Common Causes of Leg Pain
The specific location of leg pain can give some insight to what the trouble might be. Many of the conditions are related to overuse injury to the muscles of the lower leg. Read below for more detail about common conditions causing leg pain. While this information is useful, it is not a substitute for a visit to the doctor. If you are having issues, please seek out a physician like a Chiropractor who can correctly identify and treat your leg pain.
Calf Strain: Pulled Calf
Most of us have experienced a pulled calf to some degree. This is a strain of the muscles in the back of the lower leg. Furthermore, there are three muscles in this area each attaching to the Achilles tendon. These calf muscles are the: Medial Gastrocnemius, Lateral Gastrocnemius, and the Soleus. In the majority of cases, a calf strain is a sports injury. For example, activities like running, jumping, tackling, or working out at the gym can result in tearing. On the other hand, strain can easily result from trauma such as automobile accident, or a fall.
Mechanism
In the majority of cases, a calf strain is a sports injury. For example, activities like running, jumping, tackling, or working out at the gym can result in tearing. On the other hand, strain can easily result from trauma such as automobile accident, or a fall.
Treatment
For Strains and Sprains, acute care involves: rest, ice, and gentle therapies like pulsed ultrasound and soft tissue techniques. After the acute inflammatory stage, it is good to move onto joint manipulation and rehab to ensure proper mechanics are restored.
Shin Splints
A common cause of lower extremity pain is shin pain. Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome more commonly known as shin splints is a condition associated with stress and pain at the inner border of the lower leg. It is specifically the inside of the tibia bone that is affected. This is particularly common in running and jumping sports but can occur during any activity that causes repetitive stress in this area. Activities that involve running up or downhill or on uneven surfaces are associated with developing shin splints. Recent changes in footwear or beginning a new exercise regimen can also be associated with onset of symptoms.
Mechanism
The pain is produced when there is damage done to the fibers that connect the muscle and fascia to the shin bone. Muscle and fascia connect to the periosteum (membrane that covers the bone) of the tibia via Sharpey’s fibers. Contraction of the muscles produces a force that pulls on this connection causing microdamage and inflammation. Shin splint pain can be a deep, dull throbbing or razor-like and sharp. This of course is worse with activity. Being that Sharpey’s fibers and the periosteum are what carry the sensation of the bone, it can almost feel like a fracture. In fact, stress fracture is something that a physician needs to rule out during examination. It is also possible for repetitive strain of the muscles of the front of the shin to be confused with shin splints. This condition is typically associated with faulty mechanics like over pronation of the foot, flat feet, tight gastrocsoleus complex (calf muscles), achilles abnormalities, weak intrinsic foot muscles, and weak dorsiflexors (especially anterior tibialis).
Treatment
Acute care involves rest, ice, and gentle therapies like pulsed ultrasound and soft tissue techniques. As care progresses joint manipulation by our Chiropractor, rehab, and foot orthotics should be considered. The goal of treatment is to change the biomechanics improving the efficiency of the patient’s gait and thereby reducing the repetitive stress.
Nerve Entrapments
Nerves can become entrapped at many points from the spine to the leg. This results in leg pain radiating down from the point of pressure. For example, sciatica is a nerve entrapment that results in leg pain. Nerve pain is addressed in a different section: click
here for more detail.
Deep Vein Thrombosis Causing Leg Pain
A deep vein thrombosis (
DVT) is a blood clot in the vein of the leg. Deep vein thrombosis can occur after trauma to a vein or anything that would cause the blood to stop moving in the vein. This includes things like infection and even cancer. Risk factors include:
surgery, smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, rheumatoid arthritis (or other autoimmune disorders), and lack of activity. Signs and symptoms include: pain, swelling, discoloration, and warmth in the leg. A DVT can appear as a simple injury or pulled muslce, but carries significant risk. In this case, the major risk is pulmonary embolism. This is where the clot travels to the lungs and can be fatal. DVT is a rule out diagnosis for leg pain. Furthermore, it is not a mechanical issue. It is a more urgent situation that should be treated at the hospital immediately after onset of symptoms. A skilled physician should rule this out before beginning treatment. This is an example of why you should not self diagnose and so instead see a specialist like a Chiropractor.
Compartment Syndrome Causing Leg Pain
Compartment syndrome is painful swelling that develops in the muscles of the lower leg. It can be an acute injury in which case it is an emergency. Alternatively, it can be a chronic issue due to over exertion. In that case, it typically self resolves with rest. The danger in compartment syndrome is that pressure can build to levels that compress vessels thereby restricting blood flow. Although this is a mechanical diagnosis, it is also potentially an emergency. It is a diagnosis that should be ruled out by a physician like a Chiropractor to determine proper treatment.
