What Does Pain And Burning Sensation In The Upper Leg Indicate?

I have no pain during the day or when I move about or sit or even lay down. For the last two weeks, as usual I go to bed for the night at about 10-10:30pm. I fall right to sleep. Every night between 3-4a.m., I am awakened by a extreme tingling/burning/ache in my left-upper leg. The pains usually start surrounding the sides and front of the knee, they travel up the inner thigh near to the groin and travel up the outer side of the thigh to the loser hip. The pain is intense and I cannot go back to sleep. If I walk around it feels better but is still painful. I often have taken 4 advil, apply a topical salves called aspercream and blue-emu. The pain remains for about an hour if I am up walking around or sitting. Then, no pain or symptoms the rest of the day. But after bedtime, about 4 hours later it starts all over again. My wife is an RN and wants me to see a doctor. I would do so, but do I need and orthopedic or vascular doctor?