The inflammation of structures in the leg such as joints, muscles, bones, ligaments, tendons, nerves, skin and blood vessels may lead to subtle or extreme conditions of leg pain. It may turn out to be a common occurrence to a person who has a history of injuries. The causes of leg pain are associated with many more conditions of the body, thus making the work of the therapist far more necessary. Some of the different symptoms of leg pain and their cure are as mentioned below.
Leg pain symptoms
Leg pain has numerous symptoms with different causes and conditions. There are different ways of describing a leg pain, such as ache, burn, dull, sharp or heavy. Some pains are constant while most of them grow worse when involved in a muscular activity. Most times, the leg pain is not caused by any problems in the leg but is instead radiated from another part of the body.
Pain could also be caused by the narrowing of blood vessels. Such a condition is known as claudication. Such pain grows intense when involved in a muscular activity but will resolve with sufficient rest. Decrease of oxygen supply to the tissues of leg is also caused by ischemia – a condition produced after blood clot. People who suffer from neuropathy will experience pain in the form of burning sensations, and those with sciatica will experience a sharp pain.
Diagnosis and therapy
Before the start of therapeutic sessions, blood tests will be performed in order to detect conditions such as infections and inflammations. There are different forms of blood tests used to detect different conditions. Imaging methods are then used to determine the physical conditions which affect the leg pain.
X-rays are well-known imaging techniques, and it helps to indicate any fractures or damages to the bone. It also looks for problems in joints such as calcifications. Ultrasound techniques are used in deep vein thrombosis and superficial vein thrombosis. Ankle-brachial index is used for the assessment of arterial blood flow which will help detect the conditions of blood vessels narrowing.
After the conditions are successfully determined, the treatment of such conditions will follow. The type of treatment depends on the condition itself. In case of major injuries, a surgery has to be performed. In case of mild conditions, the patient must take progressive treatment and self-care measures to find a cure.
