Don’t let pain affect you. Find out what might be going on and what you can do about it.

It’s pretty common for most people to deal with some form of leg and foot pain at some point during their lifetime. Whether you ran too far on the treadmill or you wore the wrong shoes, these are easy scenarios in which it makes sense to deal with pain. Unfortunately, the source of your leg and foot pain isn’t always that obvious. From the office of our Battle Creek, MI, osteopractor, Dr. Mohinder Chawdhry, find out what could be causing your leg or foot problems.

Causes of Leg Pain

A lot of the time, leg pain occurs as a result of overuse or injury to the soft tissue, joints or bones in the legs. In some instances, a health problem or spinal issues can bring about leg problems. Here are just some of the most common causes of leg pain:

• Bursitis
• Injury to the ACL (a ligament in the knee)
• Herniated disk
• Shin splints
• Arthritis
• Muscle strains or sprains
• Stress fractures
• Varicose veins
• Neuropathy
• Peripheral artery disease

You should turn to our Battle Creek, MI, osteopractor if you are experiencing severe or worsening pain, if you have difficulty walking, if there is swelling in the legs or if you find that your symptoms don’t improve with at-home care. Physical therapy can help ease your pain and help get you back on your feet.

Simple at-home measures for treating your symptoms and improving leg pain include:

• Taking OTC painkillers and anti-inflammatories
• Icing the leg
• Avoiding certain physical activities that could make symptoms worse
• Elevating your feet
• Wearing compression garments to improve blood flow to the legs

Causes of Foot Pain

There are many problems that can lead to foot pain. It’s also important to recognize other symptoms such as weakness, numbness or tingling that is accompanied by pain, as these issues need to be treated right away. Common causes of foot pain include:

• Overuse injuries
• Strains and sprains
• Fractures
• Plantar fasciitis
• Achilles tendonitis
• Bursitis
• Bone spurs
• Arthritis
• Neuropathy
• Broken bone
• Tarsal tunnel syndrome

Just as we mentioned for leg pain, it’s important that you seek proper medical attention if your symptoms are severe, if they get worse, if you can’t put weight on the affected foot or if conservative home care doesn’t improve your condition.

If you are dealing with new or worsening leg and foot pain it’s time to call in the experts. Turn to Total Health Center in Battle Creek, MI, today for the care you need to get back on your feet again.