

Sharp, strong sensations are typical for a number of inflammatory diseases. For example, with purulent bursitis or arthritis, when inflammatory exudate accumulates in the cavity, the pain under the knee can be exhausting, acute, combined with pronounced edema, redness. The leg is hot to the touch, because of the pain it is impossible to touch it. The body temperature rises, the general well-being suffers.

Another unpleasant disease is inflammation of the lymph nodes under the knee. Purulent lymphadenitis causes sharp pain behind the joint, its cause is the penetration of infection from wounds or with blood flow from distant foci. Since the lymph nodes in this zone are “hidden” deep in the tissues, it is rather difficult to make a diagnosis right away.

For many years unsuccessfully struggling with JOINT PAINS? “An effective and affordable remedy to restore joint health and mobility will help in 30 days. This natural remedy does what only surgery was capable of doing before.»

Drawing knee pain – causes

The most “popular” cause of regular pulling or aching pains is arthrosis. 80% of people over 65 have its signs, but they are not always expressed in the same way. With arthrosis, all the cartilages of the knee are gradually deformed, resulting in an obsessive pain syndrome.

If the leg is pulled under the knee behind, there is also a swelling there, the cause may be a Baker’s cyst. It usually occurs after an injury, more often in athletes.

With inflammation of the synovium, the latter loses its strength, and inside it a lot of inflammatory exudate begins to be produced. Fluid accumulates under the knee, in the popliteal fossa – a cyst appears.

It may be painless, but it periodically becomes inflamed and causes pain. Large cysts lead to chronic discomfort – they compress blood vessels and nerves.

Another pathology accompanied by aching manifestations is a meniscus cyst.This is a benign tumor in the posterior zone of the meniscus. It causes pain when bending the leg when it starts to pull on the back of the knee. To detect pathology, you will have to undergo an X-ray or CT scan – it is not visually noticeable.

Pain when walking and in front of the joint

If the pain syndrome increases when walking, in addition to injury, the following diseases can cause it:

• Tendinitis. The inflammatory process usually develops in the tendon against the background of constant microtrauma, flat feet, and leg deformities.Typical signs – pain syndrome “on the weather”, limitation of leg mobility, increased sensations when trying to move. With an exacerbation, the leg swells, swells, the skin may be hot to the touch.
• Synovitis. Inflammation of the synovial membrane of the knee leads to sharp pain in the acute stage, which greatly interferes with movement, and even at rest manifests itself by squeezing, pressure. Usually synovitis is combined with arthritis of the joint.
• Any kind of arthritis, especially infectious and rheumatoid arthritis, always aggravate the heavy sensation of walking.In the most acute stage, the pain syndrome is very pronounced both in a calm state and even at night.

When there is pain under the knee in front, its causes may be similar to those described above, because sometimes the patient cannot accurately indicate the source of sensations. Among other things, weakness of the medial head (atony) can provoke regular symptoms. If left untreated, this condition leads to chondromalacia of the patella, in which the latter is damaged and destroyed.

Nervous and vascular problems

Sometimes the leg hurts under the knee from behind due to diseases not related to the organs of the musculoskeletal system.So, nervous pathologies can also cause unpleasant manifestations. These include the inflammatory process in the tibial nerve.

The nerve is located in the area of ​​the fossa under the knee, if it becomes inflamed, then there is a sharp pain syndrome along the back of the leg. It increases with extension and flexion of the joint, walking, radiating to the foot and calf.

In severe cases, the pain is similar to electrical discharges, there is swelling and redness of the skin.

Why does it hurt under the knee, if all the described pathologies are excluded? Sometimes the cause is vascular problems:

• Arterial aneurysm.A rare pathology with pulling and pulsating sensations. Due to the separation of the walls, the vessel begins to swell and lead to compression of the nerve roots. Swelling is only noticeable with a large aneurysm.
• Varicose veins. Even the initial stages of popliteal vein lesions can be unpleasant, especially in the evenings, with tired legs.
• Vein thrombosis under the knee. If a person has varicose veins, there is a risk of thrombosis – the appearance of a blood clot in a superficial or deep vein. In parallel, there is swelling under the knee, severe pain in the calf, lower leg, sometimes – blue discoloration, redness of the leg.
• Occasionally, vascular pain occurs in adolescents with rapid growth. Usually, if the child is healthy, such sensations disappear as they grow older.

Pain management

It is impossible to independently establish that this is pain under the knee behind, what caused it. After the diagnosis, the patient will be prescribed a number of medications and procedures. The goal of therapy is to prevent joint destruction, improve the quality of life and stop the progression of diseases.

Of the medicines for pain in the back of the knee, the following is usually recommended:

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for pain, edema;
• Hormonal injections (corticosteroids) for severe pain syndrome, for rheumatoid arthritis;
• Chondroprotectors for cartilage tissue restoration;
• Antiseptics, antibiotics in the presence of infection in the knee cavity;
• Muscle relaxants for muscle relaxation, against spasms.

In case of injuries, treatment is reduced not only to immobilization, the application of anesthetic ointments, the application of ice.Sometimes a person needs a puncture to pump out blood and fluid from the joint cavity.

Rinsing of the joint will have to be done even if there is pus there, because otherwise the disease can go to a severe stage.

In the most advanced cases, arthroplasty will help so that a person can walk on his own again.

Drawing pain in the knee joint on movement: symptoms, causes and treatment

Drawing pains in the back of the knee joint have many reasons. It can be difficult to detect the provoking factor due to the complex structure of this joint area.If pathology is identified, you can decide what to do and quickly cope with the pain syndrome.

