Leg Pain Treatment
Find the Source, Get Back to Moving
Leg pain can make it hard to walk, stand, sleep, work, or enjoy everyday activities. Knee pain is one common type of leg pain, but discomfort can also start in the hip, thigh, calf, shin, ankle, foot, lower back, or the nerves that travel down the leg. Our team is here to help you find the source of your pain and get back to the activities that matter most.
What Causes Leg Pain?
Leg pain can develop for a lot of reasons. Sometimes it follows an injury or overuse. Other times it’s related to a joint condition, nerve irritation, inflammation, poor circulation, or pain that starts in the lower back and travels down the leg.
Common causes include:
Nerve Pain
This may feel sharp, burning, shooting, tingling, or numb, and can travel from the lower back into the buttock, hip, thigh, calf, or foot. Conditions like sciatica, radiculopathy, and peripheral or diabetic neuropathy can all contribute.
Hip, SI Joint, or Lower Back Pain
Leg pain doesn’t always start in the leg. Problems in the lower back, hip, or sacroiliac joint can radiate into the buttocks, groin, thigh, or lower leg, often worse with walking, standing, bending, or sitting for long periods.
Joint Pain and Arthritis
This can affect the hip, knee, ankle, or other leg joints, with symptoms like aching, stiffness, swelling, or reduced range of motion.
Muscle, Tendon, or Ligament Strain
From overuse, sudden movement, repetitive activity, or poor conditioning, causing soreness, tightness, cramping, or tenderness.
Circulation-Related Pain
This can cause aching, heaviness, cramping, or fatigue, sometimes during activity and sometimes after prolonged standing, walking, or sitting.
Chronic Pain Conditions
These include prior injury, post-surgical pain, or complex nerve-related disorders, when pain continues beyond the expected healing time.
Common Leg Injuries and Pain Locations
Hip Pain
This may come from arthritis, bursitis, tendon irritation, injury, or pain referred from the back or SI joint, often felt in the groin, outer hip, buttock, or upper thigh.
Thigh Pain
This may relate to muscle strain, nerve irritation, hip conditions, or pain traveling from the spine.
Calf Pain
This may come from muscle strain, cramping, overuse, or circulation issues, or be referred from the back.
Shin Pain
Often from overuse, shin splints or medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), or changes in activity level, and more noticeable during walking, running, or exercise.
Ankle and Foot Pain
Foot and ankle pain may come from joint problems, nerve pain, arthritis, tendon inflammation, or a change in gait from pain elsewhere in the leg.
Knee Pain
Knee pain can follow injury, arthritis, inflammation, or overuse.
Persistent calf pain paired with swelling, warmth, redness, shortness of breath, or sudden severe pain should be evaluated right away to rule out a more serious condition like a blood clot or deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
How Is Leg Pain Treated?
Treatment depends on the cause, location, and severity of your symptoms. Our goal is to identify the true source of your pain and build a plan that helps reduce symptoms and improve function.
Your treatment plan may include:
- ✓A thorough evaluation of your symptoms, medical history, and any prior treatments, including where the pain starts, where it travels, and what makes it better or worse
- ✓Physical therapy to improve strength, flexibility, balance, gait, and mobility
- ✓Manual therapy to address how the joints, muscles, and connective tissue move
- ✓Dry needling with electrical stimulation to reduce pain and muscle tension
- ✓Activity and lifestyle guidance, including stretching, strengthening, posture adjustments, and strategies to reduce strain on the affected area
- ✓Taping or bracing, and a possible referral for orthotics
- ✓Education to help you understand and manage your pain
Many types of leg pain, including issues related to muscles, joints, and nerve irritation, respond well to physical therapy alone. When additional treatment is needed, your physician may discuss options like medication, injections, or, for certain chronic or nerve-related conditions, advanced pain management approaches such as spinal cord stimulation. We work closely alongside your physician throughout your care.
When Should I See Someone About Leg Pain?
Consider scheduling an evaluation if your leg pain:
- ✓Lasts longer than a few days or keeps returning
- ✓Interferes with walking, standing, working, or sleeping
- ✓Travels from your back into your hip, thigh, calf, or foot
- ✓Causes numbness, tingling, burning, or weakness
- ✓Gets worse despite rest or at-home care
- ✓Limits your ability to stay active
Seek immediate medical care if you experience sudden, severe leg pain, a leg that becomes swollen, warm, or red, chest pain, trouble breathing, loss of movement, or sudden numbness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Leg pain can come from muscle strain, arthritis, joint inflammation, nerve irritation, lower back problems, sciatica, neuropathy, injury, poor circulation, or chronic pain conditions, and may affect the hip, thigh, knee, calf, shin, ankle, or foot.
Leg pain that begins in the lower back or buttock and travels down the leg may be caused by nerve irritation in the spine, such as sciatica, radiculopathy, spinal stenosis, or a herniated disc.
If your leg pain lasts more than a few days, keeps coming back, limits walking or standing, interferes with sleep, or causes numbness, tingling, burning, or weakness, it’s a good time to have it evaluated.
Nerve pain in the leg may feel sharp, burning, shooting, electric, tingling, or numb, sometimes along with weakness or sensitivity to touch. It often needs a different treatment approach than muscle or joint pain.
Yes. Many causes of leg pain respond well to non-surgical treatment, especially physical therapy, and many people find lasting relief without ever needing a procedure.
Leg pain should be evaluated right away if it’s sudden and severe, follows an injury, causes an inability to walk, or comes with swelling, warmth, redness, chest pain, or shortness of breath.
Mild leg pain may improve with rest, ice or heat, gentle stretching, hydration, and activity modification. If symptoms don’t improve, keep returning, or affect your mobility, it’s worth having it evaluated.
Yes. Circulation-related leg pain can cause cramping, heaviness, aching, or fatigue, especially during activity. Ongoing or worsening symptoms should be evaluated by a physician, since circulation issues sometimes need specialized care.
It depends on the cause. Chronic leg pain may come from nerve irritation, arthritis, spine conditions, neuropathy, prior injury, or a chronic pain disorder. Our team can help identify the source and build a personalized plan focused on reducing symptoms and improving function.
Contact Us to Get Started
You don’t have to keep pushing through leg pain. Contact us today to schedule an evaluation and get back on the path to better health.
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