Orthopedic Leg Pain

Orthopedic Leg Pain: Understanding and Care

The phrase ‘lower extremity’ is a broad one, but its implications are specific. Orthopedic leg pain often affects the lower extremities, including the hip, knee, ankle, and foot. Injuries or degenerative conditions of the bones, joints, ligaments, or muscles are usually the cause.

 

Lower Extremity Pain: Symptoms to Look Out for

Aching, burning, stiffness, swelling, and tenderness are all common symptoms of orthopedic leg pain. Whether it’s local or widespread, one form of lower extremity pain or another can exist in either one leg or both. There may be mild to severe symptoms, which may worsen with movement. You may feel numbness, tingling, weakness, or even a burning feeling, along with pain.  There may be times when the pain gets worse at night or when pressure is applied.

Different treatments may be offered depending on the symptoms one may be experiencing. Medications, physical therapy, and rest are all options for orthopedic treatment.  Depending on the root issue, surgery may be needed.

You should seek medical attention if you’re experiencing leg pain that doesn’t go away or is joined by other symptoms. Getting to the root of the pain and finding the best treatment is possible with your physician’s help.

 

Blood Circulation and Orthopedic Leg Pain

Poor blood flow, which can cause a variety of symptoms in the legs, may be the source of orthopedic leg pain. Insufficient blood flow can cause swelling, cramping, and soreness.

Muscles and bones in your legs may suffer from lower extremity pain when veins aren’t able to transport blood and oxygen to those areas. Besides having poor blood flow, varicose veins can also cause pain.

There is even a possibility that it can cause a serious medical condition called “deep vein thrombosis,” which can cause pain, swelling, and even blood clots in the legs. Ensuring proper circulation of blood through the veins can relieve orthopedic leg pain.

Treatment for Orthopedic Leg Pain

The right treatment plan can reduce or even completely stop pain in the lower extremities. Rest, physical therapy, medications, or surgery can treat orthopedic leg pain, based on the core issue. Physical therapy and rest can reduce pain, improve range of motion, and maintain muscle strength. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and muscle relaxants can treat some forms of inflammation and pain. However, finding the root issue is always the first step.

A doctor treating orthopedic leg pain in a patient's foot via physical therapy.

Physical therapy is often a good treatment for orthopedic leg pain. Exercises like stretching and strength training, along with hot and cold treatments, are all part of this. Physical therapy improves strength and flexibility in the legs. In addition to soothing pain and stiffness, massage therapy may also bring relief.

There are other options for treating pain, such as medication. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can reduce pain and inflammation. Particular patients may require surgical treatment. These surgeries usually fix a torn ligament or tendon or remove bone spurs. In most cases, surgery is a last resort.

A good diet and changing one’s lifestyle can also reduce lower extremity orthopedic leg pain. It’s also important that you rest when you need it and avoid activities that tend to put a strain on your legs.

It’s possible to reduce or eliminate pain with physical therapy, medication, lifestyle changes, and maybe surgery. Again, consult your physician to learn the best treatment plan that may work for you personally.

 

Wellness and Pain Can Help

A range of orthopedic leg pain treatment options are available at Wellness and Pain to treat lower extremity conditions. Using a variety of methods, we offer conservative treatments, minimally invasive quick recovery procedures, and surgery. Our services include medical massage therapy, acupuncture, radiofrequency vein ablation, hip and knee injections, arthroscopy, platelet-rich plasma injections, anesthetic injections, and visco-supplementation injections.

We customize patient care plans based on their condition and unique circumstances. The goal of our treatment is to relieve pain, improve range of motion, and prevent further injuries. The severity of the condition may determine the combination of treatments.

Our patient care plans are personalized and developed with the patient’s input and in consideration of everyone’s individualized conditions and unique circumstances.  Our treatment goals are always to soothe pain, improve range of motion and prevent further injury.  Based on how bad the condition is, we may use a combination of treatments.

