Leg pain can be caused by overuse, trauma, minor injuries, infection, or severe medical conditions. Although the most common causes are minor, temporary conditions, a prompt diagnosis and treatment of more severe conditions can help prevent pain from worsening and improve your long-term outlook.
1. Muscle Cramps
Muscle cramps or 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:
A pinched nerve in the lower back or leg
Decreased blood flow to your leg muscle
Dehydration or electrolyte imbalance
Muscle overuse (muscle strain)
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:
Muscle strains: Muscle strains vary in severity and occur when a muscle is overused or overstretched. You can have a mild strain when a few muscle fibers are stretched or torn or a severe strain when the muscles are completely torn.
Ligament sprains: Ligaments are connective tissue that attaches bone to bone. If you've sprained your ankle, you know what it's like to have a ligament injury. Similar to muscle strains, ligament injuries also vary in severity.
Contusions: Contusions (also called bruises) develop after trauma. Your skin will change colors as blood pools under the skin.
3. Infections
Leg pain can occur with certain infections, such as cellulitis, a skin infection commonly affecting the legs. In addition to pain, cellulitis causes skin redness, warmth, and leg swelling.
Osteomyelitis is another condition that can cause leg pain. This condition occurs when a bone becomes infected. In addition to pain, osteomyelitis can cause:
Decreased range of motion
Fatigue
Fever
Open wound with drainage (in some, but not all cases)
Redness
Swelling
Tenderness to the touch
Severe infections can lead to necrosis when the infected bone tissue dies.
4. Arthritis
There are many different types of arthritis, but the two that commonly cause leg pain are osteoarthritis 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:
Creaking or grinding sounds (crepitus) when moving the affected joint
Decreased range of motion
Difficulty walking
Muscle weakness
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:
Difficulty walking
Joint swelling
Stiffness
Warm skin around the affected joint
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:
Aching
Cold skin
Cramps
Fatigue
Hair loss
Numbness or tingling
Open sores (also called wounds or ulcers)
Pain
Shiny skin
Thick toenails
Weak pulses in the feet
In severe cases, PAD can cause gangrene, 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:
Brown-colored skin
Cramps
Itchy skin
Skin that feels "tight"
Swelling
Varicose veins
Wounds (ulcers)
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
Leg pain can occur from nerve injuries or pinched nerves in the legs or lower back. Sciatica is an example of leg pain caused by a pinched nerve.
Peripheral neuropathy is 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:
Decreased balance
Muscle weakness
Numbness
Tingling sensations
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:
Patellar tendonitis: This condition—sometimes called "jumper's knee" because it is commonly caused by activities that involve repetitive jumping—affects the patellar tendon that connects the kneecap to the top of your shin bone.
Medial tibial stress syndrome: This condition is more commonly known as "shin splints." Overusing the muscles on the front of the lower leg can cause inflammation from activities such as walking or running, especially if you do these activities a lot or on a hard surface such as a concrete floor. Poor-fitting shoes can also contribute to shin splints. In severe cases, this condition can lead to stress fractures in your shin bone.
Sever's disease: This condition causes heel pain in the area where the Achilles' tendon is attached and develops from overuse of the calf muscles. This condition is most common in children and teenagers during the growing years of life.
Osgood-Schlatter disease: This condition also affects children and teens as they grow. Pain occurs at the front of the knee, where the patellar tendon attaches.
Treating Leg Pain at Home
Ice and heat can often help reduce symptoms of leg pain, but you should be mindful about when you use each.
When to use ice: Ice can help decrease pain and swelling after injury or after activity that has made your muscles sore. Apply ice for 10 to 15 minutes several times daily or as needed until your pain improves.
When to use heat: Sitting in a warm bath or using a heating pad can help decrease pain and stiffness in your legs. If you've had an injury, wait 48 to 72 hours before using heat—otherwise, heat can worsen inflammation.
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 pain can 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.