Pain in the upper part of the leg can be of various forms and etiologies. Discomfort in the femur occurs mostly suddenly and very acutely. It appears in the upper leg and groin, and sometimes it hurts badly under the knee.
In women and men, the thigh area hurts the same way. For each person, the causes of discomfort may be different, and they always have physiological or anatomical features. It is very important to diagnose and treat in a timely manner, as this can be a sign of various diseases.
Main localization
Areas where pain occurs in the upper part of the leg include:
- groin;
- back area;
- front of thigh.
Discomfort in the leg can provoke various pathologies of the hip joint. Perhaps the source of pain includes intervertebral discs, lumbar vertebrae, inguinal lymph nodes, muscles, joints, pelvic organs, femoral artery.
The front of the thigh hurts due to pathologies of the lumbar region of the spine. Sometimes discomfort covers the buttock and is most pronounced when walking. The causes of its occurrence are associated with changes in the sciatic nerve, gluteal muscle.
A person may experience unpleasant symptoms not only in the thigh area, but also below. Often the discomfort extends to the lower back. Quite often, such a sharp pain syndrome occurs during menstruation.
When a nerve is pinched or dislocated, there is a sharp pain that radiates from the hip to the foot. Discomfort is greatly enhanced by movement. Not always discomfort in the thigh occurs during exercise. Some people report increased discomfort at rest. Often there are additional symptoms, in particular, numbness in the muscles and a feeling of heat. At the same time, a person can easily perform the simplest movements.
Views
Pain in the upper leg can vary in how it feels. These include the following:
- constant pain syndrome;
- load-related discomfort;
- discomfort of a neurological nature.
Persistent soreness is characteristic of neurological ailments or inflammatory processes. In addition, the cause of it may be hiding in malignant tumors.
Exercise-related pain mainly occurs when walking and subsides at rest. As the main cause, many doctors consider osteoarthritis resulting frommechanical friction.
Pain, which has a neurological cause, is mainly due to the loss of normal sensations of cold and heat. In addition, it is characterized by the appearance of a sensation of tingling, numbness, crawling.
Depending on the intensity, the pain can be:
- spicy;
- aching;
- chronic.
Acute occurs suddenly, in case of soft tissue injury. At the same time, the person accurately feels the area of localization of discomfort and can show this place to the doctor.
Aching is characterized by a more extensive localization, and in some cases appears along with an acute pain syndrome. Basically, it grows as the underlying disease progresses, against which it arose. A feature of aching pain is the difficulty of diagnosing and determining the causes that provoked its occurrence.
Chronic pain syndrome appears after some time. It can torment a person for a long time. This often indicates the occurrence of extensive inflammation of various localization.
Also, pain in the upper leg can be:
- somatic;
- dermal;
- neuralgic.
Somatic occurs when tendons, ligaments, joints and bone tissue are damaged. In this case, a person experiences constant aching pain mainly in the thigh area, which can be sharp and dull. It is often impossible to pinpoint the exact area of discomfort.
Neuralgic appears against the background of pinched nerve endings. It seems to the victim that it is the hip itself that hurts, despite the fact that no obvious pathology is found in this area.
The most common type of pain is skin pain. It occurs as a result of pinching of nerve endings located very close to the surface of the skin. This kind of pain quickly disappears as soon as the provoking factor ceases to have its effect.
Main reasons
Many are interested in why the leg hurts on the upper thigh and what to do about it. Among the main reasons, it is necessary to highlight such as:
- injury to the hip or thigh;
- strong physical activity;
- pathology or anatomical structure of muscles, ligaments, joints;
- systemic ailments;
- diseases of the spine.
Strong physical activity can lead to abrasion of cartilage and acute discomfort in the hip. Also, soreness appears due to inflammation of the muscles, which leads to irritation of the sciatic nerve. Therefore, a pulling pain appears in the buttock and thigh along the entire leg, which reaches the foot. It is very difficult for a person to stand and sit for a long time.
Drawing pain in the leg in the upper part occurs due to various pathologies, in particular, such as arthrosis, osteoporosis, inguinal hernia, arthrosis, neuralgia. In addition, the cause may be endocrine diseases, vascular pathologies, varicose veins, infectious diseases.