Features of back pain in the popliteal region

The bottom of the popliteal cavity is created by the femur, muscles and ligaments. In the lower and upper part are the tendons and muscles of the thigh and lower leg. In the fossa itself there are nerve fibers and lymph nodes – the concentration of leukocytes, preventing the penetration of infectious agents.

Such a complex structure makes it difficult to identify pathology during external examination.

Degenerative changes are possible in any part of the popliteal region, while the localization of painful sensations is difficult to determine.

Causes of pain

In a child, pain syndrome is explained by growth processes. If it pulls under the knee from behind in an adult, the reasons lie in a serious illness or are the consequences of an improper lifestyle. First of all, you should identify possible pathologies and find out how to treat them.

Varicose veins

The disease manifests itself as a result of the fact that blood hardly flows through the veins, they grow in volumes that can be seen with the naked eye.But not only swollen vessels and age spots are characteristic of the disease. With varicose veins, it pulls the leg under the knee from behind and the calf, the limb reduces.

Therapy is aimed at eliminating the cause of the pathological process and strengthening the walls of blood vessels. For this purpose, sclerotherapy is used – the introduction of vasoconstrictor drugs.

At the initial stage of the disease, local preparations will help: heparin ointment, “Venosan”, “Troxerutin”, “Eskuzan”, “Escin”.

In severe cases, a surgical method is used to remove problem areas of varicose veins – phlebectomy.

Meniscus injury

With increased sports loads and severe bruises, it is really possible to injure both the external and internal meniscus. In this case, in addition to excruciating pain in the knee area, edema occurs.

When a rupture occurs, a sharp pain appears, it is impossible to stand on one leg. This injury is difficult to detect, often requires arthroscopy – diagnostic surgery using an endoscope. In the course of the study, it is possible to perform resection of injured tissues.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory pharmaceuticals “Diclofenac”, “Ketorolac”, “Ibuprofen”, “Nise”, “Movalis”, “Nimesulide” will help with minor damage. In difficult cases, meniscectomy and graft placement are required.

Meniscus cyst

Due to the growth of a cyst in the posterior horn of the meniscus, a person suffers from the following symptoms:

• pulls at the back of the knee;
• movements are constrained;
• leg goes numb.

The tumor is the result of excessive stress on the knee joints: this type of pathology is diagnosed in professional athletes and dancers.

Conservative treatment consists in the use of anti-inflammatory and analgesic medications. Limit physical activity. In the absence of positive results, the patient is operated on. The elimination of injured areas is carried out using endoscopic arthroscopy.

Cyst Baker

The disease is typical for people after forty. It consists in the inflammatory process of the articular membrane. It can also develop as a result of injury. In this case, an accumulation of fluid occurs, forming a swelling below the knee in the back.The cyst constricts blood vessels and neuroends, causing pain and stiffness in the legs.

In the first stages, the following can be useful:

• injections of anti-inflammatory drugs;
• restriction of physical activity;
• tight dressings;
• pumping out excess synovial fluid.

If the disease progresses to a later stage, surgical intervention is necessary, most often arthroscopy.

Inflammation of the popliteal lymph nodes

Painful sensations of a pulling nature are provoked by the proliferation of lymph nodes in acute inflammation – lymphadenitis.Additional symptoms of the disease:

• fever;
• headache;
• weakness;
• temperature rise.

Lymphadenitis therapy means bed rest, taking antibiotic drugs, the use of local anti-inflammatory drugs (ichthyol ointment, Vishnevsky liniment, Diclofenac, Ketoprofen, Piroxicam). Physiotherapy is useful to help treat knee pain: electrophoresis, galvanization, UHF.

Tendonitis

Patella tendons and surrounding tissues become inflamed.The disease affects professional athletes and people with a sedentary lifestyle. Both inflammation and rheumatoid pathologies can cause ailment. In addition to pulling pain, symptoms are expressed in the form of redness and swelling.

Tendinitis can be cured without surgery. It is necessary to immobilize the injured limb and take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. With the bacterial nature of the inflammatory process, antibiotics are added to the therapeutic course.

Tendovaginitis

The inflammatory process affects the tendons and the sheath covering it. In contrast to tendinitis, this condition affects the veins, which have a soft channel of connective tissue. It is expressed by pain that increases during movement. May result from constant overload, injury, or infection.

For therapy, agents against inflammation of general and local effects are used. If a bacterial infection has joined, antibiotic medications are needed.In difficult cases, an operation is performed to pump out pus.

Damage to the tibial nerve

Injury to the knee, compression of the lower limb, lack of nutrients, diabetes mellitus can provoke damage to the tibial nerve. The presence of pathology can be detected by the following symptoms:

• restriction of foot mobility;
• Reducing the sensitivity of the lower leg;
• Burning pain behind the knee.

Unpleasant sensations are aggravated by convulsions.

Therapy of neuropathy consists in the use of painkillers and remedies for spasms, vitamin complexes and antidepressants, physiotherapy, physiotherapy, acupuncture, massage.

Pain under the knee in the back in children

Drawing pains under the knee joint from behind are noted mostly in adolescence, when the child suddenly begins to “stretch up”. Muscle mass with tendons do not keep up with the changing parameters of the skeleton, which is the reason for the manifestation of unpleasant sensations on the opposite side of the knees, stiffness in movements.A teenager may complain that his right or left leg is cramping.

Painful sensations here do not speak of disorders of the musculoskeletal system, most likely, it means age-related changes. But pathological reasons are also possible:

• displacement of the patella;
• inflammatory ailments;
• sprains, ruptures of ligaments and tendons.

If it hurts badly, or the discomfort does not disappear for a long time, an examination should be carried out at a medical center.If it’s about intensive growth, you need to establish good nutrition so that all the necessary elements enter the body. The menu should include vegetable dishes, eggs, vegetable oils, buckwheat porridge, dairy products, fish oil and lean meat.

