Leg pain

Leg pain is a symptom with many possible causes. Most leg pain results from wear and tear or overuse. It also can result from injuries or health conditions in joints, bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves or other soft tissues. Some types of leg pain can be traced to problems in your lower spine. Leg pain also can be caused by blood clots, varicose veins or poor blood flow.

Some common causes of leg pain include:

Arthritis

1. Gout
2. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
3. Osteoarthritis (the most common type of arthritis)
4. Pseudogout
5. Psoriatic arthritis
6. Reactive arthritis
7. Rheumatoid arthritis (a condition that can affect the joints and organs)

Blood flow problems

1. Claudication
2. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
3. Peripheral artery disease (PAD)
4. Thrombophlebitis
5. Varicose veins

Bone conditions

1. Ankylosing spondylitis
2. Bone cancer
3. Legg-Calve-Perthes disease
4. Osteochondritis dissecans
5. Paget's disease of bone

Infection

1. Cellulitis
2. Infection
3. Osteomyelitis (an infection in a bone)
4. Septic arthritis

Injury

1. Achilles tendinitis
2. Achilles tendon rupture
3. ACL injury
4. Broken leg
5. Bursitis (A condition in which small sacs that cushion the bones, tendons and muscles near joints become inflamed.)
6. Chronic exertional compartment syndrome
7. Growth plate fractures
8. Hamstring injury
9. Knee bursitis
10. Muscle strains (An injury to a muscle or to tissue that connects muscles to bones, called a tendon.)
11. Patellar tendinitis
12. Patellofemoral pain syndrome
13. Shin splints
14. Sprains (Stretching or tearing of a tissue band called a ligament, which connects two bones together in a joint.)
15. Stress fractures (Tiny cracks in a bone.)
16. Tendinitis (A condition that happens when swelling called inflammation affects a tendon.)
17. Torn meniscus

Nerve problems

1. Herniated disk
2. Meralgia paresthetica
3. Peripheral neuropathy
4. Sciatica (Pain that travels along the path of a nerve that runs from the lower back down to each leg.)
5. Spinal stenosis

Muscle conditions

1. Dermatomyositis
2. Medicines, especially the cholesterol medicines known as statins
3. Myositis
4. Polymyositis

Other problems

1. Baker cyst
2. Growing pains
3. Muscle cramp
4. Night leg cramps
5. Restless legs syndrome
6. Low levels of certain vitamins, such as vitamin D
7. Too much or too little of electrolytes, such as calcium or potassium

• Definition
• When to see a doctor