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What Causes Prolonged Pain In Legs While Walking?
Posted on
Tue, 27 Oct 2015
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Tue, 27 Oct 2015
Answered on
Sat, 14 Nov 2015
Last reviewed on
Question : DVT concern? After surgery on the sole of my foot 4 weeks ago, I've been sedentary. Yesterday when I hobbled up my driveway from the mailbox, I got what I thought was a charley horse. For several hours it was fairly painful to walk. This morning there is no pain or post-cramp discomfort at all. Possibly relevant is that when I sit with my feet elevated, my calves rather than my feet are sitting on a pillow on top of a step stool that is the same height as the couch, bearing the weight of my legs. Thoughts or concerns? Thank you.
Brief Answer:
I would explain as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!
Regarding your concern, I would like to explain that what you have experienced doesn't seem too much like DVT. Several hours of painful feeling when walking and after that everything disappeared, is most probably caused my musculoskeletal structure's adverse distention and rigidity favored by prolonged immobility and surgical procedure.
So, relax!
If a DVT would be the cause, facing that clinical scenario (yesterday) there should be other associated symptoms and signs, like swelling of the extremity, coupled with warm and discolored of the underlying skin with pain persisting even when at rest. Sometimes prominent tortuous inflamed veins are visible.
Besides a musculoskeletal component, I would be concerned for a possible lower limb veins insufficiency, which may also produce pain, which may be released by elevation of extremity.
Coming to this point, I would recommend consulting your attending physician. If vein insufficiency suspicions are raised by a careful physical inspection of your extremities, I would advise to perform a Doppler ultrasound for an appropriate investigation of lower limbs blood vessels.
Meanwhile, I strongly recommend you to keep being physically active (avoid immobilization), perform some local massage and warm baths to the extremities and an appropriate rehabilitation program after that surgical procedure.
Hope to have been helpful to you!
feel free to ask me whenever you need!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
I would explain as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!
Regarding your concern, I would like to explain that what you have experienced doesn't seem too much like DVT. Several hours of painful feeling when walking and after that everything disappeared, is most probably caused my musculoskeletal structure's adverse distention and rigidity favored by prolonged immobility and surgical procedure.
So, relax!
If a DVT would be the cause, facing that clinical scenario (yesterday) there should be other associated symptoms and signs, like swelling of the extremity, coupled with warm and discolored of the underlying skin with pain persisting even when at rest. Sometimes prominent tortuous inflamed veins are visible.
Besides a musculoskeletal component, I would be concerned for a possible lower limb veins insufficiency, which may also produce pain, which may be released by elevation of extremity.
Coming to this point, I would recommend consulting your attending physician. If vein insufficiency suspicions are raised by a careful physical inspection of your extremities, I would advise to perform a Doppler ultrasound for an appropriate investigation of lower limbs blood vessels.
Meanwhile, I strongly recommend you to keep being physically active (avoid immobilization), perform some local massage and warm baths to the extremities and an appropriate rehabilitation program after that surgical procedure.
Hope to have been helpful to you!
feel free to ask me whenever you need!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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