Leg & Ankle Pain — Acme Corp Wellness

Pain in the legs or ankles can range from mild to severe. The type and amount of pain depends on the cause.

Signs & Symptoms	What It Could Be	What to Do
Pain, cramping, redness (may have shades of red, purple, and blue), or swelling in one ankle or leg. May be followed by severe shortness of breath that came on all of a sudden. May include coughing up blood or pink-frothy sputum. Chest pain.	Deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) with or without a blood clot to the lung.	Get medical care fast!
Swelling of both ankles at the same time. Shortness of breath. May have a dry cough or a cough with pink, frothy mucus.	Heart failure	Get medical care fast!
Sudden and severe pain in a leg that is not relieved with rest.	Peripheral vascular disease	Get medical care fast!
Muscle pain in one or both legs. Fatigue in the thighs, calves, and feet. This improves with rest. Open sores on the lower leg, ankles, or toes. Weak or no pulse in the affected limb. Cold or numb feet. Pale, bluish-colored toes.	Peripheral vascular disease	See doctor.
Any of the signs that follow occur after a leg or ankle injury. A bone sticks out or bones in the injured limb make a grating sound. The injured limb looks deformed, crooked, or the wrong shape. You lose feeling in the injured limb. The skin under the affected injured area is cold and blue. The limb is very painful and/or swollen or you can’t bear weight on the limb or move it.	Broken bone or dislocation	Get medical care fast. The bone may need to be reset. A splint or cast may need to be worn. {Note: Broken fingers, toes, and ribs don’t need a cast.} Muscles and joints near the fracture site need to be exercised.
Pain in the leg or ankle after an injury that does not keep you from moving the limb.	Sprain, strain, or sport injury. Other overuse injury.	Treatment for sprains, strains, and sports injuries depends on the injury and on the extent of damage. Self-care may be all that is needed for mild injuries. Sports injuries and sprains may need medical treatment. Some sprains need a cast. Others may need surgery if the tissue affected is torn.
Pain with fever, redness, tenderness, warmth and pus at a wound site. A red streak up the leg (rarely).	Infection. Could also be Cellulitis.	See doctor. Get an appointment right away for a red streak up the leg.
Sudden, severe pain in a toe, knee, or ankle joint. The pain can be felt even when clothing is rubbed against the joint. The joint area is swollen, red, or purplish in color. It also feels warm, and is very tender to the touch.	Gout	See doctor.
Leg pain that radiates from the lower back. Pain or stiffness in the knees. Bowing of the legs or other bone deformity. Unexplained bone fractures. May have headache, dizziness, hearing loss, and/or ringing in the ears.	Paget’s disease. This is a bone disorder that progresses slowly. Most persons with this disease do not develop symptoms.	See doctor.
Sharp pain from the buttocks down the leg. Numbness and tingling in the leg.	Sciatica	Treatment for mild sciatica is rest, heat, and over-the-counter medicine for pain. Physical therapy may be helpful. In some cases, surgery to repair a herniated disk may be needed.
Pain, stiffness, and swelling, usually in both knees or ankle joints. Morning stiffness that lasts for 30 minutes or longer. The joint looks deformed. Weakness and fatigue. Dry mouth and dry, painful eyes.	Rheumatoid arthritis	See doctor. Get to and stay at a healthy weight. Get regular exercise. Don’t overdo it, though. If you feel pain, stop. Prevent falls and sports injuries.
Pain, stiffness, and sometimes swelling of the knee or ankle joints. Clicking or popping sound when joint bends. Often, the joint has gotten tender over months or years and may look enlarged or deformed.	Osteoarthritis	See doctor. Get to and stay at a healthy weight. Get regular exercise. Don’t overdo it, though. If you feel pain, stop. Prevent falls and sports injuries.
Leg or ankle pain with gradual loss of height; stooped posture; backache; and/or past bone fractures, especially in the wrists and hips.	Osteoporosis	See doctor. There is no cure. The focus of treatment is to prevent further bone loss and build new bone.
Pain or itching in the legs with swollen and twisted veins that look blue and are close to the surface of the skin. The veins bulge and feel heavy. Swelling in the legs and ankles.	Varicose veins	Medical treatment is not required unless problems result, such as deep-vein blood clot or severe bleeding which can be caused by injury to the vein. An X-ray of the vein (venogram) or a special ultrasound can tell if there are any problems.
Muscle or joint pain and chronic swelling of the knee joints. Fever, headache. These problems develop months after a tick bite and a bulls-eye red rash.	Lyme disease	See doctor.
Pain and swelling around a knee or hip joint. The pain gets worse with movement. Fever (maybe).	Bursitis	See doctor. Try liniments and balms. These provide a cooling or warming sensation, but only mask the pain.
Painless or painful swelling behind the knee. May feel like a water-filled balloon. May not be able to fully flex the knee.	Baker’s cyst	Call doctor.
Aches in leg muscles and joints with fever and/or chills. Headache. Dry cough. Sore throat. Fatigue.	Flu	Prescribed antiviral medicines can make flu symptoms milder and help you get better sooner if started within 48 hours (36 hours for children) of the start of flu symptoms. People with a chronic illness or parents with young children with symptoms should consult their doctors for advice to manage symptoms.
Sudden, sharp, tightening pain in the leg, often the calf. The muscle feels hard to the touch. The pain subsides after a minute or so and the muscle relaxes. General soreness may continue for several hours.	Leg cramp	Straighten your leg and then pull your toes toward your shin to stretch the muscles. Gently rub or massage it upward. Walk and wiggle your toes. Elevate your leg when it starts to feel better. Apply a heating pad (set on low), a hot pack, or moist, warm towel to the muscle cramp. {Note: Do not rub a leg if you suspect phlebitis or thrombosis.}

Self-Care / Prevention