Trigger Point Injections

How Trigger Point Injections Provide Safe Pain Relief

Muscles that are usually treated with trigger point injections include those in your jaw, neck, hip, a deep muscle in your low back, the muscle that extends over your back, your shoulders, the front of your neck, and the sides of your head.

Trigger injections can be used to treat myofascial pain, muscle overuse, chronic musculoskeletal disorders, repetitive strain, and muscle contractions. A trigger point is a painful area of muscle that’s tender when touched or pressed on.

In spite of the fact they originate on that skin area, they can unfortunately cause pain elsewhere in the body. It’s also possible for trigger points to develop in almost any muscle.

Oftentimes, trigger points are related to the piriformis muscle and cause piriformis syndrome in the buttocks. In this condition, the piriformis muscle compresses the sciatic nerve. Consequently, your buttocks and the back of your leg can feel painful or numb.

 

Trigger Point Injections: How the Process Works

A pain management professional or doctor can use trigger point injections to inject medications into a trigger point. These injections have the potential to treat a variety of conditions, such as neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, arm pain, leg pain, myofascial pain syndrome, and even fibromyalgia.

Trigger injections do not require any preparation on your part. Before getting a procedure, it’s important to consult your provider about current medications, symptoms, and overall health.

Local anesthetics and anti-inflammatory injections are two types of medication that may be used. Local anesthetic numbs the area and anti-inflammatory injections reduce inflammation and pain, with injections lasting only a few minutes.

It’s likely you will experience some pain when your pain management specialist locates a trigger point manually before injecting medication. When the needle and medicine are inserted, you may experience a stinging or burning sensation. If the needle tip touches the trigger point, you may feel a brief increase in pain. Inserting the needle correctly causes discomfort, but it also serves as a sign that the needle has been appropriately inserted.

Sometimes, healthcare providers combine injections with physical therapy or massage therapy. This means the injections are more effective and can reduce pain for a longer period of time.

An injection may be right for you if over-the-counter pain medications, heat therapies, massages, myofascial releases, and physical therapy have not helped relieve your trigger point pain. Trigger injections relieve pain, reduce inflammation, improve range of motion, and improve muscle function.

 

Safe Administration of Trigger Point Injections

When over-the-counter pain medications and physical therapy won’t relieve pain, trigger point injections can provide relief. As well as improving muscle function, injections also increase range of motion.

Complications and side effects are rare, as trigger injections are very safe. There are rarely any bodily reactions. An injection may cause swelling beneath the skin, making a dent and causing minor pain or bleeding at the injection site for some patients. Any side effects should subside within a few days or less — if they even occur.

In some cases, trigger points can be resolved with just one injection. These injections loosen muscles and reduce inflammation, allowing for the treatment of many conditions such as minor trauma with just one treatment. As a result, the conditions should resolve within a couple of days or less.

Chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia or myofascial pain can cause trigger points to recur, requiring regular injections. Depending on your circumstances, you may need repeat injections over time, whether it’s for one issue or another. Your pain level and response to treatment will determine the number of injections you need.

 

Helpful Q&A on Trigger Point Injections

Below are some helpful questions and answers regarding trigger point injections.

  • What should you expect? After an injection, you can actively use the affected muscle. However, you should avoid strenuous exercise during the first few days.
  • How long do injections last? The discomfort typically subsides between 24 and 72 hours after the injection procedure, and the pain relief can last for up to one month after that. To achieve long-term relief, your pain management specialist may recommend additional injections if you are still experiencing pain after this period.
  • During this process, is there anything else that needs to be noted? Before recommending injections, a pain management specialist should conduct a thorough physical examination and exclude other causes of your pain. For many patients, the most common cause of pain happens to be structural back pain issues such as spinal stenosis, herniated disks, and degenerative arthritis of the spine. Muscle strains are also to blame at times.