Causes of discomfort in the groin
Such symptoms can occur with variouspathological conditions, in particular such as:
- coxarthrosis;
- arthritis;
- necrosis of the bone head.
Coxarthrosis occurs with a feeling of discomfort in the groin and thighs. Discomfort builds up gradually over the course of a month and does not let go. Constant aches make it difficult to feel confident. Severe pain occurs in the groin when walking. Discomfort disappears at complete rest, but reappears when moving.
Aseptic necrosis is similar in its symptoms to coxarthrosis, but the pain increases with a vengeance in just a couple of days. If arthritis is not treated in a timely manner, then it can manifest itself as various painful impulses that radiate to different parts of the body, in particular, to the inguinal region. Discomfort can appear at any time, regardless of the load and physical activity.
If there are quite intense pains in the upper part of the leg in front, then you should immediately consult a doctor. If there is severe discomfort in the inguinal region, which is permanent and becomes simply unbearable, then a comprehensive diagnosis is needed. This may be a sign of other ailments that are very dangerous to he alth.
Walking discomfort
The most severe pain in the upper leg occurs when walking or even lying in bed, when a person tries to roll over from one side to the other. A modern person lives in a very intense rhythm, and when discomfort arises that prevents movement, this becomes a real problem. Unpleasant sensationswhen walking occur for reasons such as:
- hip fracture;
- arthritis and arthritis;
- bruises, sprains and other injuries.
When broken, there is a very strong pain in the upper part of the leg. In this case, the person needs urgent hospitalization and treatment under the supervision of a qualified specialist.
Bruised, sprained and other types of injury quite often provoke severe discomfort. When moving, there is a feeling of pulsation, which gradually increases.
Arthritis and arthrosis initially manifest themselves only as discomfort when moving. After being on your feet for a long time, fatigue appears, as well as unpleasant aching pain. Bursitis at the very beginning of its development manifests itself much more strongly, with physical activity. After prolonged activity, the soreness may become more severe, unpleasant and burning.
In any case, you need to urgently visit a doctor for a diagnosis. If the pain in the upper leg in front is simply unbearable, then you should immediately call an ambulance. Timely hospitalization and treatment help to cope with the disease and avoid the development of complications.
Discomfort during pregnancy
Aching pain in the upper leg is quite common during pregnancy, and it is provoked by weight gain and the position of the child. It can cause certain difficulties during movements. Discomfort can increase in a standing position, when lifting and climbing stairs, or even movements in a prone position. No matter whatprovoked the pain, there are some exercises that help relieve it. For this, a physiotherapist may recommend a bandage and Kegel exercises.
Causes of pain in the upper front of the leg during pregnancy may be due to sprains. It can be caused by overexertion or a tear in the muscle tissue of the inner thigh.
During childbearing, a woman's body undergoes many different changes, as the baby grows all the time and puts significant pressure on the legs and hips. This can cause some difficulty in walking and pain. An injury like this can be caused by a sudden muscle contraction.
During the third trimester, pain in the upper leg on the side, radiating to the groin, is considered a symptom of problems with the pubic joint. Joint stiffness has many unpleasant symptoms. This condition does not pose any danger to the child, but provokes severe discomfort around the pelvic area, which makes movement much more difficult.
The delivery process can be very painful and uncomfortable. During childbirth, a sharp pain in the upper leg can be caused by an impact on the nerve endings in the groin. The reason for this may be a tumor, muscle tension, back surgery. This condition is very difficult to diagnose, but usually occurs with a hip or groin injury.
What ailments can the symptom be associated with
Precisely answer the question why the upper leg hurts,only the attending physician can. It is worth noting that discomfort can be triggered by various ailments, in particular such as:
- arthrosis;
- systemic arthritis;
- rheumatism;
- osteochondrosis;
- intervertebral hernia;
- infectious diseases;
- neuropathy;
- thrombosis;
- tendinitis;
- malignant neoplasms.
Arthrosis is a rather complex and dangerous disease that provokes a pulling or sharp pain in the upper part of the leg on the side. Against the background of pathologies of the joints, the condition of which worsens over time. As a result of this, intense blows of the bones against each other occur and severe pain appears in the femoral region. Mostly people over 50 suffer from this disease, but there are times when the pathology begins to bother even very young patients.