Triggers of pain

There are physiological reasons explaining why a person pulls and jerks under the knee.

Imbalance of trace elements in the body

Pain may be associated with a lack of valuable substances in the body.The deficit arises from:

• for taking pharmaceuticals that remove minerals from tissues;
• poor diet / diet;
• pregnancy.

The way out is to establish a balanced diet and take complexes of vitamins and minerals as recommended by a doctor.

Excessive physical activity

Drawing pain in the knee can occur as a result of excessive or overly intense physical exertion. You should not go for a record in sports.Realistically assess your strengths or find a good coach.

Weight lifting

Excess weight cause knee pain

You don’t have to be a weightlifter and do squats with a barbell on your shoulders to damage your knee joint with excessive stress. An ordinary person, after prolonged dragging of weights, may just as well be at a doctor’s appointment. This also applies to obese people – after all, they carry the weight of their weight on themselves constantly.

Standing work

Drawing pain in the knee may be the result of prolonged walking or working while standing.It is imperative to take a break – sit or do a few warm-up exercises.

Sedentary lifestyle

Keep track of the required level of physical activity: physical inactivity will lead to the destruction of joints, as well as excessive physical activity.

Prevention recommendations

The following tips will help minimize the risk of pathologies:

• Do not lean on fatty, salty, fried, fast food.
• Normalize weight.
• Give up bad habits.
• Do not exhaust yourself with physical activity.
• Choose gentle activities, ideally yoga or swimming.

During physical work, it is necessary to undergo preventive examinations at least twice a year.

If you do not pay attention to the pain in the back of the knee, the ailment that caused them will become chronic. This will lead to serious consequences, including disability. At the first suspicion of a disease, it is necessary to undergo a medical examination.

Back knee pain when walking, how to treat

Almost everyone at least once in their life has experienced pain in the calves, which can sometimes be accompanied by cramps and swelling.However, few know the reasons why these pains occur and how to deal with them quickly.

People who believe that only stretching can be the cause of painful sensations in the calves are greatly mistaken. In order to get rid of these pains, complex treatment is necessary, and it is possible only if the reasons for their occurrence are clarified.

We invite you to find out what can cause pain in the leg under the knee in the back of the calf.

Causes of calf pain

This is a very dangerous vascular disease that requires urgent treatment.If during it is not found and not cured, then the person may die.

What is it? A small blood clot forms on the walls of the vessel. For some time he exists on them.

The danger is that at any moment he can simply come off, as a result of which a blockage of the veins can occur, and this, in turn, can lead to the death of a person.

If pain under the knee in the back of the calf occurs as night approaches, then most likely this is due to varicose veins.This disease of the feet in humans is quite common. Although the pain is not acute, it can still significantly disrupt the normal rhythm of a person’s life.

varicose veins – the cause of pain under the knee in the back

1. Due to overexertion of the leg muscles.

Calf pain occurs most often in the warm season, that is, in the spring or summer. This is due to the fact that during this period of time people begin to walk often, walk a lot, and also try to put their bodies in order.Many people forget that you can’t start right away with heavy exercise.

It is necessary to do some light exercise for some time to prepare the muscles of the legs for more difficult loads. Failure to comply with this rule can lead not only to muscle stretching, but also to problems with other body systems, for example, with the heart.

If painful sensations under the knee behind appeared suddenly, then this may indicate that the ligaments were torn. However, this rarely happens.

Useful article: Knee bursitis, home treatment

This is a common disease of the spine in our time.It means inflammation of the nerve located in the seat. He then gives pain to the calves. Elderly people suffer from this ailment.

Scheme: sciatica – the cause of leg pain

Pain occurs in the calf of either the right or left leg. It cannot appear on two at once. It usually gets stronger as you move. In people with this disease, the feet seem to be constantly cold. It is necessary to treat this ailment in a comprehensive manner. In some cases, treatment must be carried out in a hospital.This disease occurs mainly in people of old age.

Photo of the legs of a patient with atherosclerosis

Pain in the calves can also occur due to sedentary work, since as a result of it stagnation occurs in the blood.

Also read: Joint pain when playing sports

1. Due to neurological diseases.

The neurological disease itself can be located anywhere, but at the same time it can be found in the calf of one leg.The pain is paroxysmal.

1. Due to inflammation of the calf muscles (myositis).

Typically caused by injury. It is easily diagnosed, but difficult to treat. So, for example, the presence of this disease can be determined by palpation.

If a person has it, then it will be easy to find the nodules located in the muscle of the calf.

To get rid of this ailment, a person will need to reduce physical activity, undergo a course of physiotherapy, and also drink medications prescribed by a doctor.

What to do to reduce calf pain under the knee

If you have a severe pain in the back of your leg under the knee, then:

• change the position of the body;
• Rub the calf muscle
• Stand with bare feet on a cold floor and apply a damp towel to the affected area for 15 minutes.

Pain in the leg under the knee in the back in the calf can be caused by various diseases, so you should consult a doctor promptly.By keeping your feet healthy, you will minimize the likelihood of severe and unpredictable pain. Take care of yourself and take care of your feet first!

Pulls under the knee from behind: reasons why the leg hurts

When people experience pain and feel that something is pulling behind the knee, many do not give it due attention and do not at all try to identify the causes of this condition. However, such a seemingly insignificant symptom may be the first signal of a complex pathology.

What can hurt in the popliteal fossa?

When pulling under the knee from behind, this does not indicate joint disorders, but indicates inflammation of the popliteal fossa located behind the knee.Pulling pains can have many reasons, and it can be difficult to determine the provocateur because of the complex structure of the popliteal fossa.

