People of all ages experience pain in their legs. Strengthening of the problem occurs with age, when degenerative-dystrophic diseases occur. A common symptom is pain in the thigh muscles. But there are many reasons for this phenomenon, and the treatment is individual in each case.
How does pain manifest itself?
There are other signs of pain in the muscles of the thighs:
- Edema. It is localized both in the affected area and can spread to nearby muscle tissues. The presence of edema indicates inflammation, vascular lesions, or traumatic injury.
- Numbness from hip to knee. May appear from strong muscle tension due to physical exertion. Sometimes loss of sensation occurs.
- Redness of a certain area of the thigh. A symptom may be evidence of inflammation in muscle tissues or exacerbation of thrombophlebitis of superficial veins. If the redness spreads, it may be a sign of fasciitis.
- Muscle cramps. With spasms of the legs, there is a strong painsyndrome and feeling of petrification of the legs. The occurrence of seizures can be associated with inappropriate physical activity, lack of nutrients, dehydration, metabolic disorders and concomitant diseases of the motor system. Muscle spasms appear in both nervous breakdowns and emotional overstrain.
- The presence of a dense organic neoplasm in the tissues of the thigh muscles. May be evidence of the development of oncology.
- Increased body temperature. This symptom does not apply to pathologies of the nervous system, but can occur with any ailment associated with a painful syndrome in the thigh muscle.
The presence of prolonged, sharp, aching or shooting pain may indicate a pathological process that can appear from many ailments. The causes of pain in the muscles of the thighs are presented below.
Diseases of the spinal column and nerves
The group includes many pathologies of the spinal column, which leads to pain that radiates to the muscles of the legs. But the spine may not be a cause for concern. The appearance of such radiating pain in the muscles of the thighs may be associated with inflammation of the sciatic nerve - sciatica, dysfunction of the intervertebral disc, sciatica, neuralgic phenomena, neuritis. With damage to the nerves, the pain is aggravated during walking and other physical activities.
Diseases of bone tissue, joints, ligaments
This is one of the common causes of thigh muscle pain. This category of diseases includes:
- arthrosis;
- arthritis;
- osteomyelitis;
- tendinitis;
- fasciitis;
- injuries and bone fractures;
- flat feet;
- neoplasm in bone tissues;
- other comorbidities.
With flat feet, the supporting function of the legs is disturbed and pain occurs in the feet, knees and hips. The nature of the pain is similar to the pain of sciatica.
Vascular lesions
Pain in the muscles of the legs of the thigh appear from a violation of the state of blood vessels. With this phenomenon, a persistent pain syndrome is observed. Vascular diseases include:
- varicose veins;
- arteriosclerosis;
- thrombophlebitis;
- endarteritis.
With thrombophlebitis, throbbing pains appear, and with atherosclerosis, they are squeezing. Each disease has its manifestations. Vascular pathologies appear more often in older smokers, with diabetes, hypertension, heart attack and stroke.
Muscle tissue damage
This category of ailments includes both muscle injuries and torn ligaments, as well as inflammation in muscle tissues, which are caused by autoimmune conditions. Myositis is considered a common muscle dysfunction. This is inflammation that weakens the muscle tone of the limbs.
There are sharp pains in the thigh muscles. If the treatment of myositis is not started in a timely manner, then the acute stage of the disease becomes chronic and the likelihood of a complete recovery is excluded.
Breaking exchange
Metabolic failures adversely affect the functioning of many body systems, including the musculoskeletal system. Withdisorders of carbohydrate, mineral, fat, protein, endocrine or water-s alt metabolism appear diseases of internal organs, chronic fatigue, muscle weakness, pain. The cause of pain in the muscles of the thighs can be excess glycogen, which can be converted into severe damage to muscle fibers. This can happen in the absence of proper treatment of the disease in the initial stages of the manifestation of the disease.
Treatment
Causes of pain in the muscles of the thighs and treatment are interrelated, so you should first see a doctor for an examination. This is necessary to make a correct diagnosis. When systematic pain appears, treatment should be directed to the underlying ailment that leads to this symptom.
To stop the pain and improve the patient's condition, the method of symptomatic therapy is used, but it is important to consider that the treatment should be comprehensive. It is necessary to adjust the therapeutic methods based on the characteristics of the person.
