Nerve and Leg Pain
Understanding Nerve & Leg Pain
By Neurosurgery Singapore
What is Nerve and Leg Pain?
Nerve and leg pain can be sharp, dull, numbing, tingling, burning, radiating, or aching. Pain feels like traveling down the leg.
Pain occurs when nerves react to stimuli, such as excessive pressure, extreme temperatures, or chemicals released by tissue damage. It can be classified as acute—sudden and short-term—or chronic, where the pain is persistent over time. The severity of pain is often rated on a scale from 1 to 10 or categorized as mild to severe.
The cause of pain may often be clear in cases of acute leg injuries, such as those sustained during sports or accidents, which are typically traumatic in nature.
Other causes, such as peripheral arterial disease (PAD), tend to build up over time, although the person may be able to pinpoint the onset of pain.
Some sports injury develops gradually over time, such as repetitive strain injuries and stress fractures. Traumatic injuries can also become long-term or chronic issues if the individual fails to rest or seek appropriate treatment.
It is crucial to pay attention to the events leading up to and surrounding the onset of leg pain, as this information can help determine the appropriate timing for seeking medical attention.
What are some symptoms of Nerve and Leg Pain?
Leg pain is also frequently a sign of injury, such as the following:
- Muscle strain is a common injury that occurs when leg muscle fibers tear due to overstretching. It typically affects larger muscles, such as the hamstrings, calves, or quadriceps.
- Tendinitis is the inflammation of a tendon, which is a thick cord that connects muscles to bone. When a tendon becomes inflamed, it can make movement of the affected joint painful or difficult. Tendinitis most commonly affects the tendons in the hamstrings or around the heel.
- Knee bursitis happens when the fluid-filled sacs, or bursa, surrounding the knee joint become inflamed.
- Shin splints cause pain along the inner edge of the shinbone (tibia) and typically occur when the muscles surrounding the shinbone become strained due to overuse.
- Stress fractures are small cracks in the leg bones, particularly in the shin bone.
Certain medical conditions commonly lead to nerve and leg pain. These include:
- Atherosclerosis is the narrowing and hardening of the arteries caused by a buildup of fat and cholesterol. Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. When a blockage occurs, it restricts blood flow to various areas, which can lead to pain in the legs, particularly in the calves, if the tissues don’t receive enough oxygen.
- Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) occurs when a blood clot forms in a vein deep within the body. A blood clot is a thickened mass of blood in a solid state. DVTs most commonly develop in the lower leg after prolonged periods of bed rest, leading to swelling and cramping pain.
- Arthritis is the inflammation of the joints, often causing swelling, pain, and redness in the affected areas. It most commonly affects the knees and hips.
- Gout is a form of arthritis that can occur when too much uric acid builds up in the body. It usually causes pain, swelling, and redness in the feet and lower part of the legs.
- Varicose veins are enlarged, twisted veins caused by faulty valves that allow blood to pool. They often appear swollen or raised, can cause pain, and are most commonly found in the calves and ankles
- Infection in the bone or tissues of the leg can cause swelling, redness, or pain in the affected area.
- Nerve damage, often referred to as neuropathy, can cause numbness, nerve pain, or tingling in the feet and lower legs. It frequently results from diabetes, which damages nerves due to prolonged high blood sugar levels.
“The course of nerve and leg pain depends on the underlying cause. Leg pain due to radiculopathy is common and may be well managed with nonsurgical treatment, with 75% to 90% improvement in symptoms. If the pain becomes chronic and neurological symptoms such as weakness and numbness persist or worsen, surgery may be recommended.”
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What types of diagnosis?
Our Specialist may ask and conduct one or more of the following tests to determine whether you have leg pain:
- History of symptoms. To diagnose leg pain, our doctor will first want to get your full medical history. This includes whether you have had any recent injuries, where you feel the pain, and how the pain feels.
- Physical examination. Our doctor will include testing your muscle strength and reflexes. He might also ask you to do some stretching and moving exercises to determine which activities cause more pain as well as sharp pain.
- X-rays. This is required to make certain there are no broken bones, but often with stress or overuse injuries where no direct blow has occurred. Standing X-rays of the knees are used to assess the joint space and compare the injured knee to the uninjured one.
- MRI, CT scan. This scan can provide more-detailed views of the bones in your leg and may spot fractures that don’t show up on X-rays.
Possible neurological issues of leg pain?
Sometimes the source of some pain is problems with your nerves.
Narrowed spinal canal (stenosis) and sciatica. A common cause of a narrowed spinal canal is arthritis of the spine. Sometimes a herniated disc puts pressure on nearby nerve roots, which can lead to symptoms of sciatica, such as:
- Burning, cramping leg pain when standing or sitting
- Numbness
- Tingling
- Fatigue
- Weakness
Pain may begin in your back and hip, then later extend down into your leg. Rest is often the cure for other pains of the leg, but not this one. It doesn’t help sciatica.
Diabetic neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes. Nerves can be damaged from high blood sugar levels. It can cause pain in both of your legs along with numbness and less sensation in the lower legs.
Treatment for neurological issues of leg pain?
The leg pain treatment depends entirely on the cause of the problem. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that you understand the cause of your symptoms before embarking on a treatment program. If you are unsure of your diagnosis, or the severity of your condition, you should seek medical advice before beginning any treatment.
Conservative treatments can involve can involve the following:
- Prescription medications. Painkillers, muscle relaxers and other medications may help with pain swelling and anti inflammatory. Other medications, like tricyclic antidepressants and anti-seizure medications, may also help if you have chronic or nerve-based pain.
- Physical therapy. The goal of physical therapy is to find exercise movements that decrease sciatica by reducing pressure on the nerve. Options include stretching exercises or low-impact activities like walking, swimming or water aerobics.
- Spinal injections. Injections may provide short-term relief (typically up to three months). Our Specialist can tell you more about this process.
- Alternative therapies. These treatments are increasingly popular and offer options other than standard medical therapies or medications. Massage therapy might also help muscle spasms that occur with sciatica.