The bottom of the fossa is the inner surface of the thigh and the back of the joint, all covered by muscle tissue and tendons. In the center are the nerve fibers and the circulatory system of the knee. To protect against bacterial infection and injury, this intricate structure is covered with a layer of fat.

Damage to any part of the system can lead to pain, but it is very difficult to recognize the true cause.Correctly carried out diagnostics using the latest developments in medicine allows you to accurately establish the diagnosis, but only an external examination will not be able to identify the focus of the disease.

Why does it hurt under the knee?

Often, pain is attributed to a bruise, old injuries and do not consider it necessary to consult a specialist, such an attitude can lead to complications.

Pain in a growing organism is usually not a sign of disorders of the musculoskeletal system, most likely, it means age-related changes.But if the pains torment for a long time, it is worth checking the state of the child’s body.

For your information! One of the causes of pulling pain may be a lack of trace elements in the body, which leads to the accumulation of mineral salts.

An excess of salts interferes with normal functioning. Often this problem occurs in pregnant women, because they need more vitamins and minerals to support the normal development of the child.

But pulling pain also speaks of dangerous injuries or inflammation:

• meniscus lesion or cyst;
• pinched nerves;
• Baker’s cyst;
• tendenitis;
• inflammation of the lymph nodes;
• osteoporosis;
• disorders of the blood vessels;
• flat feet;
• osteochondrosis.

Excess weight can be the result of pain. Fragile bones cannot cope with the load, and the destruction of the patella, as the main support system in the body, gradually begins.

What is CT and why is it prescribed for knee pain?

Cyst Baker

The disease consists in inflammation of the synovial membrane, its integrity is disrupted and an excessive amount of joint fluid accumulates. It puts excessive pressure on the tendon.A small induration can be found in the popliteal fossa, which does not disappear when the leg is flexed and extended.

The same disease is accompanied by the following manifestations:

• severe edema;
• numbness;
• tingling sensation.

Treatment consists of removing excess fluid, injecting anti-inflammatory drugs, and wearing a soft bandage. Most often, the diagnosis is made in patients over the age of 40.

Damage to the meniscus

The meniscus is a cartilaginous pad that stabilizes the knee.Its damage causes a strong and sharp rotation of the ankle, excessive stress on the joint. This type of pain indicates a tearing of the meniscus from the back inner side.

Treatment is possible only by surgical methods, after which it is necessary to wear an elastic bandage until complete recovery. The rehabilitation course takes up to six months.

Meniscus cyst

Formation of a cyst in the posterior part causes a pulling pain when walking. In addition to the cyst near the lateral ligaments, fluid forms in the knee cavity.Most often caused by severe stress on the knees and inadequate nutrition of the cartilage tissue.

First, drug treatment is carried out to relieve inflammation, if it does not give the desired results, areas of the damaged meniscus are surgically removed.

Varicose veins

This is a fairly common disease, it consists of varicose veins due to strong blood flow and weak venous tone. It is accompanied not only by pulling pain, but also by bulging of the veins in the lower part of the limb, convulsions.

The disease appears due to heavy loads, the heart pumps a large amount of blood, which the vascular walls cannot cope with.

Treatment is straightforward. It mainly consists in the use of ointments and creams to strengthen the veins. In the later stages, surgery and the wearing of pulling bandages are necessary.

Lymphadenitis

Pain may occur due to inflammation of the lymphatic system, but this is quite rare. Their increase occurs, which causes pain.Also, the disease is accompanied by fever, headache and weakness.

Treatment consists of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs. Various physiotherapy is carried out: electrophoresis, ultrasound treatment.

For your information! To avoid causing knee pain, therapeutic measures are accompanied by a reduction in stress on the knee.

Diseases of tendons and ligaments

Periarticular tissue is often the cause of the leg pulling behind the knee.Excessive stress for a long time, constantly repetitive movements cause swelling. Ligaments and tendons become enlarged and pinched. During which inflammation begins, bursitis occurs. Tendinitis may develop.

Why do knees crunch when squatting?

Tendinitis

Tendonitis – inflammation of the tendon bursa or tendon. The inflammation also spreads to the muscles adjacent to the tendon. Tendinitis is distinguished between chronic and acute.The development of the disease can be caused by parasites, but most often these are injuries and increased physical activity.

General symptoms:

1. Pain in the back of the knee, no pain is felt when immobilized.
2. Redness of the area of ​​inflammation.
3. Crunching knees when moving.
4. Slight swelling at the site of the disease.

It is important to make a correct diagnosis, since many diseases of the musculoskeletal system have similar symptoms, therapy depends on it.Treatment consists of physiotherapy, the use of NSAIDs, steroid injections.

Important! With purulent tendinitis, an operation is performed to pump out pus.

Thrombophlebitis

Popliteal vein thrombosis occurs due to the formation of a thrombus in the popliteal fossa vein. The consequence is a slowed down blood flow or even its stopping.

The exact causes of the development of the disease have not been established. The symptom most manifests itself is a pulling pain under the knee, but the following consequences are also possible:

• edema;
• cyanosis of the leg;
• pale limb.

The affected limb may be colder due to insufficient blood flow. Partial manifestation of varicose veins.

Treatment consists in surgical removal of the thrombus – endovascular balloon thromboextraction. After the operation, an elastic band is put on. Effective and rapid improvement can only be achieved with an immediate response to the symptoms of the disease.

Osteochondrosis

Curvature of the spine is spreading more and more due to a sedentary lifestyle, abnormal back position.With this ailment, pain manifests itself not only under the knee, but also in the lumbar girdle. Seizures may occur.

