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My Husband Is Experiencing Pain Up And Down The Backs
Question: My husband is experiencing pain up and down the backs of both of his legs, especially behind his knees, but it does go from his buttocks to ankles and last night his ankles and feet were swollen. When he got up this morning he was feeling fine and the pain was gone, but as the day has progressed the pain is returning. He does have high blood pressure and takes medication for it.
Brief Answer:
Very likely he is having muscular pain; details on treatment
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to 'Ask a Doctor' service.
The pain going up and down in the back of the leg from the ankles to the buttock can be caused by 2 main causes.
Very likely in his case if he has no numbness or weakness in the legs or feet this is muscular pain. Sometimes the hamstrings may get tight and cause pain which may also affect the lower leg.
If he gets numbness, or foot drop or any weakness, then a nerve related pain can be the cause, in this case, the pain is sharp shooting pain or burning type of pain and happens due to the nerve getting pinched on his way down the leg.
In both cases the treatment is the same, he needs to continue with Motrin (make sure he takes the full dose of 400mg every 8 hours after food regularly after food). Flexeril can help reduce muscular spasm but should not be used more than a couple of weeks.
He may also use local compresses, some patients are better with warm compresses some are better with cold compresses, he may try and see which offer better relief.
Stretching the muscles slowly is important, especially when starting the day to help the muscles relax and prepare for the day. It is best though that these stretching exercises are given by a physiotherapist for a better result.
If there is no improvement of the symptoms with the above or there is any worsening or any neurological sign like numbness in the private area or problem controlling urine or bowel, he needs to be checked up by a doctor for a thorough clinical evaluation.
The swelling of the ankles seems to me not related to the leg pain, but it needs to be watched. If the swelling comes back or progresses will need medical attention as well.
I hope this answers your query.
Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj
Very likely he is having muscular pain; details on treatment
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to 'Ask a Doctor' service.
The pain going up and down in the back of the leg from the ankles to the buttock can be caused by 2 main causes.
Very likely in his case if he has no numbness or weakness in the legs or feet this is muscular pain. Sometimes the hamstrings may get tight and cause pain which may also affect the lower leg.
If he gets numbness, or foot drop or any weakness, then a nerve related pain can be the cause, in this case, the pain is sharp shooting pain or burning type of pain and happens due to the nerve getting pinched on his way down the leg.
In both cases the treatment is the same, he needs to continue with Motrin (make sure he takes the full dose of 400mg every 8 hours after food regularly after food). Flexeril can help reduce muscular spasm but should not be used more than a couple of weeks.
He may also use local compresses, some patients are better with warm compresses some are better with cold compresses, he may try and see which offer better relief.
Stretching the muscles slowly is important, especially when starting the day to help the muscles relax and prepare for the day. It is best though that these stretching exercises are given by a physiotherapist for a better result.
If there is no improvement of the symptoms with the above or there is any worsening or any neurological sign like numbness in the private area or problem controlling urine or bowel, he needs to be checked up by a doctor for a thorough clinical evaluation.
The swelling of the ankles seems to me not related to the leg pain, but it needs to be watched. If the swelling comes back or progresses will need medical attention as well.
I hope this answers your query.
Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
Answered by
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