One of the most common injuries among runners is inflammation of the periosteum. Periosteum is a protective layer covering our bones. In runners, the periosteum of the tibia is most often affected. That is, if you feel pain between the foot and the knee in front as if the bone itself hurts, then know that this is inflammation of the periosteum.
The most common reason that causes this disease is overtraining. When you give your legs a load they are not ready for. Therefore, always carefully consider your training plan, and also increase the load gradually, even if you think you are ready to run more. You may be ready, but your muscles, joints or tendons are not yet.
The second reason is incorrect running technique , namely foot placement. And the point is not whether you place your foot from the heel or from the toe. The point is the lack of elasticity in the foot. If you slap your foot when landing, then the likelihood that you will get inflammation of the periosteum will be very high.
This also includes wearing the wrong shoes. If your shoes are not running shoes, the shock load on your feet increases. And inflammation of the periosteum will not keep you waiting.
There may be other reasons, I have listed the most common ones. And in the video answer you will learn how to treat this inflammation.
I would also like to note that the speed of recovery after receiving this injury is different for everyone and depends on many factors, the main of which can be called the severity of the disease. If you've been running through pain for weeks, rest assured. that in a few days you will not get rid of this sore. If you immediately reacted to the unpleasant sensations in your leg and took all measures to protect yourself from worsening the injury, then within a day or two there will be no trace of pain. Usually, with moderate pain, a week of rest is enough for it to completely go away. This doesn’t happen to everyone; some people need two.
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The human lower limbs have unique anatomy and functional features that provide the function of walking. In the process of life, it often happens that, for one reason or another, this ability cannot be fully realized. The reason for this is pain in the leg when walking, which is the first signal of danger for the body. This article is devoted to a description of this type of pain syndrome, which is associated with physical stress on the lower extremities.
Since the lower limbs of a person are subject to constant loads of a static (standing upright) and dynamic (walking or running) nature, they experience extremely high stress. As long as their resource matches the work being performed, no pathological symptoms arise. But this does not always happen, since it is impossible to determine the optimal relationship between these indicators. Therefore, the primary signal of discrepancy is pain in the legs when walking or running. It can be caused by both physiological (natural) and pathological (disease-causing) factors. All of them are shown in the table.
Important to remember! Most diseases are characterized by the appearance of pain only when walking, running or other types of exercise. As the pathological process progresses, lower intensity loads provoke more severe pain!
A detailed description of the pain syndrome, examination data and additional diagnostic methods will help to assess exactly why the leg hurts when walking. The primary factor that allows you to navigate the direction of the diagnostic search is to determine the characteristics of pain in the legs that occurs when walking.
The main characteristics of joint pain caused by joint diseases are as follows:
Using uncomfortable or incorrect shoes can not only lead to pain, but also to the onset or progression of diseases
Bone pain in the legs while walking or running manifests itself as follows:
Pain in the leg muscles when walking, running or other types of exercise is most common compared to other types of pain. Its primary location is below the knee along the back of the lower leg. These muscles experience very heavy loads and therefore react very quickly to any changes in the body of a local or general nature. The main characteristics of this type of pain syndrome:
Age-related changes in body tissues can become a natural cause of pain in the legs both during exercise and at rest.
Pain in the legs can be combined with lumbar pain. In this case, they speak of its vertebrogenic origin. Additional characteristics of this syndrome:
In the origin of the vascular component of pain in the legs when walking, two elements are important: damage to the veins and pathology of the arteries. The features are:
The combination of swelling and pain that occurs in the legs while running or walking may be evidence of various types of pathological processes not only in this area, but also in the body as a whole. These are diseases of the veins and arteries, damage to nerves, muscles, bones and joints, heart and kidney failure. A more detailed description of the conditions in which the leg swells and hurts is given in this article.
The lower leg is the part of the lower limb, from the heel to the knee. Pain in the lower leg may occur due to a malfunction of one of the components, namely the periosteum, tendon, ligaments or muscles.
And also due to prolonged statistical loads: long walking, standing, sitting and after physical activity, if there was a long break. In this regard, pain in the legs that occurs below the knee joint is a fairly common occurrence and there are many reasons for the pain.
Most often, the pain is episodic and does not require serious intervention; it occurs as a result of physical overload or a lack of certain microelements. Also, the cause of such pain may be a previous injury or some kind of disease.