Due to the incorrect position of the spine, the nerves of the lower back, thigh or neck are pinched, but the pain will still radiate to the legs. Treatment is possible only under the guidance of a specialist.

Drawing pain under the knee behind is a symptom of many diseases of the musculoskeletal system, in order to exclude or confirm their presence, a thorough diagnosis should be carried out.Timely assistance is a guarantee of a reduced manifestation of complications.

90,000 Why does knee pain appear?

With knee discomfort, we rarely think about joint damage. After forty, it seems at all that there is nothing to worry about: at this age, the joints will inevitably hurt. In fact, it is very important to find out in time why there is pain in the knee joint : it can be a signal of injury, illness or even problems with the nervous system.

What can be injured in the knee?

The knee is one of the largest joints in the human body. It consists of:

• joint,
• end of the femur and tibia,
• muscles,
• vessels,
• nerves,
• ligaments,
• patella,
• meniscus,
• articular bag.

All of these parts can be damaged, although not all can hurt: there are no nerve endings in the bones.

Pain in the knee can be given by injuries of the femur and tibia, as well as nearby muscles.

Parts of the injury, such as a dislocated joint, injury or rupture of the meniscus, will reduce mobility. Damage to even small vessels will cause hematoma and inflammation, which will cause discomfort when trying to move your leg. The bursa is an excellent environment for infection: after viral and bacterial infections, patients often complain of complications and joint pain.And with a disease of the nerves, the patient will feel an acute shooting pain in the knee, even with a completely healthy joint.

Knee pain due to trauma

Injuries are one of the most common causes of pain. Knees can be injured in case of an unsuccessful fall, playing sports, sudden movement, even uncomfortable shoes can provoke complications.

• Knee contusion is a rather weak and very frequent injury. With it, the knee swells, turns red, the temperature of the joint may slightly rise.If bruised, knee massage may be required;
• Ligament rupture occurs when the lower leg or thigh is twisted too far to an unnatural side. A complete rupture of the ligaments causes severe pain and excessive joint mobility;
• Meniscus tear can be caused by high stress, unnatural position, impact on the leg, tucking of the lower leg. This is a common and difficult to diagnose injury in which normal leg movement is impaired;
• Fractures of the knee joint, lower leg or hip are combined with soft tissue injuries, causing unbearable pain, excessive mobility and deformity of the knee.

Such damage can be diagnosed by a surgeon or traumatologist. A visual examination is often sufficient, but you may be sent for x-rays (if a fracture or dislocation is suspected) or tomography if the doctor suspects damage to the ligaments or meniscus.

What joint diseases can cause pain?

Any damage to the joint, be it the destruction of cartilage, infection in the joint capsule or inflammation of the bones, will cause aching pain and decreased mobility. The disease is not always localized in the knee: common joint diseases will affect the entire body.In this case, the knees will collapse faster due to the high load.

• Arthritis – inflammation of the joint that can develop after injury, infection or metabolic problems;
• Bursitis – inflammation of the joint capsule, which leads to severe discomfort when trying to move the joint;
• With periarthritis , the tendons, muscles and ligaments that surround the knee joint become inflamed. Pain is felt with increased stress on the bent leg, for example, when going downstairs;
• Chondropathy – gradual destruction of the cartilage surrounding the joint and softening friction and shock;
• Neoplasms squeeze blood vessels and can deform the joint capsule, which will cause pain and limit mobility;
• At osteoporosis calcium is gradually washed out of bones and joints, tissues become weak and fragile.The disease is accompanied by aching pain and increased injury risk;
• Osteomyelitis – inflammation of bone tissue. Edema is visible on the affected area, the temperature rises, the patient experiences severe acute pain;
• Diseases of various nature – for example, influenza and tuberculosis – can cause complications due to an infection that has got into the joint capsule. In these cases, there is an increase in temperature, weakness, pain in several joints at once.

To diagnose these diseases, X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography are performed, which show all parts of the affected joint.If you suspect inflammation, the doctor will advise you to take a general and biochemical blood test, take a puncture of the synovial fluid. To exclude infectious diseases, you may be referred for additional tests and fluorography.

Pain in the knee joint due to nerve damage

Much less often, knee pain occurs due to a violation of the nervous tissue. It is accompanied by sharp shooting pains, numbness and tingling in the leg may begin.

• Neuritis – inflammation of a nerve in one or more areas.With it, the patient feels a throbbing pain and loses sensitivity, mobility may decrease, the leg begins to involuntarily contract at the knee;
• Nerve entrapment is a frequent consequence of inflammation, neoplasms and trauma. Due to physical pressure on the nerve roots in the knee, burning pain, numbness, loss of mobility, up to paralysis occurs.

MRI or CT are used to diagnose nervous diseases, depending on the patient’s contraindications. If the pain is caused by a pinched nerve, blood and synovial fluid tests may be needed to determine the cause of the joint deformity.

Sign up for an MRI of the knee joint

Is it possible to determine by the symptom why there is pain in the knee joint?

The exact cause of the pain can only be understood by a specialist and after appropriate tests. However, it is quite possible to roughly determine at least the affected area:

• If, in addition to pain, numbness or tingling is felt – the nerve is damaged ;
• Elevated knee temperature and edema – signs of inflammation ;
• General weakness, fever and poor health – joint diseases after a previous illness ;
• The pain is felt not only in the knees, but also in other joints, for example, in the shoulder or fingers: it can be both osteoporosis and the consequences of an infectious disease ;
• Sharp pain in the joint when trying to bend or straighten the leg, and very weak at rest – bursitis or advanced chondropathy ;
• Impaired joint mobility without loss of sensitivity is joint destruction, neoplasm or arthritis ;
• Fractures, dislocations and bruises will be preceded by a blow or fall that you are unlikely to ignore.In this case, dislocation of the joint, damage to the ligaments and meniscus are accompanied by excessive mobility in the knee.

