7 Types of Leg Pain (And Which Are Serious)

Leg pain may indicate you need to rest – or signal a more serious issue

1 IS YOUR LEG PAIN SERIOUS?

“The key with leg pain is the context,” said Dr Casey Humbyrd, a foot and ankle orthopaedics specialist. “If someone just got off a plane and says ‘My leg hurts,’ go to the hospital. We truly see a spike in deep vein thrombosis (DVT) during holiday travel season. Of course, many other kinds of leg pain are just signs of overuse and respond to ice and antiinflammatory pain medications.” DVT occurs when there is a blood clot in a vein, and requires immediate medical attention.

2 SHIN SPLINTS

If you have pain in the front of the leg or knee, this is often a sign of shin splints and is

almost always related to overuse. “You often hear people say ‘I just started walking or running and started out at about five kilometres a day,’” says Dr Humbyrd. “Their bodies aren’t ready for that increase in activity. “Rest your legs, use ice to reduce swelling, and take antiinflammatory painkillers,” she advises.

3 LEG CRAMPS

Spasms or cramps in the leg muscles that don’t relax for at least several seconds may be caused by overuse or dehydration, says Dr John-Paul Rue, an orthopaedic sports medicine surgeon. Sometimes just walking much longer than usual may trigger leg cramps. Routine muscle cramps generally last just a few seconds or minutes and ease with warmth, rest and stretching, he says. Another cause of ongoing cramping in the legs could be peripheral artery disease, a clogging of the arteries (much like heart disease) that can reduce circulation to the limbs.

4 KNEE PAIN

If the knee pain increases when you move the joint or press on it or the joint is swollen or looks red, you may have bursitis, says Dr Rue. Rest, ice and over-thecounter pain relievers can treat bursitis. It’s also advised to cushion your knees if you need to repetitively kneel or if the knee is in contact with hard surfaces.

5 SCIATICA

A shooting pain down the back of the leg may be caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve that runs from the lower back through the buttocks and into the legs. “We see that in gentlemen who carry heavy wallets in the back pocket of their pants,” says Dr Rue. Relieve the pressure on the nerve and the pain will often heal.

6 ACHILLES TENDON INJURY

Pain above the heel bone is a common sign of an Achilles tendon injury, one of the most common leg pain causes, says Dr Humbyrd. Wearing high heels and overuse can cause these injuries, especially for people with flat feet. Rest and ice can help the tendon heal. Don’t ignore the pain and continue running, power walking, or doing other exercises or athletics.

7 THIGH PAIN

Builders, police officers and others who wear heavy belts often complain of thigh-specific leg pain. The reason may be that the belts cause pressure on a nerve that surrounds the hip. The pain radiates down the thigh, says Dr Rue. The long-term solution is to reduce the weight of the belt to relieve the pressure on the nerve.

Only doctors can truly diagnose leg pain causes, though, so if home treatment doesn’t ease discomfort fairly quickly, seek medical advice.