And so, below is a list of the main reasons that cause pain in the legs below the knees
The first reason is heavy physical activity, which causes muscle pain, and in rare cases, severe cramps. Also, cramps in the calf muscles can be caused by a lack of such important microelements in the body as potassium, manium, and calcium. These causes of pain are quite easy to combat.
If inflammatory processes occur in the muscles or pain appears due to various injuries or diseases, then it will be a little more complicated.
The most well-known cause of this problem is sprained ligaments. But there may also be damage or inflammation of the tendons or ligaments. Such problems require long-term treatment (for example, ruptures).
This includes diseases such as arthrosis, arthritis, osteomyelitis, as well as dislocations and fractures. If there is pain in the bone below the knee joint, then this is not a good sign, because unlike muscle pain, it is most likely a symptom of a serious illness or
Venous thrombosis, varicose veins, narrowing of blood vessels, blockage of blood vessels, pinched and damaged nerves.
This list includes those reasons that do not depend on lower leg injuries, but pain still occurs due to them. Such reasons include pregnancy, disturbance of the water-salt balance in the body, and radiculitis.
Pain is classified according to the place of occurrence, type and frequency of occurrence, but if it does occur, then, of course, it must be treated.
The most harmless and easily resolved problem is muscle cramps and pain. If it occurs due to overexertion, then no special treatment is needed, only massage and a gentle regime are needed.
If such pain occurs at night or cramps, then most likely there is a lack of microelements in your body. Treatment is quite simple - taking vitamin-containing medications.
If the leg hurts below the knee in front, then most likely it is caused by inflammation of the tissues of the joints or tendons, the development of which occurs due to physical overexertion and injuries resulting from this. In such cases, doctors recommend applying fixing bandages, gentle treatment, and, of course, anti-inflammatory and painkillers.
Aching, lingering pain in the leg below the knee joint is most often a sign of the onset of an inflammatory process, arthritis or arthrosis. Painkillers and anti-inflammatory ointments are prescribed for treatment.
It should be remembered that leg pain can occur for various reasons. If the pain does not go away within several days, but on the contrary intensifies, and is accompanied by swelling, then it is imperative to visit a doctor and in no case self-medicate, since very often self-medication leads to very serious consequences and even disability.
I have the same. after the infrared cabin passes. try drinking calcium.
I had a serious fracture of the tibia, 2 years have passed, I’m working out on exercise machines - I’m lifting heavy weights. and your bones don't hurt. God bless. Doctors actually warned me that there might be a re-fracture.
oh, I remembered. I had this happen, I took several courses of calcium. I ate dairy products and everything stopped hurting.
I don’t complain about this, I do fitness 7 hours a week
How do you determine that it is the bones that hurt? Maybe it's muscles?
Because you are already losing calcium from excess in sports and poor nutrition.
Nen, the muscles hurt differently :)) But here it’s like the bones are really aching))
6. Guest, we do sports moderately, more for the soul: running, walking outside :) But for some reason this happens!
I was told that this is due to incorrect foot positioning while running. I also have pain, I tried to put my foot first on the heel, then on the toe, as if rolling - but it was very difficult, it’s unusual for me and it’s so difficult to run. It’s hot now, and I don’t go to the stadium, so I don’t have any pain yet, but I still don’t know what to do in principle.
How old are you? I had this in my teens (also shin bones) and some of my classmates too, I went to the doctor, the doctor said the reason is that during active sports, lactic acid is formed in the growing body (in the bones), it does not have time to decompose , acts on the place where the load is the strongest (for some reason most have the shin) hence the pain, don’t worry, this is a sign that the body is developing
and it’s exactly the same as it was for you - the bones of the shin in front were aching, and the more often you train, the stronger
I also had this problem after I started lifting weights. Yesterday I broke the bones of my arms, today I broke my legs. An employee advised me to take calcium, but I categorically do not take wheels. So, if there are such “uniques” 🙂 like me, you can grind eggshells (washed, dried and without internal alyonka) through a coffee grinder, take a teaspoon a day (you can add it to food so that your teeth don’t creak =) ).
This also happens to me after running, “asphalt disease”, and it feels like it’s the bones that hurt and not the muscles, it’s terribly unpleasant. Now I take vitamins and the pain seems to be less. Maybe someone knows what the reason is?
Hi all! I faced a similar problem. Only after running my legs still hurt for about 30 minutes or even more. feeling as if it was not the bones that were hurting, but the blood vessels. I don’t know what to do, I’m not going to the doctor, I thought that if I worked out everything would go away, but the further it went, the worse it got, today I somehow got home. I feel like my legs are about to give out and I’m going to fall to the ground... now everything is fine, but there’s some kind of pain in my shin. Tomorrow I'll go to the doctor, and in the evening I'll write down what's going on.