Diagnosis
To determine the causes of pain in the muscles of the buttocks and thighs, diagnostic measures are needed. This is performed by a traumatologist, surgeon, orthopedist or therapist. Since painful manifestations of pain in the legs are the result of various ailments, you need to carefully perform research:
- Magnetic resonance imaging of the hip (MRI). The procedure allows you to obtain accurate data in a three-dimensional image of the affected part. This method does not cause discomfort and is indicated for pain in the muscles of the thigh of an unspecifiedorigin.
- Dopplerography of the vessels of the legs. With the help of this event, the degree of vasoconstriction, the presence of plaques, blood clots and inflammation is determined. The study uses ultrasound, which is considered harmless to humans. The advantage of this method is the possibility of its frequent use, since there are no contraindications.
- Electromyography of the muscles of the legs (EMG). This diagnostic option establishes the causes of muscle weakness in the legs and the source of pain. An EMG is performed by an electrical impulse that has a stimulating effect on a peripheral nerve. After that, the muscle response is recorded with a special apparatus.
- General clinical and immunological tests. Blood biochemistry is a common and informative procedure. With its help, the pathology, its severity and the nature of the appearance are revealed.
Medicines
Thigh pain can be treated with medication. For pain in the femoral muscle, painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, muscle relaxants are prescribed to eliminate muscle spasms.
According to studies, a doctor may prescribe decongestants in the form of ointments, creams or tablets. As the infection progresses, antibiotics are prescribed, and if vascular lesions are found, anticoagulants are used to slow down the process of blood clots.
Physiotherapy
When pain occurs in the posterior or anterior thigh muscles, this drug-free method is also prescribed. Thanks to physiotherapythe state of muscle tissue is restored without harm to he alth. The procedures eliminate pain during an exacerbation, normalize blood circulation in the muscles, preventing relapses. Physical therapy is usually effective when medication fails.
If the pain is systematic, myostimulation is used. This is a special gymnastics for muscles, which relieves inflammation and pain. The principle of the effect of the procedure is the flow of electric current into the focus of the pathological process.
Magnetic therapy has a noticeable effect, which has analgesic and antispasmodic properties. With the help of a magnetic field, muscle weakness in the legs disappears, blood circulation is restored, and metabolism is normalized. With this method, the pain is eliminated after the first procedure.
The use of massage and exercise therapy
Massage relieves congestion and discomfort in the muscles of the thigh, eliminates clamps and blocks in the legs. With the help of various techniques, muscle rehabilitation after sports injuries is accelerated, and with therapeutic exercises, excellent results are obtained.
Therapeutic exercises are developed by the attending physician on the basis of the pathogenesis and characteristics of the course of the disease. To eliminate pain in the femoral muscle, a combination of exercise therapy methods is used, which consists of morning exercises, dosed walking, therapeutic swimming, and training on simulators.
Operational impact
Surgical method is rarely chosen for muscle tissue, but there are pathologies in which surgery isthe only way to get rid of motor dysfunction. This applies to the elimination of vascular lesions, varicose veins, articular dysfunctions, fractures. Such interventions are usually performed on an emergency basis.
Special attention should be paid to the occurrence of pain in the quadriceps femoris muscle, which is one of the major anatomical groups. This muscle is often injured, especially in athletes. The reason is muscle overload.
Treatment of bruises, sprains, partial tears of the quadriceps muscle is performed using a conservative method using anti-inflammatory and decongestants, with gels and ointments. Sometimes an elastic bandage is applied to keep the area immobilized.
Soreness also appears in the biceps femoris muscle, which appears when the body bends forward. In this situation, pain appears in the popliteal fossa and is given to the upper or lower part of the limb. The biceps muscle performs hip extension and lower leg flexion at the knee joint. The pain appears due to subcutaneous ruptures or sprains of muscle tissue. Surgical treatment in this situation consists in suturing the damaged areas in the rupture site and applying plaster bandages or splints.
Thus, muscle pain in the hips is eliminated in many ways. For the treatment to be effective, do not delay visiting a specialist. Correct diagnosis and timely treatment will restorenormal thigh muscles.
