Leg Pain and Numbness in Vacaville

Leg pain in Vacaville can range from being a dull ache to a burning, searing, or throbbing sensation. When there's numbness, it may feel like you've lost sensation or a cold, icy feeling in one or more areas of the leg.

However, leg pain could be a symptom of an underlying cause or condition, which is why getting a correct diagnosis is the best way to get the most effective course of treatment.

How leg pain occurs in Vacaville

There's a possibility that your leg pain is caused by a problem in the lower back, pelvis, or a problem that starts within the leg. Here are some common causes of pain in one or both legs:

• Blood vessel conditions: When an artery or vein in the leg is blocked, it can reduce blood supply into that area, thus causing leg pain ad numbness.
• Spinal cord compression: If the spinal canal in the neck becomes narrow, it could put pressure on the spinal cord, causing numbness and pain in both legs.
• Spinal nerve compression or irritation: Compressed, inflamed, or irritated nerve roots in the lumbar or sacral spine can cause radiculopathy or nerve pain, which is referred to as sciatica, in the leg and foot. The nerves along the path in the leg can also get damaged, causing leg pain and peripheral neuropathy.
• Infection: Lyme disease, bone and disc infection, such as spondylodiscitis or osteomyelitis, and viral infections like HIV or herpes zoster, are common culprits for leg pain.
• Pelvic and hip problems: Joint problems in the hips and pelvis regions, such as hip osteoarthritis or sacroiliac joint dysfunction, may cause leg pain. Pelvic muscle spasm may cause pain to travel down along the leg accompanied by numbness and/or weakness.
• Cauda equina syndrome: When the cauda equina gets compressed, it can cause numbness, severe pain, and weakness in both legs.
• Systemic conditions: Endocrine and metabolic disorders can cause muscle and nerve damage in the legs, which results in numbness and pain.
• Tumors and cysts: The presence of masses and growths in the pelvis, legs, or lower back may compress nerves and/or blood vessels and lead to leg pain and numbness.

Apart from the ones listed, leg pain can also develop due to aging, dehydration, exercise, strain, hereditary factors, poor posture, and/or work-related causes.

When leg pain is serious

Leg pain may come with serious underlying conditions and may require immediate treatment to restore the function of the affected leg. However, you should take note of some red-flag symptoms so that you'll at least know if it has become serious. These are the signs and symptoms:

• Nausea
• Unexplained fever
• Excruciating back pain
• Severe pain and swelling
• Loss of appetite and/or unexplained weight loss
• Loss of normal bladder and/or bowel function
• Progress leg numbness and/or weakness

Having the said symptoms may indicate serious conditions like infections, tumors, abdominal aortic aneurysm, cauda equina syndrome, or severe nerve damage.

There are different types of leg treatment that you can experience. Depending on what caused it, doctors may have to work with chiropractors, psychiatrists, neurologists, rheumatologists, primary care physicians, and neurosurgical and orthopedic spine surgeons.