I’m 36, my bones hurt after running, I wonder how you walk on prosthetics, it’s unlikely that the ring is washed out - old age is soon coming quietly)))
Everyone, even healthy people, must take calcium courses at least 2 times a year. Pain due to poor nutrition, alcohol, smoking, stress
I have the same problem. I am almost 40 years old. I noticed that it hurts more after playing volleyball. Moreover, the bones of the arms hurt more than the bones of the legs.
Also, after running, my legs hurt, as if some kind of swelling appears on the bone. One thing is clear, the body reacts with pain to some kind of deviation. Provoking it is fraught, of course, you need to find out the reason by taking tests. Otherwise, everything will go wrong somewhere.
And yet this pain is muscle pain, the bones have nothing to do with it) It occurs due to incorrect positioning of the foot when running, when you push off strongly with your toe
Hello. I’m 25, I’ve been playing football for almost a year in the gym, for the last 2-3 months, after 20-30 minutes of playing, the bones of my lower leg start to hurt, I can’t run, it feels like bricks are tied to my legs.
the bones hurt, it’s real. but they hurt from heavy loads, first it hurts below and then your knees hurt and that’s a mess, take a break and be sure to drink calcium
By the way, when running, you should place your foot on your toes first, then your heel
Hello, I also encountered this problem - pain in the front of the lower leg, it hurts during running and after about an hour. I still hope that it’s a muscle, because I noticed the same pain from fast walking, and then the pain stopped. I thought it was just me I didn’t know who to discuss this problem with
They write a lot but there is almost no advice. In the spring I started jogging in the mornings and gradually the pain increased. In the end it was painful to walk.
My aunt is a doctor and she explained to me that this is a muscle called the periosteum (someone already wrote) and the pain is due to a lack of calcium. I recommended Calcium D3 Nycomed, but the guy who wrote about eggs also did the right thing, it’s just that everything in Calcium D3 Nycomed is balanced.
Lactic acid has nothing to do with it - this is when muscles ache after an unusually high load - such pain is rather pleasant.
I’ll run again soon, but for now I’ve been taking a break for about a month.
It looks like it's periostitis (inflammation of the periosteum).
It happened to me, and sometimes it happens again from time to time.
Warm up before running and cool down after (especially in winter): jump rope at least 100-150 times, rub your shins (both bones and muscles), stretch your legs before and after running, and do other warm-up exercises.
Run on soft surfaces (preferably grass, which is available in abundance at football stadiums).
Try using menovazine and indovasine, I rub them on before and after running.
Yes, my legs hurt too, what should I do?
My leg bones hurt from the knee and downwards it hurts to touch the bone, only after training, what is this? What should I do?
I'm 34, I weigh 85kg. I started doing iron training 2 months ago, I run for warm-up for 10-15 minutes, once every 4-5 days, my legs didn’t have time to rest. On the first day I was able to run for 6 minutes, the bones of my legs below the knee began to ache, and I could barely drag my legs along with me. I took calcium D3 for about a month, and about 3 weeks ago I started doing leg stretching (my trainer advised me), I don’t have any stretching at all, it’s wooden 🙂 I need it so that blood flows better to my legs, I do it almost every day for 1-2 minutes.
2 months of training have passed, after the last training I took a 10-day break, my legs were well rested, they didn’t hurt, yesterday I ran for 16 minutes easily! my legs don’t hurt!, at the last minute I added speed from 6 to 8 km! I could run more, but I need mass.
I surprised myself!
The stretching seemed to help.
My shins also hurt just from walking, but I noticed that if I walk in heeled shoes they hurt, when I walk in shoes without heels they stop hurting
I'll also add my comment).
