WEBMD – We’ve all had leg pain at some point.
Maybe you banged your shin against your favorite chair, or you had an intense cramp in your thigh or calf muscle. It hurt, but it got better fast.
Leg pain that seems severe, ongoing, or out of the ordinary is a different story. Sometimes it’s a sign of an urgent problem that could stick around — or get worse — without treatment.
Call your doctor if you have one of these types of leg pain.
Painful, Swollen, and Warm
If your lower leg or thigh feels this way, it could be due to a blood clot called deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Skin in the area may also be sensitive to touch and reddish in color. Sometimes a DVT has no symptoms …
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A DVT blood clot is dangerous because it can break loose, travel to your lungs, and get caught in an artery there. When that happens, it’s called a pulmonary embolism (PE).
You could have symptoms like:
- Chest pain
- Trouble breathing
- A cough that may bring up blood
A pulmonary embolism is an emergency, and it can be deadly without treatment.
Ongoing Leg Cramps and Fatigue
If you have these in your calf or thigh while walking — and they get better with rest — you might have peripheral artery disease (PAD). That’s when plaque gradually builds up in the arteries that carry blood to your limbs. PAD usually affects your legs. It prevents them from getting enough blood.
Without treatment, there’s a chance that PAD could eventually bring on serious problems. It could even lead to gangrene …
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‘Electrical’ or Burning Pain
When pain like this starts in your lower back or hip and runs down the back of one leg, it may be due to a condition called sciatica …