 

Wellness and Pain Can Help

A range of options are available at Wellness and Pain to treat your pain with trigger injections. We offer conservative treatments, routine visits, and minimally invasive quick-recovery procedures. We can keep you free of problems by providing lifestyle education and home care advice to help you avoid and manage issues, quickly relieving the conditions inhibiting your life by using cutting-edge injection techniques.

At Wellness and Pain, we personalize patient care plans based on each patient’s condition and unique circumstances to relieve pain, improve mobility and mental space, and improve your overall health.

Conditions Related To Trigger point injections

Repetitive Straining

Repetitive Straining

...

Muscle overuse

Muscle overuse

...

Chronic musculoskeletal pain disorder

Chronic musculoskeletal pain disorder

...

Muscle contractions

Muscle contractions

...

Myofascial pain

Myofascial pain

...

Shoulder/ joint pain

Shoulder/ joint pain

...

Herniated Discs

Herniated Discs

...

Bulging Discs

Bulging Discs

...

Pinched Nerves

Pinched Nerves

...

Chronic pain

Chronic pain

...

Back Pain Specialists

Back Pain Specialists

Back pain specialists alike understand how common back pain and discomfort are. It’s important to ...

Read More

Pain Management

Leverage Pain Management Treatment for a Healthier You

Feeling good can seem impossible when you’re hurting and searching for a reasonable pain management solution. Thankfully, there’s a way. An experienced and knowledgeable pain management doctor knows how to relieve pain and help restore your quality of life.

Healthcare providers use minimally invasive and highly effective techniques to perform diagnostics and treatments, resulting in less risk of side effects, complications, and medication. A qualified pain management doctor can give you a dose of healthy reality: You don’t need to live with pain, whether it’s mild pain or a type of pain that makes every moment miserable.

 

Venous Insufficiency and Pain Management

Varicose veins are evident when you can see blood vessels bulge just under the skin, which means pain management solutions should be on your immediate radar. These appear as blue or purple bulges on your legs, feet, or ankles. A condition called “venous insufficiency” typically causes varicose veins, which means your veins have trouble sending blood from the limbs back to the heart. These damaged veins cause poor circulation. Most of these varicose veins are on the back of the legs and may look contorted.

Endovenous Radiofrequency Ablation can help. An ablation procedure uses an image-guided radiofrequency or laser to recirculate blood flow away from abnormal vessels and reduce pressure and stress. Any pain management doctor worth their salt will tell you that ablation allows healthy vessels to take over faulty ones — thus, it remains a convenient and safe procedure for many patients.

 

Disks, Nerves, and Muscles

Herniated disk disease occurs when the fibrous cartilage that surrounds your vertebrae breaks down — oftentimes resulting in a pain management plan down the road. This happens when the gelatinous center of each disk is forced outward. As a result, there is pressure on the spinal nerve, causing pain and damage.

Diabetes or alcoholism can cause chronic inflammatory polyneuropathy. Neural numbness or tingling can affect one nerve or many at once. Several issues can cause sciatic nerve problems. One of the most common causes is a bulging or burst spinal disk pressing on the roots of the sciatic nerve. Numbness, pain, or tingling are common symptoms.

Muscle and nerve disorders can make one weak, tingly, and numb in the arms, legs, hands, and feet, and may also cause cramps, spasms, or atrophy from motor neuron loss.

A nerve conduction velocity/electromyography (NCV/EMG) is usually the best test for discovering what treatment to take next since this valuable pain management test can find nerve and muscle issues. This test can diagnose many common complaints, such as sciatica, back pain, radiating pain, numbness, tingling, cramping, muscle weakness, and localized pain.

 

Tension, Stress, Injuries, and Pain Management

Many people live with muscle tension, back and shoulder pain, and constant stress. Symptoms and causes include injuries, headaches, neck pain, anxiety, depression, stress, fatigue, chronic pain, sciatica, and shoulder or joint pain.