I've been playing football for many years. Sometimes I encounter that I also have pain in the shin area. mostly only on the left leg. I’ll say right away that if there were no injuries or rupture of ligaments, hernias, etc., then after training, when you have rested, ask for a massage of the sore spot (my lower leg hurts 10 cm above the boot). The massage is painful, but very pleasant)). ask your wife, husband, mother, whoever is next to you to do it) and the next morning you won’t remember any pain. verified! Personally, yesterday in training I clearly noticed the moment when the pain appeared: while running, I sharply turned from defense to defense, at full speed, the entire load fell on my left leg, which was also turned to the side, well, in order to turn around faster, a slight pain immediately appeared and went away just as sharply. While warmed up I don’t feel any pain at all. I felt it only after training and a shower. I think this pain appears only from excessive load, all the weight, and even under what pressure is placed on one place. the load is incredible. Well, that seems to be all. and by the way, I think we should try to “pump up” these places on the legs, i.e. using the method of strength exercises and I am sure that pain will never arise in the legs again
Yes, I also started to have pain in the bones of my legs after running, a little below the knees, I don’t know what it is
Same problem! When walking or running fast, the lower front part of the leg begins to hurt! Moreover, if you continue walking or running, not paying attention to the pain, your leg simply begins to go numb - you stop feeling it and are simply unable to continue further movement!
I have the same problem! I weighed 84 kg and for my height of 198 I realized that this was not enough and began to actively engage in bodybuilding, after two and a half months I began to weigh 95 kg, but I can’t run at all! I run a hundred meters and my legs go numb, specifically the lower front part of my leg. It's like my bones are aching. This didn’t happen when I weighed 84! What do you recommend? just don’t say that it will blow away to 84x)
Why do my leg bones hurt during/after training? My shin bones in the front hurt when I do physical exercise. exercises, and my friend too, Very unpleasant. What is this? Are you missing vitamins?
I also have shin pain, I do athletics, I took calcium, everything seems to be gone
After running, the knuckles above my foot that stick out to the right and left began to hurt (the ones they say are “water up to the bones”), but only those that look inward hurt and only when walking or if you press on them
The most correct answer based on vast experience and literature read, as well as forums, is this:
RUN 5-6 DAYS A WEEK I.E. WITH PAUSE, WITH REST IS MANDATORY. OTHERWISE YOU WILL CLOCK YOUR JOINTS. IN YOUR OLD AGE YOU ARE TIRED OF WALKING WITH A CANE. YOU HAVE TO FIGHT PAIN WITH THE POWER OF THOUGHT. ONLY A MONTH WILL PASS. AND ALSO TRY TO START WITH A LOW LOAD WITH A VERY EASY RUN AND GRADUALLY INCREASE THE DISTANCE A LITTLE BITTER, NOT NECESSARILY THE TEMP. PEOPLE NEED RUNNING FOR HEALTH. THE PAIN WILL PASS AND RUNNING WILL BECOME A NECESSITY IN LIFE. AFTER 30-40 MINUTES OF RUNNING, EPHORIA APPEARS, AND WITH IT THE SECOND WIND OPENS. AND THE DAY BECOMES MORE COLORFUL.
I run professionally when I started the year, my legs ached almost to the point of tears, then it went away, I started flying like crazy, running became like walking, the only thing was when I started running on the highway, the periosteum hurt for about 2 months, then it stopped; shoes are very important for running; I train 5 days a week.
I’ve been running for almost a year now, exactly the same bullshit started when I changed my sneakers, literally two weeks ago))
what nonsense about the periosteum. It's not a muscle, it's just a shell of bone!
There is a muscle there called the periosteum, it usually hurts from running, but it feels like bones are breaking. Try a sauna or warm bath after your run for relaxation.
I’ll add that it’s the same story and I’m not alone, the pain is unpleasant and I think it’s due to a lack of calcium and I need to add these foods to my diet. I hope that after a month of more active use of these products, the pain will go away! I came across this information today and decided to share it.
Wikipedia has a much larger selection of products.
Calcium is the most abundant trace element in the human body. Most of the calcium is contained in teeth and bones. Since childhood, we have been taught that its main source is dairy products. Now let's face it:
Calcium rich foods:
Poppy 1460 mg/100 g
Sesame 670 ? 975 mg/100 g
Nettle 713 mg/100 g
Great plantain 412 mg/100 g
Sunflower seeds 367 mg/100 g
Rosehip 257 mg/100 g
Almonds 252 ? 273 mg/100 g
Parsley 245 mg/100 g
Hazelnut 226 mg/100 g
Amaranth, seed 214 mg/100 g
Watercress 214 mg/100 g
in cow's milk its content is only 120 mg/100 g
and in cottage cheese 80 mg/100 g.
The World Health Organization's recommended daily calcium intakes are:
Children under 3 years old? 600 mg.
Children from 4 to 10 years old? 800 mg.
Children from 10 to 13 years old? 1000 mg.
Teenagers from 13 to 16 years old? 1200 mg.
Youth 16 and older? 1000 mg.
