Lower Calf Pain. MRI For Lumbar Spine Came Normal. Potassium, Sodium, Electrolytes Normal. Reason?

Posted on Fri, 26 Apr 2013

Question: Having lower calf pain for 5 months. Keep going to ER thinking its my potassium. And its always ok . 3 days ago I went back to er and they did a ultra sound to see if there was a blood clot and there was none. I continue to struggle with this issue of not knowing where the leg pain is coming from. Had MRI lumbar spine it was normal. My potassium sodium ad electrolytes were all in range . Did they miss something's?

Answered by Dr. Divya Agarwal (2 hours later)

Hi,
Sometimes lower calf pain or cramps may occur as a result of subtle electrolyte disturbances which may not show up on tests. I am pleased to know that venous blood clots have been ruled out too.

The pains may be exaggerated after strenuous exercise, during pregnancy or sometimes related to knee osteoarthritis. It may be a good idea to keep yourself well hydrated.

Taking calcium and vitamin D supplements helps sometimes. And now there is a supplement called Levo carnitine which is a muscle substrate. This also is known to give relief. Please discuss with your treating doctor about it.

In brief if venous blood clots has been ruled out then no major problem is expected.

Hope this answers your query. Let me know if you need clarifications.

Regards

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad