Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCauses of Leg PainAt-Home TreatmentWhen to Seek Care
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes of Leg Pain
At-Home Treatment
When to Seek Care
Olga Rolenko / Getty Images
1. Muscle Cramps
Muscle crampsor spasms—commonly known as a Charley horse—often cause leg pain after exercise or during the night while you sleep.
Muscle cramps in the legs can have a variety of causes, such as:
2. Injuries
Leg injuries usually occur from some trauma—such as a fall, car accident, or an incident during exercise or sports—leading to leg pain. Various types of soft tissue injuries can affect the legs, including:
3. Infections
Leg pain can occur with certain infections, such ascellulitis, a skin infection commonly affecting the legs. In addition to pain, cellulitis causes skin redness, warmth, and leg swelling.
Osteomyelitisis another condition that can cause leg pain. This condition occurs when a bone becomes infected. In addition to pain, osteomyelitis can cause:
Severe infections can lead tonecrosiswhen the infected bone tissue dies.
4. Arthritis
There are many different types of arthritis, but the two that commonly cause leg pain areosteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Osteoarthritis(OA)—considered a “wear and tear” type of arthritis—occurs when cartilage that provides padding between bones in a joint wears down over time.In the leg, OA commonly affects the knee and the hip joints. It might feel stiff, especially first thing in the morning.
In addition to pain, OA can cause:
Rheumatoid arthritis(RA) can cause inflammation and pain throughout the body. RA is an autoimmune condition in which the body mistakenly attacks its own joints. It can affect any joint in the legs and typically affects the same joints on each side of the body at the same time.
RA can also cause:
5. Blood Flow Problems
Leg pain can occur due to blood flow problems.Peripheral artery disease(PAD)—also called peripheral vascular disease (PVD)—occurs when blood vessels that bring oxygen from the heart to other parts of the body (arteries) narrow. Plaque (substances such as fat and cholesterol) build-up in the arteries or spasms in the artery walls can cause PAD. It can occur anywhere in the body but commonly affects blood flow to the legs.
Symptoms of PAD in the legs typically occur during activity, such as walking or climbing stairs, and resolve with rest. These leg symptoms include:
In severe cases, PAD can causegangrene, a condition that causes external tissue death.
Chronic venous insufficiency is another blood flow issue that can cause leg pain. This condition develops when veins in the legs don’t allow your blood to flow back up to your heart, so blood accumulates in your legs.
Pain usually increases with activity and decreases at rest. In addition to leg pain, this condition can cause:
6. Blood Clots
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a type of blood clot that occurs when the blood in your leg—or another body part—clots and disrupts or blocks blood flow. When it clots in your leg, DVT can cause leg pain and other symptoms such as swelling and redness. If left untreated, blood clots can be life-threatening.
7. Bone Conditions
Leg pain can occur with conditions that affect your bones, including bone cancer or cancer that has spread to your bones.
A broken leg bone (or bone fracture) typically causes intense pain. You might also notice bruising and swelling with this injury. In severe cases, if the ends of your bone are not properly aligned, your leg might also appear deformed.
Stress fractures are another bone condition that can cause leg pain. Tiny cracks develop in the bones due to repeated stress over extended periods.
8. Nerve Problems
Peripheral neuropathyis a general term for nerve compression in the legs (or arms). This condition can occur from trauma or as a side effect of some medical conditions, such as diabetes.
Many people describe nerve pain as stabbing, burning, or shooting. Nerve problems can also cause:
9. Muscle Conditions
Muscle and tendon (structures that connect muscles to bones) overuse can cause leg pain.
Tendonitis is a common overuse injury in the leg. It occurs when tendons become inflamed. In addition to pain, tendonitis can cause stiffness, swelling, and sometimes muscle weakness. Tendonitis symptoms are usually worse with activity and improve with rest.
Examples of specific overuse injuries that cause leg pain include:
Treating Leg Pain at Home
Ice and heatcan often help reduce symptoms of leg pain, but you should be mindful about when you use each.
When your legs hurt, avoid activities that aggravate your symptoms as much as possible until your symptoms improve. Keep your legs moving, but stay within a pain-free range of motion. Consult a physical therapist for specific exercise instructions.