Adults from 25 to 50 years old? from 800 to 1200 mg.
Without any doubt, jogging in the morning (and possibly in the evenings) is an activity that is beneficial for both the physiological and psychological components of a person. A person who jogs periodically feels in good shape, is constantly alert, fresh and full of creative ideas in work. That's why many successful people try to devote time to this activity as often as possible. For a successful running process, many factors must be taken into account. This includes a long period of time after eating (that’s why everyone tries to run in the morning on an empty stomach), comfortable sportswear, and a favorable route. But how unpleasant it is when this event is canceled due to pain in the knee. What to do if your knee hurts after running? What is the reason for such painful sensations? We will consider possible reasons below.
If your knee hurts after running, then know that the reason may be improper distribution of the load. The occurrence of pain in the knees is a phenomenon that does not surprise an experienced athlete. Most of the stress when playing sports goes to the legs. This is especially true for running. After all, with each new kilometer the load only increases. What can we say if even everyday movements can cause serious stress.
It is worth remembering that the knee is a complex joint system. That is why it is impossible to say immediately why your knee hurts after running. This can be either a developing pathology or the presence of various diseases that you did not even know about before.
If an athlete’s knee hurts after running, then this is a reason to seriously think about it. This is especially true for beginners. If after the first (second or third) run you feel aching, pulling or even cutting pain, then you should immediately stop training and go to the clinic, since it is extremely difficult to determine the cause yourself (if you do not have a medical education).
As already mentioned, there can be a great many reasons. From an injury received in childhood, which you had long forgotten about, but which suddenly began to develop, to the development of a new joint disease. It is also possible that the approach to jogging is incorrect or the area chosen for it is inappropriate. Let's look at the main reasons that lead to knee pain after running. We will consider what to do in this case a little later.
If you have chosen uneven terrain, hills, etc. as your training area, then do not be surprised or wonder why your knees hurt after running, because after a few minutes you may begin to develop discomfort in the knee area. Gradually these sensations develop into real pain. There is really nothing surprising in this case. After all, lumpy surfaces provoke the formation of microtraumas in the knee joints due to the uneven distribution of the load of your body on the feet. This is the first answer to the question of why it hurts below the knee after running.
To avoid this, you need to choose a flat surface for your runs. This way you minimize the possibility of pain. The factor in which shoes you train in is also important. There is no need for excessive compression of the foot, and at the same time there is no need to allow too much space in the shoe. It should fit tightly around the leg, but not squeeze it. Otherwise, the joints receive extra stress, which is fraught with the development of leg diseases. Sneakers are considered the ideal equipment for the lower extremities. Some people also choose sneakers, but this type of shoe has a thin sole, which makes the feet vulnerable if there is glass, nails and other sharp debris on the ground (or asphalt). You should also not be like the pictures on the Internet that depict brutal bearded runners in heavy boots. This is just advertising and nothing more.
It is important to remember that any sports activity begins with a light warm-up. This way you warm up your limbs, which prepares them for future stress. Therefore, the reason why your legs hurt after running below the knee may simply be the lack of warm-up exercises in your training program.
In addition, you need to hold your body correctly while running. It must distribute the load correctly. Only in this case you won’t have to wonder why your knee hurts after running.
The work of the feet is also important. There is no need to turn them inside out or load their sides. Moreover, you should not place the emphasis of weight on the heel or just the toes. All this leads to disruption, which subsequently develops into actual injury. If you start to feel pain in your legs, then it's time to reconsider your running technique. It’s probably not worth saying that running is contraindicated for people suffering from flat feet. The flat surface of the foot does not allow the springy functions of the leg to be performed, which also leads to severe pain and injury.
By the way, about flat feet. Unfortunately, many believe that this disease begins in childhood, and in adulthood the chances of getting it are minimal. This is far from true. Flat feet develop at any age. Moreover, the later, the less chance of a complete recovery.
A beginner (or even a professional) athlete may not even be aware of the presence of this disease. However, with each new run it develops more and more. And it is not necessary that it is developed by running. Far from it. You can get it in everyday life by simply wearing uncomfortable shoes. Or start the process of its development by under-treating the old injury.
Running with flat feet is extremely harmful, so if you have this disease, it is better to choose another sport. Flat feet are extremely difficult to treat. To do this, you will have to attend various special gymnastics classes, perform exercises at home and combine all this with wearing orthopedic insoles. You shouldn't even start jogging if you suspect flat feet.