Pain in this case can be of very different localization, give to different parts of the legs and the whole body. Often, increased pain in certain areas of the thigh is considered a characteristic sign, especially when the weather changes.
In systemic arthritis, there is damage to several fairly large joints at once, which provokes severe pain in the affected area.
Piriformis syndrome is found in about half of patients who see a doctor for hip discomfort. Almost always, discomfort occurs in only one limb. In this case, pain is felt in the upper part of the foot of the left leg, as well as in the buttock and thigh area.
Many consider rheumatism nottoo dangerous pathology, since it often becomes the main cause of chronic pain. Discomfort appears along with the spread of rheumatic processes occurring in the connective tissue.
A herniated disc causes pain in the back or front of the upper leg. With this diagnosis, additional symptoms are also observed. Basically, discomfort covers the lower back, femoral region and reaches the foot.
A rather rare pathology that provokes pain is malignant neoplasms. Primary tumors in the femoral region and adjacent tissues occur very rarely. The most common occurrences are bone metastases.
Osteomyelitis and bone tuberculosis are the most common among infectious diseases. As a result of serious pathologies, a separate part of the femur is affected. If a person has a sharp, burning pain in the thigh, the temperature rises, lameness occurs, then pathologies caused by pathogens should be excluded. A sufficient part of the discomfort occurs due to the flow of infectious diseases of the genitourinary system, as well as an abscess.
Stenosis or narrowing of the vessels manifests itself in the form of pulling pain in the upper part of the legs, which intensifies even with slight exertion. In addition, lameness may appear, which can make diagnosis much more difficult.
Tendinitis is an inflammation of the tendon that connects the quadriceps muscle to the knee. This disease is quite common in active people. Symptoms includeburning pain in the leg at the top of the thigh, swelling around the knee.
Deep vein thrombosis often occurs in the lower extremities and can also occur in one or both thighs. Sometimes the disease can be asymptomatic, but in some cases, there are signs such as:
- pain;
- swelling;
- feeling warm;
- paleness or blueness.
As a result of the course of the disease, a life-threatening condition develops, in particular such as a pulmonary embolism, in which blood clots travel to the lungs.
One of the causes of soreness can be kidney stones. In addition, symptoms such as discomfort during urination, cloudy urine with an unpleasant odor, and small amounts of urine are observed.
Main symptoms
It is often difficult to describe muscle pain in the upper legs. The nature, localization, intensity of pain largely depend on the exact cause of the injury or inflammation. Among the main symptoms, it is necessary to highlight such as:
- burning;
- severe discomfort;
- bruising and swelling;
- limping.
In addition, there is an inability to bear weight on the affected side, as well as reduced active movement in the knee or hip.
How to make it easier
To relieve pain in the upper part of the left leg, ice or a cold compress can be applied immediately after the injury. This will stop internal bleeding and eliminate swelling. Moreover, this procedure speeds uprelief of painful manifestations.
When the muscles are torn and stretched, it is important to keep the legs completely still, which will help prevent swelling and further injury to the tissue. If you really need to walk, you can use crutches to do this to avoid the strong pressure of your own weight on the injured hip.
If pain is felt in the upper part of the foot of the left leg, then a tight contraction of the surrounding tissues is required, which helps to stop inflammation and prevent severe swelling of the joint, as well as reduce pain. It is necessary to use a compression bandage or an elastic bandage for this. Elevating the affected leg helps prevent severe swelling and further muscle damage.
If discomfort appears after physical work, then you need to stop activity and lie down to rest so that the muscles relax. If after rest the pain subsided, and after the resumption of activity it reappeared, then you need to consult a doctor.
A light massage in the thigh area will help relieve discomfort from injury. However, it is worth remembering that such manipulations are not effective enough in case of damage to blood vessels and nerves. Massaging the affected area too actively is not worth it, as this can only harm.
Which doctor to contact
Initially, you need to contact a therapist, who will then refer you to a specialist. He can also send for testing to make an initial picture of a possible illness.
