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Hello I Went For A Reflexology Yesterday And Came Home.
Question: Hello I went for a reflexology yesterday and came home. After a couple of hours there was pain radiating from the base of my right leg up to the hip.Its only in the right leg and gets worse while standing or walking.
Please advise.Thank you
Please advise.Thank you
Brief Answer:
Very likely it is a muscle or a nerve pain, some more information might be helpful
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome to "Ask a Doctor" service.
The leg pain being worse on movement is very likely due to muscle or nerve pain. The fact that it spreads from the base of the foot to the hip very likely indicates a nerve pain.
This is very common with nerves getting pinched at the side of the spine while they go out from there (or even a lower level than the spine), this can be from tense muscles of the back or at the hip area or due to a disc being prolapsed.
In both cases, a muscle being the cause or the nerve being pinched, the treatment is similar: pain killers, hot or cold packs (some patients respond better to cold packs and some to hot packs, you might need to try which helps you better) and some physiotherapy to help the muscles relax and release the pain.
- Which pain medications are you using, what dose and how often?
- Do they effect the pain at all?
- Do you get numbness or weakness in the leg? Any numbness in the private area?
- Do you have any problem controlling urine or bowel?
- Is the pain worse on touch as well (is it affected when you touch the hurting area)?
- have you had any trauma, falling episode or have you lifted any heavy weight, or something that might have precipitated the pain?
Please let me know of the above. Waiting to hear from you
Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj
Very likely it is a muscle or a nerve pain, some more information might be helpful
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome to "Ask a Doctor" service.
The leg pain being worse on movement is very likely due to muscle or nerve pain. The fact that it spreads from the base of the foot to the hip very likely indicates a nerve pain.
This is very common with nerves getting pinched at the side of the spine while they go out from there (or even a lower level than the spine), this can be from tense muscles of the back or at the hip area or due to a disc being prolapsed.
In both cases, a muscle being the cause or the nerve being pinched, the treatment is similar: pain killers, hot or cold packs (some patients respond better to cold packs and some to hot packs, you might need to try which helps you better) and some physiotherapy to help the muscles relax and release the pain.
- Which pain medications are you using, what dose and how often?
- Do they effect the pain at all?
- Do you get numbness or weakness in the leg? Any numbness in the private area?
- Do you have any problem controlling urine or bowel?
- Is the pain worse on touch as well (is it affected when you touch the hurting area)?
- have you had any trauma, falling episode or have you lifted any heavy weight, or something that might have precipitated the pain?
Please let me know of the above. Waiting to hear from you
Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Kampana
Good morning Doctor,
There is light swelling at the backside of the knee in my right leg, its only when I walk that I get the shooting pain that goes upwards.Its like shock waves going updwards.
I don't have any pain while I am sitting or sleeping it gets worse only when I walk.Please advise.
Which pain medications are you using, what dose and how often? Advil just took once
- Do they effect the pain at all? no
- Do you get numbness or weakness in the leg? Any numbness in the private area?-no
- Do you have any problem controlling urine or bowel?-no
- Is the pain worse on touch as well (is it affected when you touch the hurting area)?-no
- have you had any trauma, falling episode or have you lifted any heavy weight, or something that might have precipitated the pain?-no
Thank you
Regards
There is light swelling at the backside of the knee in my right leg, its only when I walk that I get the shooting pain that goes upwards.Its like shock waves going updwards.
I don't have any pain while I am sitting or sleeping it gets worse only when I walk.Please advise.
Which pain medications are you using, what dose and how often? Advil just took once
- Do they effect the pain at all? no
- Do you get numbness or weakness in the leg? Any numbness in the private area?-no
- Do you have any problem controlling urine or bowel?-no
- Is the pain worse on touch as well (is it affected when you touch the hurting area)?-no
- have you had any trauma, falling episode or have you lifted any heavy weight, or something that might have precipitated the pain?-no
Thank you
Regards
Brief Answer:
Further advises given on the pain management
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for the extra information provided.
it is clear by what you explain that you have a pain that is mostly due to nerve, this is generally a shooting pain that goes on the whole leg and hip and sometimes up to the back.
The fact that you have good control of urine and bowel and no numbness in the private area rules out emergencies with nerve pain (it rules out spinal stenosis) so the treatment needed in your case is:
- advil 600-800 mg after food every 6 hours (high doses are sometimes needed to help with the pain). Even if the first few doses do not help enough, continue to use it regularly, this will help have control on the pain.
- paracetamol/codeine combinations can be added to advil every 6 hours if you do not have enough release with it
- if symptoms do not improve with this or you notice any worsening, seeing a physiotherapist might help because s/he might help the muscles relax and also reduce the nerve who is pinched.
- if you develop numbness in the private area or get problems controlling urine or bowel this is an emergency and you will need to see a doctor soon. This is very rare the case (spinal stenosis) but it is important for the patient to know when the situation is urgent.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj,
General & Family Physician
Further advises given on the pain management
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thank you for the extra information provided.
it is clear by what you explain that you have a pain that is mostly due to nerve, this is generally a shooting pain that goes on the whole leg and hip and sometimes up to the back.
The fact that you have good control of urine and bowel and no numbness in the private area rules out emergencies with nerve pain (it rules out spinal stenosis) so the treatment needed in your case is:
- advil 600-800 mg after food every 6 hours (high doses are sometimes needed to help with the pain). Even if the first few doses do not help enough, continue to use it regularly, this will help have control on the pain.
- paracetamol/codeine combinations can be added to advil every 6 hours if you do not have enough release with it
- if symptoms do not improve with this or you notice any worsening, seeing a physiotherapist might help because s/he might help the muscles relax and also reduce the nerve who is pinched.
- if you develop numbness in the private area or get problems controlling urine or bowel this is an emergency and you will need to see a doctor soon. This is very rare the case (spinal stenosis) but it is important for the patient to know when the situation is urgent.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj,
General & Family Physician
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
Answered by
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