The meniscus itself is a cartilage located inside the kneecap. It connects to the joint using special connective tissues. One unexpected sudden movement is enough to tear them off, thereby damaging the meniscus. From the beginning of such an injury, severe pain occurs. The next day the limb swells, making it difficult to move.
In case of a damaged meniscus, you should immediately consult a doctor. To prevent such injury, you must be in constant harmony with your body, controlling every movement. Under no circumstances should you jog in areas that are fraught with injury hazards. For example, lumpy surfaces.
Knee pain can also occur due to inflammatory processes. There are all the conditions for their appearance - constant microtraumas while running, for example.
Prominent examples of such processes include arthritis. It occurs due to improper running technique and is an acute inflammatory process in the knee joint, forcing the unlucky athlete to consult a doctor with the question of why his legs below the knees hurt after running. At the beginning of its development, arthritis is expressed by minor pain, accompanied by constant numbness of the limb. Subsequently, arthritis takes on a more serious form.
Also included in this category of diseases is rheumatism, which can also cause aching pain in the knee joint.
The most merciless disease of the knee joint is arthrosis. It is almost asymptomatic. Only occasionally do I feel discomfort in my knees while running. But then arthrosis results in serious damage to the joint due to burst ligaments. This can lead to permanent deformation of the knee joint.
This type of disorder is characteristic mainly of adolescents. The body is being formed, therefore this also applies to the lower limbs. Due to the fact that bones develop and grow faster than blood vessels, various changes occur in their structure. Sometimes small vessels may burst. Such sensations may be temporary and not permanent. The pain can be cutting. After which everything goes away on its own. However, there is the possibility of developing into serious inflammatory processes.
As a rule, such disorders are caused by improper load on the legs when running on an uneven surface. In addition, blood vessels can rupture if the feet are positioned incorrectly or with additional stress due to tight shoes.
Once you feel pain in your knee joint, you should immediately stop training. Next, you need to urgently go to the doctor. Before doing this, it is a good idea to numb the pain by wrapping an elastic bandage around your kneecap. It also doesn't hurt to apply ice to the sore spot. The correctly chosen position of the limb also helps - it should be in comfort, elevated slightly above the body.
If all the above measures do not bring the desired result, then take a pain reliever. You just need to choose a drug from a non-steroidal group of drugs.
Even if the symptoms have disappeared and the knee no longer hurts, you should still visit a doctor at the clinic, as this can happen again. The sooner you start treatment, the more likely you are to be back on track soon. Need I say that if your knees start to hurt after running, you should see a doctor about it and not try to self-medicate?
Most likely, many of us have had to complain to family and friends that our legs hurt below the knees. A common situation is when a person is at work all day, and when he comes home, he takes off his shoes and feels that his feet are just aching, buzzing and falling off. As a rule, unpleasant sensations occur after a busy day as a result of excessive physical strain, in general, due to fatigue. After all, no matter how you look at it, almost the entire load falls on the legs, and if you exceed body weight, this load increases several times, which entails increased pain below the knees.
The fact is that if previously pain in the legs below the knees bothered mainly older people, now quite young people are increasingly experiencing similar discomfort. Today, pain is a common symptom, so many are interested in the causes of pain in the legs below the knees.
First of all, it should be noted that every day the muscles, tendons and bones of the lower extremities experience enormous stress. That is why, over time, swelling occurs, especially in the ankle joints, pain, and even a reaction to changes in weather conditions.
Classification of causes of pain:
In reality, the causes of leg pain below the knees are varied. After all, it’s not just fatigue that can cause pain. There are many diseases in which this symptom manifests itself. For example, pain can occur as a result of inflammatory diseases, infectious processes, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis. Also, a very common cause of pain below the knees is the deposition of salts in the cavity of the joints of the lower extremities (osteoarthritis). In such cases, a local occurrence of a pain symptom is observed in the area of a specific joint.
The leg bone below the knees hurts in case of severe mechanical trauma, which can cause cracks, splits or even fractures due to increased fragility of the bone tissue. Severe and prolonged pain is accompanied by bruises of the periosteum, while pain in the lower leg forms below the knee in front.
Sharp pain is accompanied by damage to the tendons, which connect muscle groups directly to the bones. The fact is that many people have strong tendons, but not enough elasticity, therefore, even with a minor injury, a sprain may occur, which is accompanied by pain, which intensifies while walking.
