Doctor, my leg hurts

Veronica: For a few days, I have been bothered by my leg. She hurts me at times and it’s starting to worry me a little…

Dr Pierrat:Where in the leg is this pain located?

Veronica: At the calf, up there on the right side.

Dr Pierrat:When does it hurt you? Rather during the day, rather at night, both?

Veronica: Mainly during the day. It doesn’t wake me up at night, but if I’m awake my calf reminds me. I’m better in certain positions.

Dr Pierrat:Have you made any unusual efforts these days?

Veronica: This weekend, I took a walk in the forest for nearly two hours with my daughter. It’s unusual for me, but it still happens to us from time to time.

Dr Pierrat: And your calf pain, how long after that ride did it start?

Veronica: Oh, I don’t think that’s related, I was in pain before. Precisely, I said to myself that it was due to my bad circulation and that I had to walk.

Dr Pierrat: For what ? Do your legs swell when it’s hot?

Veronica: Yes, my calves are wider in the evening in hot weather, like the one we had at the beginning of June. Do you think that’s just it?

Dr Pierrat: I do not believe. You only have pain on one side if I understood correctly, it does not stick with a banal venous insufficiency. But I’m going to examine you… lie down on the table. Can you bend the knee? Your calf is supple, no contracture, no sign of phlebitis either. But am I hurting you when I lift your leg?

Veronica: Yes, it even throws me a little behind the thigh.

Dr Pierrat: But tell me, before this trip, did anything special happen to you? You haven’t carried heavy loads, moved your living room?

Veronica: No, I just missed a step down the stairs from my bedroom last week. But it was my back that took it all. Since then, I have pain, but not that much. I didn’t tell you about it because it seems “normal” to me, I thought it would pass!

Dr Pierrat:But, if I remember correctly, you have osteoporosis, quite advanced even. You broke your wrist last year…

Veronica: Indeed, yes, but what does it have to do with my calf?

Dr Pierrat: Well, I wonder if you didn’t have a slight spinal collapse that triggered a little sciatica. The irritation of the sciatic nerve does not manifest itself only at the level of the buttocks and the thigh, it can go down to the calf and even affect only this one. It would be reasonable to go for an X-ray. I’ll see you later…

What you need to know about vertebrae

The spine is made up of 33 vertebrae stacked on top of each other. Between each of them, a cartilaginous disc protects them and ensures the flexibility of the whole. The spine also has natural curves: hollow at the neck and lower back, slightly rounded at the upper back. Any imbalance is a source of pain that often occurs in these fragile areas.

The cervical region can be weakened by muscle tension around the neck, osteoarthritis, whiplash, or an imbalance of the jaw due to a dental problem.

The dorsal region can be painful due to trauma, weak musculature, scoliosis…

The lumbar region is the most common seat of back pain. These can be caused by nerve irritation (sciaticacruralgia, herniated disc), excess muscle (lumbago), or a belly that is too little or badly muscled (bad abs).

We must not let evil take hold. If no improvement is seen after 8-10 days, a diagnosis is needed to rule out the possibility of an underlying disease or rheumatism (more progressive pain, which wakes up at night). If the general practitioner has difficulty in relieving you, he will refer you to a rheumatologist or a specialist in the spine, without waiting more than two months.