Treatment of pathologies associated with bones and joints is handled by an orthopedist. If asoreness is observed due to vascular damage, consultation of a phlebologist is required. In addition, consultation with other specialists may be required.
Diagnostics
Since there are various causes of pain in the upper leg, it is imperative to conduct a comprehensive diagnosis. For each patient, an individual program of a comprehensive examination should be developed, depending on the location, nature of pain, age of the patient, concomitant symptoms. The most informative diagnostic methods are considered to be:
- MRI;
- vascular research;
- electromyography;
- biochemistry and complete blood count.
If it is established that the discomfort is not provoked by trauma or damage and is combined with painful manifestations in the lumbar region, then the patient is first assigned an MRI of the spine, as well as the hip region.
Doppler examination of the vessels of the lower extremities is often prescribed, which allows assessing the state of the vascular system and identifying existing pathologies, including such common diseases as thrombophlebitis and varicose veins. Electromyography implies a special research technique that helps to assess the activity of muscles and ligaments.
Complete blood count and biochemistry allow us to draw conclusions regarding the course of the inflammatory process in the body, confirm or refute the causes of pain in the thigh. Based on the diagnosis, the doctor prescribes a comprehensivetreatment.
Features of treatment
For pain in the upper part of the right leg, drug therapy is mainly prescribed after a comprehensive examination and diagnosis. With a pronounced pain syndrome, first of all, symptomatic methods of therapy are recommended, the main goal of which is the rapid elimination of a strong pain syndrome. To do this, the doctor may recommend taking modern analgesics, mainly in injectable form.
If the pain appeared due to an intervertebral hernia, then a blockade based on novocaine in the area of pinching the sciatic nerve has a good result. Subsequently, the patient may be recommended to use medications such as:
- anti-inflammatory drugs;
- muscle relaxants;
- chondroprotectors;
- diuretics;
- vitamins.
Among anti-inflammatory drugs, doctors distinguish such as Indomethacin, Diclofenac. In the most severe cases, with prolonged acute pain, steroids such as "Cortisone" may be used.
Muscle relaxants help eliminate spasm in the tendons and muscles that occurs as a response to any painful manifestations. In case of pinched nerve endings in the lumbar region, muscle spasm further aggravates the situation and leads to increased discomfort. Muscle relaxants normalize blood circulation and help get rid of puffiness.
Chondroprotectors are used for the treatment and prevention of joint diseases,normalization of trophism in the area of occurrence of the pathological process.
A sufficient amount of the required macro- and microelements, as well as vitamins of all groups, helps to improve the overall well-being of the body, reduces the severity of inflammation, preventing the occurrence of pathologies, and also helps to recover much faster after an injury. Vitamin complexes are the main component of the treatment of diseases that provoke pain in the hip joint.
Diuretics help to get rid of swelling in the area of pathology.
In case of pinching of the sciatic nerve or other pathologies of the spine, a course of manual therapy is required. A special set of therapeutic exercises improves blood circulation in the affected area, develops muscles after injury, increases joint mobility, and strengthens the required muscle groups.
Physiotherapeutic treatment allows you to normalize your well-being, increase the effectiveness of the main treatment. Additionally, leeches and acupuncture are used.
Folk remedies
If the upper leg, thigh or foot hurts, you can treat with traditional medicine. They help enhance the effects of medications.
Good for eliminating the discomfort of fat. To do this, you need to apply a small strip of this product to the affected joint and wrap it loosely with a bandage. After 5-8 hours, the fat will thin out a little. As soon as this happens, you need to replace the old piece of baconon new. Therapeutic procedures should be carried out until the discomfort in the thigh area completely disappears.
Pepper plaster is used for aching pain. To do this, pass a couple of pods of hot pepper through a meat grinder, add 100 g of freshly squeezed onion juice, 20 ml of plantain juice. Mix everything well, add a little interior fat and mix again. Warm up the mixture a little, and then rub it on the affected area and carefully wrap the thigh with a warm cloth.
Mustard ointment is considered a good remedy. Mix 1 tbsp. s alt, 0.5 tbsp. mustard and some kerosene. Prepare an ointment that resembles thick sour cream in consistency. Apply before bed to rub into sore joints.
