What Treatments Do Doctors Recommend for Leg Pain?

Leg pain comes in all shapes and size. Burning, stabbing, or aching, this pain can make it difficult to sit or stand, walk, climb stairs, and participate in everyday activities. Getting the proper leg pain treatment can significantly improve your quality of life. Luckily, treatment options are available for various types of leg pain.

Joint Pain

Pain in the joints can affect the hips, knees, feet, or ankles. With age, joints naturally wear down and weaken. They become misaligned, and this puts a strain on the surrounding tissue. This is because when joints become misaligned, the surrounding tissue is stretched to compensate for the misalignment. What results is painful walking and bending, as well as stiff movements.

Other factors that affect the joints include weight gain, injury, or illness such as arthritis. It is important to pinpoint the cause of your joint pain in order to get the proper treatment. Once the cause has been identified, simple joint manipulation is often successful in relieving pressure and pain.

When a condition such as arthritis is to blame, inflammation and swelling are often involved. Decreasing the swelling through the use of ice, massage, or medication can help relieve pain. Joint manipulation can then be performed to realign the joints.

Sciatica Pain

Your sciatic nerve starts in the lower back, runs through the buttocks, and courses down the backs of both thighs. When this nerve becomes pinched due to a herniated or slipped disc, obesity, inactivity, pregnancy, or injury the pain can be swift and debilitating.

Chiropractic adjustment of the lower spinal column can realign the spine. Proper alignment takes pressure off the pinched nerve, relieving the pain in the lower back and legs. Depending on the cause of the pinched nerve, care can be taken to prevent further pain. Regular physical activity to strengthen the core and back muscles, as well as regular spinal adjustments, may be needed.

Soft Tissue Pain

Soft tissue pain can refer to pain in the muscles, tendons, or ligaments in the leg. Overuse, repetitive actions, overexertion, or an accident may be to blame. Sports injuries and car accidents are common causes of soft tissue pain. Likewise, repetitive actions such as jogging without proper warm-up can result in pulled muscles and ripped tendons.

When your leg pain is in the soft tissue, your chiropractor can use massage to promote circulation, relieve swelling and pain, speed up healing. Ultrasound technology can also be used to reduce swelling.

Gentle stretching and strengthening exercises will help the soft tissue regain proper movement. This can also prevent further damage. If you need leg pain treatment in West Bloomfield, MI, seeking out the treatment of a chiropractor can help. Your chiropractor will work with you to create the treatment plan that works for you.