Having roughly determined the cause of the pain, you can prepare for a visit to the doctor, make the necessary tests and images. This will shorten diagnostic time and speed up recovery. Do not try to treat a sore knee on your own, as you can be mistaken with the cause of the disease and aggravate the condition. Severe pain can be relieved with analgesics, and it is better to consult a doctor about anti-inflammatory drugs, chondroprotectors, bandages and physiotherapy.

90,000 Why do your legs hurt? 14 Possible Causes From Flat Feet to Diabetes | Healthy life | Health

The most innocent pain in the legs arises from banal fatigue. It passes without a trace by itself, and we will not take it into account. Let’s talk about more serious things.

Endarteritis

This is an inflammation of the inner lining of the arteries.

Symptoms. Acute pain and numbness in the legs occurs when walking after the first 50–100 steps.A short rest – and the symptoms disappear, only to return after two dozen steps. Therefore, a person is forced to periodically make stops along the way. Pain in the foot or calf can be troubling even when you are lying down, but if you lower your leg down, then the discomfort decreases.

What to do. Quit smoking (nicotine is the main risk factor for vascular ischemia) and contact a vascular surgeon. The doctor will prescribe a set of studies: MRI, angiography, ultrasound of blood vessels, various blood tests (including for nonspecific factors of inflammation).In case of severe sudden pain, it is better to call an ambulance – this may be a sign of a large artery blockage. In this case, there are only a few hours during which the leg can be saved. The disease is treated conservatively and surgically (vascular plastic is used).

Atherosclerosis of the arteries

Symptoms. Compressive calf pain and cramps worse when walking, running, climbing stairs, and may disturb at night. Cold feet in winter and summer. Lack of clear pulsation on the big toe.In men – the disappearance of hair on the toes and problems with potency.

What to do. Stop smoking and see a vascular surgeon. For diagnostics, ultrasound, magnetic resonance contrast angiography is used. Timely treatment will save you from gangrene and amputation.

Arthrosis, arthritis

Symptoms. Acute “twisting” pain in the joints when walking or standing for a long time, the joints themselves are deformed and begin to “click”.The pain is worse when the weather changes. Soreness, swelling, redness in the joint area.

What to do. Visit a rheumatologist as soon as possible, have an X-ray of the joints and take a general clinical blood test. The diagnostic, and at the same time also the therapeutic method, is arthroscopy. Treatment is only complex, therefore, in addition to taking medications, you will need special orthopedic devices, physiotherapy, diet, exercise therapy, etc.

Genitourinary diseases

Symptoms. Pain in the hips.

What to do. Ultrasound of the pelvic organs.

Thrombophlebitis

Symptoms. In the calf muscles – constant throbbing pain, often turning into a burning sensation. Redness and swelling, painful lumps along the veins.

What to do. Go to a vascular surgeon immediately. Do an angioscanning – to assess the veins along their entire length, to determine the degree of their “blockage”, to identify the threat of a thrombus rupture.Pass a blood test for nonspecific factors of inflammation. Most patients can be treated on an outpatient basis under the supervision of a physician.

Consequences of fractures

Symptoms. Severe pain when walking.

What to do. Wear special orthopedic devices – orthoses. They allow the injured limb to move, and the muscles to remain in good shape, but at the same time take on some of the load.

Heel spur

Symptoms. Sharp, sudden pain in the heel, usually while walking or running. Often the only medicine that can heal your heel pain is time, and while waiting for relief, go swimming and cycling.

What to do. Wait is just the case when time heals. Lose weight: being overweight is a risk factor. See a podiatrist and get an x-ray. For treatment, anti-inflammatory drugs, special transverse massage and laser therapy, orthopedic insoles and heel tabs are used.

Diabetes mellitus

Symptoms. Cramps occur in the legs (especially at night), swelling, weakness and pain, the skin on the legs becomes dry, peeling and itching appear. Often the legs “go numb”, they have a feeling of crawling, tingling.

What to do. Donate blood for sugar.

Osteoporosis

Symptoms. Leg cramps and severe pain in the calves are some of the manifestations of calcium deficiency. The problem is more typical for women over 40 years old.Blue-eyed blondes are at particular risk.

What to do. Make a painless study – densitometry (measurement of the level and density of bone tissue in the body). If it is found to be deficient, the doctor will prescribe special calcium preparations.

Myalgia

Symptoms. Pain in the muscles of the thighs is twitching, pulling or cutting. It can increase with physical overload, in damp or cold weather.

What to do. See a neurologist. For treatment, anti-inflammatory drugs are used, as well as pain relieving ointments and gels.

Gout

Symptoms. Sharp throbbing pain in the big toe at any time of the day or night, regardless of the load. The thumb is swollen, reddened, hot and very sensitive.

What to do. A simple examination by a rheumatologist and a blood test from a vein is sufficient to make a diagnosis. Gout is treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and uric acid suppressants.At the initial stage of the disease, it is enough to simply change the diet: limit alcohol, meat and fish dishes, rich broths, spicy snacks and seasonings, mushrooms, legumes, tomatoes, spinach, coffee, cocoa, chocolate.

Varicose veins

Symptoms. Drawing unpleasant pains intensify towards the end of the working day. Legs “buzz” so that you want to lie down and throw them higher.

What to do. Wear compression hosiery. It will relieve pain and slow down the development of the disease for a while.But this does not solve the problem. Therefore, at the first alarming symptoms, you need to go to a vascular surgeon and do an ultrasound scan of the veins (Doppler ultrasound). Further treatment will be prescribed by a doctor. In the early stages, the disease is treated conservatively: injection sclerotherapy.