The cause of pain may be inflammation of the synovial bursae, muscles or tendons themselves, dislocation or displacement of the kneecap. Leg muscles hurt most often after intense physical activity during sports training. The fact is that with excessive loads, lactic acid accumulates in the muscle tissue, which causes aching sensations in the calf muscles. Also, if you do the exercises incorrectly, you can get severe sprains or even muscle tears, which will certainly lead to inflammation and pain in this area.
Legs below the knees hurt severely when a person is obese and physically inactive. The fact is that nature does not calculate an excessive increase in body weight by two or even three times. Therefore, the joints and bones, especially below the knees, experience very strong stress, which results in accelerated processes of destruction of the articular surfaces, which, in turn, leads to inflammatory processes and pain.
There are cases when the muscles below the knee hurt all the time, and cramps often occur, especially at night or while walking up stairs. In this situation, it is quite possible to assume that the problem lies in the deposition of cholesterol in the blood vessels of the extremities and the formation of cholesterol plaques. Also a feature indicating atherosclerotic changes in the vessels are always cold feet at any time of the year, regardless of the ambient temperature. Moreover, representatives of the stronger sex may experience a cessation of hair growth and various sexual dysfunctions.
If this problem is detected, it is imperative to take action and in no case ignore it, because cholesterolemia can lead to much more serious diseases, such as cerebral stroke or myocardial infarction. A number of examinations should be carried out, the list of which must include angiography and ultrasound examination. Based on the test results, specialists will clarify the diagnosis and prescribe the necessary treatment in order to alleviate the general condition and prevent pain in the legs.
This is inflammation of the tissues of the arteries. Typically, when this disease occurs, people complain of severe pain in the area of the feet or calf muscles. A characteristic feature is that the legs below the knees hurt a lot not in the evening, as with normal fatigue, but some time after the start of the walk. Sometimes it's enough to walk just fifty or a hundred steps to feel a sharp pain in your legs. Very often there is even numbness below the knees. In such a situation, you should rest a little, stop, and preferably sit down. Unfortunately, such actions will alleviate the condition of a sick person only for a short period, after which the pain in the legs will return again.
If such symptoms occur, you should immediately seek help from a vascular surgeon, who will prescribe a comprehensive examination (including mandatory studies: angiography using a contrast agent, ultrasound examination and a complete blood test) to identify the causes of the disease and prescribe the necessary treatment.
At the end of all procedures, the specialist makes a final diagnosis and prescribes the optimal treatment, which will reduce the severity of the pain syndrome. But the fact is that this disease is very unpredictable and if sharp pain occurs, you need to immediately call an ambulance, because you may have to resort to surgical intervention, perhaps even immediate.
These diseases are also quite common nowadays. Their characteristic signs are the manifestation of sharp pain in the joints during movement, and there is also weather dependence, which manifests itself in “twisting” of the joints of the legs when weather conditions change. People suffering from these diseases not only cannot walk, but simply in a standing position their legs below the knees hurt greatly.
To clarify and make a diagnosis, you must consult a rheumatologist, who, after examination, will prescribe the correct course of treatment.
If the pain in the legs below the knees is pulsating, severe and manifests itself in the calf muscles, then a disease such as thrombophlebitis should be suspected. In addition, redness and swelling, a burning sensation appear in the calf area, the veins of the legs change and become dense over time. In this case, it happens that the left leg or the right one hurts. This is observed when the process is one-sided.
Treatment in such situations should be prescribed by an angiosurgeon - a doctor specializing in the treatment of vascular diseases. Depending on the risk of separation of the formed blood clot and the degree of neglect of the disease, treatment is prescribed either conservatively or surgical intervention.
Pain in the bones below the knees may well be a sign of a disease such as osteoporosis. This disease occurs when there is a deficiency (for various reasons) in the body of an important macronutrient - calcium. With this disease, pain manifests itself in an acute form, and muscle cramps can often be observed. As a rule, women over forty most often suffer from osteoporosis. The risk group includes ladies with blond hair, skin and blue eyes.
With this disease, a huge number of different negative consequences arise, so you need to urgently contact specialists to prescribe optimal treatment, with which you can get rid of the pain in the front below the knees or, at least, reduce the degree of its manifestation.
This disease is also a very common cause of painful syndrome in the legs. The most characteristic sign of flat feet is the very rapid appearance of a feeling of fatigue when walking, and as the disease progresses, the appearance of painful sensations in the area of the feet and legs is observed.
Flat feet need to be treated. You need to contact an orthopedist, he will prescribe and demonstrate special exercises and select orthopedic insoles for shoes. Women suffering from this disease should not wear tight and narrow shoes or high heels.