Massage treatment is usually the best pain management remedy offered by an experienced pain management doctor. Massage treatment can target painful areas. Using this integrative medicinal approach, a specialist kneads muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Body massages involve rubbing soft tissues. Within those soft tissues are your muscles, connective areas, tendons, ligaments, and deep skin. You will relieve stress, pain, and discomfort with muscle movement, deep tissue movements, and massage treatment therapy.

 

Musculoskeletal Health, Bones, Joints, and Tissues

Musculoskeletal pain can affect various parts of the body, including bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. This makes pain management a priority for many. Injuries such as fractures can cause sudden, severe pain. Arthritis is another chronic condition that causes great pain. Muscles, bones, joints, tendons, and ligaments are all affected. Acute musculoskeletal pain can be sudden, or it can be chronic and seem to last forever. Pain can localize in a specific area or affect the entire body.

Check out acupuncture therapy right away. Musculoskeletal pain is treated in a conservative, holistic way. You can feel confident in your treatment by working with a licensed medical massage therapist who knows how to target and treat the muscles that are causing you pain.

 

Acute and Chronic Muscle Pain Management

There are plenty of reasons why muscle pain can develop. From sleeping in the wrong position to tearing large muscle groups while lifting weights, the reasons are endless. People with constant or chronic muscle pain may require medical treatment even after trying a few days of rest. Pain in your muscles can greatly affect your ability to function and can easily disrupt your quality of life.

People with chronic muscle pain may benefit from trigger-point injections. These will eventually let them live a life free of pain through proper pain management treatment. Performed by a trusted pain management doctor, these injections are accomplished intramuscularly and subcutaneously. Their targeted and helpful medication reduces inflammation and discomfort.

 

Wellness and Pain

You should see a pain management doctor right away if you’re experiencing pain that’s affecting your life. One of our pain management team members will help you with a proper diagnosis while discussing your treatment options. We’re happy to help you find the right treatment at Wellness and Pain. You can live a healthy, active life once you know your options and receive treatment. Now is the time to find a remedy for your acute and/or chronic pain.

Endovenous Radiofrequency Ablation

Vessel ablation – formally known as radiofrequency ablation (RFA) – is a minimally invasive and highly effective procedure that uses image-guided radiofrequency or laser energy to recirculate blood flow to reduce pressure and stress away from abnormal vessels. Once faulty vessels are ablated, healthy vessels are then able to function in their place.

Nerve and Muscle Testing (NCV/EMG)

Nerve and Muscle Testing (NCV/EMG) diagnostic test to evaluate for any problems relating to nerves or muscles.  The diagnostic test help manage many common complaints including:

  • Sciatica
  • Back pain
  • Radiating pain
  • Numbness
  • Tingling
  • Cramping
  • Muscle Weakness or Atrophy
  • Localized muscle pain

Dr Molina is a Board Certified Neurologist trained to help in the recovery and relief of patients’ pain and pain management symptoms, helping them to return to work and daily activities.

 

Massage Conditions

  • Pain including muscle tension, back and shoulder pain
  • Repetitive stress injuries
  • Headaches
  • Neck pain
  • Anxiety, depression
  • Stress
  • Fatigue
  • Chronic pain
  • Sciatica
  • Shoulder/ joint pain

Acupuncture

For massage and acupuncture this is conservative, holistic approach for treating musculoskeletal causes of pain. By working with our licensed medical massage therapists are professional trained to target and treat the muscles causing pain and discomfort.

Trigger point injections

TPI are used to treat painful and tender areas of muscle. They are intramuscular and subcutaneous injections often performed to decrease pain swelling and inflammation. The procedure consists of a medication injected into the skin and muscle.

Covered by Most Insurances and Most Unions

Wellness and Pain accepts most major insurance plans. Here is a list of some of the major insurance plans we accept. If you do not see your insurance plan listed, please call our office to confirm.

Call Us Appointment Locations
Hi, How Can We Help You?