Pain - leg; Aches - leg; Cramps - leg

To prevent claudication and nerve damage:

• Don't smoke or use tobacco.
• Limit how much alcohol you drink.
• Keep your blood sugars under good control if you have diabetes.
• Reduce other heart disease risk factors, including high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

To prevent overuse injuries, like shin splints, muscle cramps, and other causes of leg pain:

• Warm up before physical activity and cool down afterward. Be sure to stretch.
• Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day, especially before, during, and after exercise.

Huddleston JI, Goodman SB. Hip and knee pain. In: Harris ED, Budd RC, Genovese MC, Firestein GS, Sargent JS, Sledge CB, eds. Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2005:chap 42.

Nagaraju K, Lundberg IE. In: Harris ED, Budd RC, Genovese MC, Firestein GS, Sargent JS, Sledge CB, eds. Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2005:chap 78.

Andrish JT. The leg. In: DeLee JC, Drez D Jr, Miller MD, eds. DeLee and Drez’s Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2003:chap 29.

Ginsberg J. Peripheral venous disease. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 81.

Shy ME. Peripheral neuropathies. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 446.

Images

Lower leg muscles

Shin splints

Retrocalcaneal bursitis

Leg pain (Osgood-Schlatter)

Varicose veins

Review Date: 08/08/2009
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)