Thigh pain can cause you to have difficulty walking, running, or climbing stairs. Sometimes inner thigh pain or upper thigh pain can occur after trauma or an injury. Other times, it may be linked to an underlying health condition and symptoms emerge without an obvious reason.
In rare cases, thigh pain can be a sign of a life-threatening condition, such as cancer.Typically, though, a more likely cause is muscle strain, nerve injury, orosteoarthritis. Your healthcare provider can diagnose the condition and discuss treatment options with you. Keeping track of your thigh pain in a journal can help to pinpoint the cause.
Inner Thigh Pain
Muscle strains are a common cause of inner thigh pain, but other conditions (such askidney stones) can lead to symptoms either directly or indirectly.
Symptoms
Symptoms of inner thigh pain can include:
Additional symptoms, such as fever orfatigue, may occur with a specific cause or type of inner thigh pain.
Causes
A number of conditions can lead to inner thigh pain. They include:
In some cases, pain that arises in the lower back or hip can radiate into the inner thigh. This means you experience the pain in the thigh even though it originates somewhere else.
Treatment
How your inner thigh pain is treated will depend on the underlying cause. For a minor muscle strain from overuse or injury, it may be enough to use the R.I.C.E. method. This care involves:
Along with over-the-counter pain relievers like Advil (ibuprofen), these steps may work at home until the pain resolves. Exercises, includinggroin stretches, may be needed to help heal the thigh.
In many cases, however, you’ll need to see a healthcare provider for a diagnosis and treatment. That can mean medication for osteoarthritis, surgery for an affected nerve, and more.
Some people benefit fromacupunctureto relieve their thigh pain.During a session, a licensed acupuncturist will determine the spots causing thigh pain. Then, they will place very thin needles into the top layer of your skin at specific points on the body to restore healthy flow once again.
Upper Thigh Pain
Causes of upper thigh pain can be obvious or, in some cases, less so. Understanding your thigh pain and what may be causing it is the first step to properly treating your condition.
Symptoms associated with causes of upper thigh pain include:
Common causes of thigh pain include:
As with inner thigh injuries, the treatment for upper thigh pain will depend on the cause. With a quadriceps tendon injury, for example, symptoms should improve in about four to six weeks. Exercises to treat a quadriceps injury can include:
Aphysical therapistcan help determine the best stretches for your thigh pain. Other treatment options can include:
Applying heatmay be helpful after visible signs of inflammation (like redness or swelling) go away or for chronic conditions involving stiff muscles or joints. Heat can help relax tense muscles and increase blood flow to promote healing. Heat can be applied for 10 minutes to 15 minutes at a time.
When to Seek Emergency CareCall 911 or seek emergency care if you have symptoms of DVT or experience:Sudden, abrupt shortness of breathSudden severe chest painCoughingWheezingChest pain that worsens while inhalingSudden rapid heartbeatRapid breathingBlueish skin or lipsLightheadedness or faintingCoughing up blood
When to Seek Emergency Care
Call 911 or seek emergency care if you have symptoms of DVT or experience:Sudden, abrupt shortness of breathSudden severe chest painCoughingWheezingChest pain that worsens while inhalingSudden rapid heartbeatRapid breathingBlueish skin or lipsLightheadedness or faintingCoughing up blood
Call 911 or seek emergency care if you have symptoms of DVT or experience:
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Many people with thigh pain are able to treat it on their own, while others need immediate medical attention. Signs and symptoms that warrant a visit to a healthcare provider include:
Your healthcare provider will complete a physical exam and discuss your medical history and symptoms with you. Common tests that are used to diagnose your thigh pain may include:
Once your healthcare provider diagnoses the cause of your pain, they will develop a treatment plan that can include medication, physical therapy, or lifestyle changes like weight loss.
Surgery may be needed to treat conditions that don’t respond to other therapies, or that present a serious medical concern like DVT complications.
1:29Click Play to Learn About Treating and Preventing Quad Pain
1:29
Click Play to Learn About Treating and Preventing Quad Pain
Summary
Any thigh injury can be especially painful and make it difficult to move about your day. Treatment depends on the cause of your pain but may include applying heat or ice, using pain relievers, or going to physical therapy.
Since thigh pain that begins abruptly is a potential symptom of a blood clot, see a healthcare provider immediately if the pain starts suddenly or comes with other unusual symptoms.
10 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.
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