Causes of Leg Muscle Pain
By Madhusudhan Tammisetti
Leg muscle pain occurs commonly. There is sometimes a clear explanation, such as physical exertion or an injury. However, there are situations when determining the cause is more difficult. Knowing the reason is crucial since chiropractic treatment may be dependent on it.
Muscle pain is most often described as cramping, tightness, and aching. These may seem unusual, but muscle pain in legs may be difficult to distinguish from other causes.
There are situations when it's clear that the skin joints or bones are the sources of pain. Also, it is sometimes obvious that the pain may be caused by peripheral neuropathy. These disorders create pain that is distinct from muscular pain. You may often see the accompanying symptoms that reveal the underlying cause. However, certain forms of pain are difficult to pinpoint. For instance, while walking, spinal stenosis might induce leg pain that is difficult to differentiate from muscular pain caused by artery blockages.
Visiting a chiropractor may help identify the exact reasons for the pain. The chiropractor may ask you to do stretching exercises and may suggest massaging on the afflicted area.
Pain at Night
It's crucial to identify at what time the pain occurs. Leg pain that occurs at night has different reasons than the pain that occurs at other times. The following are some of the things to consider.
Muscles aren't getting enough blood. This is most likely the most serious cause. Artery blockages have to be severe enough to induce leg pain.
Neuropathy is another cause of pain at night. Nerve pain is common, and most people experience it at night.
Muscle Tightness
Occurrence of leg pain due to tight muscles are fairly common, as unmedical as it may seem. It's more challenging to distinguish it from vascular or other types of muscle leg pain.
Muscle Inflammation
Myositis is a term used to describe a range of rare disorders. Muscle inflammation is referred to as myositis. These disorders might be difficult to identify. However, it is critical to make the diagnosis since these conditions might worsen. Some of them are linked to cancer.
Some chiropractic treatments may help relieve leg muscle pain. A chiropractor may recommend simple stretching exercises that may prove beneficial to you. Other suggestions may include massaging. Massage therapy may help ease the pain.
You may also apply ice or a heat pack to reduce the pain. Resting the afflicted region may sometimes prove to be comforting.
Walking May Cause Leg Muscle Pain
Calf pain during walking is not the same as calf pain while lying in bed at night. Leg pain at night has a quite distinct set of reasons than leg pain during walking. Most arterial blockages, for instance, do not cause leg pain at night unless they are quite severe and advanced. Even minor artery blockages might cause leg pain while walking.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in St. Louis, Mo.