When to Contact a Healthcare Provider
Leg paincan have a variety of causes unrelated to muscles, bones, nerves, and ligaments. Some can be related to your diet, such as a vitamin deficiency or an electrolyte imbalance. Contact a healthcare provider if you have leg pain that seemingly came “out of nowhere.” See a healthcare professional if your leg pain doesn’t improve within a few days of home remedies. If you’ve had an injury and your leg appears deformed, or you can’t bear weight on your leg, seek immediate medical attention.
Summary
Leg pain can have many causes, including minor injury, overuse, trauma, infection, or even a severe underlying medical condition. Some common causes are minor, temporary conditions that can improve with rest and home remedies. If you have leg pain that does not improve within a few days or interferes with your walking ability, see a healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment recommendations.
17 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Library of Medicine.Muscle cramps.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Sprains, strains, and other soft-tissue injuries.Sullivan T, de Barra E.Diagnosis and management of cellulitis.Clin Med (Lond). 2018;18(2):160-163. doi:10.7861/clinmedicine.18-2-160Bury DC, Rogers TS, Dickman MM.Osteomyelitis: diagnosis and treatment.Am Fam Physician. 2021;104(4):395-402.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Osteoarthritis.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Arthritis: an overview.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Peripheral vascular disease.American Heart Association.What is peripheral artery disease?Johns Hopkins Medicine.Chronic venous insufficiency.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)/thrombophlebitis.National Cancer Institute.Managing cancer pain: are better approaches on the horizon?American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Fractures (broken bones).American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Stress fractures.National Health Service.Peripheral neuropathy.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Osgood-schlatter disease.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Overuse injuries.University of Maryland Medical System.Heat vs. ice: which does your injury need?
17 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Library of Medicine.Muscle cramps.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Sprains, strains, and other soft-tissue injuries.Sullivan T, de Barra E.Diagnosis and management of cellulitis.Clin Med (Lond). 2018;18(2):160-163. doi:10.7861/clinmedicine.18-2-160Bury DC, Rogers TS, Dickman MM.Osteomyelitis: diagnosis and treatment.Am Fam Physician. 2021;104(4):395-402.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Osteoarthritis.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Arthritis: an overview.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Peripheral vascular disease.American Heart Association.What is peripheral artery disease?Johns Hopkins Medicine.Chronic venous insufficiency.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)/thrombophlebitis.National Cancer Institute.Managing cancer pain: are better approaches on the horizon?American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Fractures (broken bones).American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Stress fractures.National Health Service.Peripheral neuropathy.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Osgood-schlatter disease.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Overuse injuries.University of Maryland Medical System.Heat vs. ice: which does your injury need?
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Library of Medicine.Muscle cramps.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Sprains, strains, and other soft-tissue injuries.Sullivan T, de Barra E.Diagnosis and management of cellulitis.Clin Med (Lond). 2018;18(2):160-163. doi:10.7861/clinmedicine.18-2-160Bury DC, Rogers TS, Dickman MM.Osteomyelitis: diagnosis and treatment.Am Fam Physician. 2021;104(4):395-402.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Osteoarthritis.American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Arthritis: an overview.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Peripheral vascular disease.American Heart Association.What is peripheral artery disease?Johns Hopkins Medicine.Chronic venous insufficiency.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)/thrombophlebitis.National Cancer Institute.Managing cancer pain: are better approaches on the horizon?American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Fractures (broken bones).American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Stress fractures.National Health Service.Peripheral neuropathy.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Osgood-schlatter disease.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Overuse injuries.University of Maryland Medical System.Heat vs. ice: which does your injury need?
National Library of Medicine.Muscle cramps.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Sprains, strains, and other soft-tissue injuries.
Sullivan T, de Barra E.Diagnosis and management of cellulitis.Clin Med (Lond). 2018;18(2):160-163. doi:10.7861/clinmedicine.18-2-160
Bury DC, Rogers TS, Dickman MM.Osteomyelitis: diagnosis and treatment.Am Fam Physician. 2021;104(4):395-402.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Osteoarthritis.
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Arthritis: an overview.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Peripheral vascular disease.
American Heart Association.What is peripheral artery disease?
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Chronic venous insufficiency.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)/thrombophlebitis.
National Cancer Institute.Managing cancer pain: are better approaches on the horizon?
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Fractures (broken bones).
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.Stress fractures.
National Health Service.Peripheral neuropathy.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Osgood-schlatter disease.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Overuse injuries.
University of Maryland Medical System.Heat vs. ice: which does your injury need?
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