Very often there are also cases when constant pain in the legs manifests itself, while no pathological changes directly in the lower extremities can be identified. Then you need to pay attention to the lumbar region and look there for the cause of pain in the knee, lower leg or foot. Similar signs, as a rule, appear with radiculitis or lumboischialgia - inflammation or irritation of the nerve roots of the lumbar spine. Depending on the location of the process, the left or right leg hurts below the knee.
Severe pain, hyperemia of the skin in the lower leg area and increased local body temperature are symptoms of erysipelas. This disease causes pain below the knees in front.
Gout causes severe pain in the big toes that is throbbing in nature. In adolescents, pain in the legs can occur during infectious processes in other organs. For example, with chronic tonsillitis with purulent plugs, it often happens that the leg hurts below the knee in front and in the bones.
Basic diagnostic methods for foot diseases
Professional athletes, skiers, and runners know firsthand that after running, their legs below the knee hurt and ache. But if such pain occurs at rest, then we are talking about diseases. What other symptoms may there be besides pain, and what does discomfort below the knee indicate?
Tendinitis is inflammation of tendon tissue. This is an occupational disease. Tendinitis is also called runner's knee because it develops with excessive stress. The knee can get sick in the following cases:
But not all athletes get sick, but only those who have structural features of the patella that predispose them to injury. Several years of such exercises pass, and pain begins to bother not only during intense exercise, but even when walking quickly.
Among these features, one can highlight incomplete ossification of the lower border of the patella bone. The result is an insufficiently strong attachment to the muscle calyx. During intense training, tendons are constantly torn. And the constant load does not allow them to recover. This is the cause of a chronic inflammatory process and explains why the legs below the knee hurt.
There are four stages of disease development:
Pain in the lower extremity can often radiate to the foot. And due to impaired blood flow in the legs, numbness may appear.
For reference! The presence of the disease can be confirmed by taking an x-ray of the knee joint.
This study can show any stage of tendonitis, from thinning of the lower border of the patellar bone to its elongation. For a more detailed picture, an MRI study is performed.
There are two methods of treating tendinitis: conservative and surgical. Conservative treatment can be used only in the first two stages of the disease. It consists of the following purposes:
It would also be a good idea to undergo a course of physiotherapy. If the positive effect does not occur, a decision is made to abandon the sport.
Starting from the third stage of the disease, training is stopped completely and a two-week course of anti-inflammatory drugs is prescribed. If after two weeks the pain when walking continues, the patient is scheduled for surgery.
During the operation, the patient's damaged sections of tendons are removed, and holes are drilled in the periosteum to speed up the recovery process. The healthy ends of the tendons formed during the operation are compared and sutured. A cast is placed on the leg for a period of 1 month.
For recovery, a course of physiotherapy and physical therapy is prescribed. After two months of exercise, they move on to race walking. If it is possible to achieve complete restoration of knee mobility, the patient can again run to his favorite workout.
The disease is osteochondropathy of the tibial tuberosity. Most often, Osgood-Schlatter disease manifests itself in adolescence, when a person’s growth begins to grow rapidly. The ends of the shin bones do not have time to strengthen, and the tendons of the kneecaps, attached to these bones, cannot withstand the load and tear off.
There are several signs of the development of the disease:
If the disease lasts more than a year, a decrease in muscle volume in the thighs and around the kneecap becomes noticeable.
For reference! X-rays and MRI help to detect the disease, just as with tendonitis.
Due to the fact that Osgood-Schlatter disease rarely worsens and causes virtually no complications, surgical intervention is not required. But conservative treatment lasts a very long time, more than a year.
The patient is prohibited from putting any weight on the affected leg. He must permanently support the knee with a knee pad or elastic bandage. A course of physiotherapy is prescribed, consisting of UHF, laser and electrophoresis.
If conservative treatment does not help, surgery is prescribed. It goes away in the same way as with tendinitis, the only difference is that with Osgood-Schlatter disease, in addition to the diseased areas of the tendons, bone outgrowths are also removed.
These two diseases explain the occurrence of pain below the knee precisely after running and intense exercise. But pain can also be caused by other diseases, for example:
In any case, the following parts of the musculoskeletal system are affected:
In addition to diseases, pain can be caused by injuries, or long-term use of diuretics or hormonal drugs.
Whatever the reason, you should immediately consult a doctor and undergo all necessary examinations. Otherwise, serious complications may arise that require long, difficult treatment.