Lumbosacral osteochondrosis

Symptoms. “Shooting” pain in the legs can be troubling even at rest, but intensifies with increasing load and sudden movements. However, rest does not lead to relief.Pain along the back or side of the leg from heel to buttock is a sign of sciatica (sciatica) inflammation.

What to do. Contact a neurologist or spine surgeon. An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) can help detect a strangulated intervertebral hernia. After analyzing the data, the doctor decides which treatment to choose – conservative or surgical.

Flat feet

Symptoms. Aching pain in feet and legs, which worsens towards evening.Fatigue when walking.

What to do. Consult an orthopedist. We’ll have to forget about high heels and shoes with narrow toes. Make foot baths with sea salt. Perform special exercises, wear instep supports prescribed by a doctor, and not purchased at the nearest market.

See also:

Heading health: how to cure flat feet

Almost 70% of Russians suffer from various degrees of flat feet.And this problem is not so harmless: because of it, young men are recognized as unfit for military service. Women are no less concerned about flat feet. How to avoid flat feet or relieve suffering, you will learn from our conversation.

What is flat feet?
Flat feet is a violation of the arch of the foot. Feet flatten and cease to “spring” when walking, hence the pain and excessive fatigue. If by the evening the legs get very tired even after the usual load, and when pressing on the middle of the sole, pain occurs – these are the first signs of flat feet.Sometimes the legs swell, but usually it goes away in the morning. At the second stage, flat feet remind of itself around the clock. Severe pain in the feet and legs make you avoid long walks. Sometimes you even have to change jobs. At the same time, the gait becomes heavy, duck – the rest of the body can hardly keep up with the chest, problems with shoes appear. Disfiguring bumps at the base of the thumbs are not only a cosmetic defect. They are constantly rubbed with great difficulty in the chosen shoes.The foot is deflected outward so that it is not possible to return it to the physiological position.
The third stage is a neglected disease. Walking is extremely difficult, the feet are severely deformed and resemble the usual outlines only by their location – below the ankle joints. Patients at this stage are disabled. Only a surgeon can help them out.

What is the threat of flat feet?
Normally, the foot is not flat at all, because powerful ligaments and muscles form two arches – longitudinal (along the inner edge of the foot) and transverse (between the bases of the toes).Such a complex structure is needed not only for support, but also in order to dampen vibrations when walking and save the body from overload, primarily the brain. Normal arches protect from “shaking” no worse than a foreign car, but a flat foot – alas! – copes with this in about the same way as the wheels of a cart. With flat feet, the role of a shock absorber is taken by the knee and hip joints and the spine, although they are not adapted for this task. Therefore, arthrosis, osteochondrosis, scoliosis and postural disorders are common and frequent companions of flat feet.

How is flat feet formed?
Flat feet are congenital, but more often it is an acquired problem. In children, flat feet, as a rule, occurs against the background of congenital connective tissue failure, while one of the important factors in the development of the disease is improperly selected shoes. Constant stimulation is needed to properly shape the arch of the foot. Hard grass, stones or sand make muscles and ligaments work, but usually we only have flat surfaces under our feet.At home – carpet, on the street – asphalt through the thick sole of the sneakers, which is remarkably springy when walking and thus takes over the natural function of the foot. Without load, the feet begin to lazy, and the arches “sag”. The result is flat feet “for the rest of your life.”

According to statistics, more than 65 percent of children acquire flat feet by school age. To prevent this from happening, carefully approach the choice of children’s shoes. And, first of all, do not let the kids wear other people’s shoes: the worn-out last does not distribute the load on the feet correctly.Children’s shoes should have a small heel, a hard back and a soft instep support – compensating for the absence of bumps and stones under the feet, it ensures the correct formation of the foot.

How does flat feet occur in adults?
In adults, static flat feet are more common, which is associated with excessive loads on the legs. What leads to it? First of all, overweight: it falls on the feet with an exorbitant weight. The situation is aggravated by standing for a long time, so hairdressers, teachers, salespeople, priests, traffic police officers and surgeons are at risk more than others.Athletes are also not immune from this misfortune: skaters and weightlifters have flat feet – an occupational disease. It must be said that women suffer from flat feet four times more often than men. This is easy to explain.

First, weight increases during pregnancy. In addition, women who are expecting a baby produce a special hormone called relaxin, which relaxes the ligaments.

And secondly, it is the legs that have to pay for the beauty: in high-heeled shoes and with pointed noses, we do not rely on the entire foot, but only on the heads of the metatarsal bones.Sooner or later, the foot will cease to resist this violence and will adapt to beautiful shoes: it will become depressingly flat. At the same time, the fingers will also not remain in debt – they are slowly but surely deformed. Therefore, doctors advise to save hairpins for special occasions, and in everyday life to give preference to practical, comfortable models with low heels with a hard back.

How do I know if you or your child have flat feet?
For a simple flatfoot test, you only need two things – a fat cream and a piece of paper.Lubricate the soles with cream and step on the paper. Stand upright, otherwise the result may be wrong. Now take a close look at the trail. Normally, there is a notch along the inner edge of the foot (there is no print here), which takes more than half of the foot in the middle. If this notch is absent at all or it is narrow (half a foot or less), there is no way to go: you need an orthopedist. The characteristic position of the big toes in your child – in different directions outward – also indicates probable flat feet. Here are some more warning signs:
The leg seems to have grown – you have to buy shoes one size larger.
The foot has become so wide that you no longer fit into your favorite shoes;
Matching shoes is a challenge as most models are painful; on old shoes, the heels are worn down on the inside.
The final diagnosis of will be made by an orthopedic surgeon on the basis of X-ray images or computer-aided examination of the feet.

How to cure flat feet?
Unfortunately, a radical cure for flat feet is possible only in childhood.In adults, the development of the disease can only be slowed down.

Here are the main ways

Leg Exercise
1. With the initial position of the legs apart, the socks “look” inward, make alternate turns of the body to the right and left with the rotation of the corresponding foot to the outer edge.
2. Then walk on your socks for a few minutes.
3. Then walk on your heels for the same time.
4. Walk a little with tucked toes.
5. Then walk with your fingers raised.
6. Several times a day for 10-15 minutes walk on the outer edges of the foot, like a “clubfoot bear”.
7. Try to pick up a small object from the floor with your toes several times: a pencil, a handkerchief, dominoes.
8. Lie on the floor and twist your feet to the left and right, back and forth, bend and unbend your toes.
9. From childhood, teach your child to read, write and draw with their feet on the outside edge.It is even better to combine this passive posture with active gymnastics: during sedentary work and classes, let the baby, as it were, rake imaginary sand into a pile with his soles. If you find yourself on the beach, let the real sand shovel. Since it is difficult to keep a pile of sand under your child’s desk, put a rolling pin, a hard rubber ball, and roll these objects along the arches of the feet.

Self-massage is best done after therapeutic exercises, with complete relaxation of the muscles.The main self-massage techniques are as follows:
– the shin should be stroked, rubbed with palms, kneaded, beaten with the ends of the fingers. Massage the lower leg from the ankle to the knee, mainly the inner surface of the lower leg;
– the foot should be stroked and rubbed with the back surface of bent fingers. The plantar surface of the foot should be massaged from toes to heel; for self-massage it is useful to use special rubber mats and massage rollers.

Herbal baths
-Bath of a decoction of oak bark
-Tincture of immortelle flowers
-Peppermint infusion
-Mint and linden blossom infusion
Such a bath relieves leg fatigue well.

When the foot is steamed, massage it again. After such a procedure, both children and adults sleep well: the calming effect of the baths through the reflexogenic zones of the sole affects. This procedure not only relieves fatigue, stress, it is also important for foot hygiene. Contrast baths are good: after hot – cold and so repeat several times.

Wearing the instep support
To save the spine and internal organs from the constant shaking that flat feet provide them, the instep support insoles will help.They return the foot to its normal position and take over the functions of a shock absorber. Sometimes a heel pad is also used (it is needed when developing heel spurs, and also if one leg is slightly shorter than the other). At the slightest sign of deformity of the big toe, an interdigital corrector will help – a small soft silicone spacer that is inserted between the first and second toes, so that the big toe can no longer deflect towards the little toe.
orthopedic surgeon will help you to find all these simple and so necessary devices.If the disease has gone far, he will advise, medications to relieve pain, suggest physiotherapy procedures.

How often should instep support be worn?
With pronounced flat feet constantly. It is even advisable to put them in house slippers, since this is the only way to block the disease. For preventive purposes, instep supports should be used no more than 3 – 4 hours a day, the rest of the time, giving the feet a reasonable load. There is a reason for this: the muscles and ligaments of the foot, naturally, get used to the support – so much so that they stop working on their own.

90,000 Night cramps: causes and remedies

A sharp burning pain in the calf muscles is familiar to almost everyone. Painful sensations can be strong or weak, but they usually last only a few seconds. If the pain was severe, then after night cramps for another 1-3 days, pain in the legs during movement may bother you.

As a rule, nocturnal cramps affect only the calf muscles. In some cases, fingers, foot, thigh can be brought together. In essence, a cramp is a muscle contraction that occurs involuntarily and is accompanied by burning pain.In this case, the muscles become hard. People usually face such a problem in middle and older age, but it is possible to experience seizures in childhood.

Causes of leg cramps at night:

1. Lack of certain substances: calcium, potassium, magnesium. This problem usually occurs in people who drink a lot of fluids during the day or sweat a lot. Along with excess fluid, the necessary elements are removed from the body. In addition, during pregnancy, a woman gives all the necessary substances to the developing fetus, which also provokes a lack of potassium, calcium and magnesium in the body.

2. An excess of caffeine in the diet, smoking.

3. Lack of vitamin D, which contributes to better absorption of calcium by the body. A lack of calcium can cause this unpleasant phenomenon. Vitamin D is produced by the body through exposure to sunlight. In places where the sun is rare, for example, in the north, people are often faced with a lack of this vitamin.

4. An excess of cortisol, which is produced during depression and stress.Cortisol is a hormone that inhibits the absorption of calcium from food, and also increases its excretion through the kidneys.

5. Curvature of the foot due to trauma, flat feet.

6. Taking medications for heartburn, gastritis, intestinal disorders also interferes with the normal absorption of trace elements from food intake, which as a result leads to night cramps.

7. The presence of a disease such as varicose veins.

8. Taking proteins to build muscle mass.An overabundance of protein in the diet leads to the appearance of ketosis, which becomes the main reason for the elimination of calcium from the body.

What to do in case of cramps in the calves:

1. As soon as the pain makes itself felt, you need to grab your toes with your hands and pull towards yourself, hold your fingers in this position for about a minute. Then slightly relax your legs and pull your toes again.

2. Pinch the muscle with your fingers to loosen it up a bit.

3.Massage the muscle using a warming ointment.

4. If the pain is not very strong, then you should get out of bed and walk barefoot on the cool floor.

5. Raise your legs, placing them on a soft pillow to start the blood outflow.

In order to avoid the appearance of a problem in the future, you need to take a full-fledged vitamin complex, enrich the diet with seafood, dairy products, fresh herbs, and fruits.