Yes, COVID-19 can absolutely cause severe leg pain, often described as deep aches, cramping, or soreness, due to the body's immune response or direct effects of the virus, and this can range from mild to intense, sometimes lasting for weeks. It's a common symptom, sometimes accompanied by swelling, and while often managed with rest and pain relievers, it's a key indicator that the body is fighting the infection.
A: COVID-19 is known to cause inflammation throughout the body, and this can lead to muscle pain and soreness, which can affect the legs. In addition to inflammation, COVID-19 can also cause blood clots, which can lead to pain and swelling in the legs.
COVID body aches feel like a dull, aching sensation in your muscles. You can feel as if your mobility is limited due to the pain. The pain can range from mild to severe and can occur if you already had body aches before the infection or if you didn't.
Influenza A and Influenza B are the most common viruses that cause muscle pain. With the influenza viruses, the pain is almost always in the calves. The pain can be strong enough to cause a child not to walk.
Leg pain is a symptom with many possible causes. Most leg pain results from wear and tear or overuse. It also can result from injuries or health conditions in joints, bones, muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves or other soft tissues. Some types of leg pain can be traced to problems in your lower spine.
Leg pain can signal various diseases, often related to poor blood flow (like Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) or Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)), nerve issues (like Sciatica, Diabetic Neuropathy, or Restless Legs Syndrome), joint/bone problems (like Arthritis or infections), or muscle conditions, with symptoms varying from exercise-induced cramping to persistent aching, swelling, or numbness.
Paracetamol is often recommended as the first medicine to try for short-term pain. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a group of medicines that work by reducing swelling and inflammation and relieving pain. These include aspirin, ibuprofen and diclofenac.
COVID-19 is primarily associated with acute respiratory symptoms but can also cause non-respiratory complications, such as lower limb edema. The mechanisms behind this remain unclear, posing diagnostic challenges for clinicians.
Unfortunately, inflammation caused by these cytokines can cause body aches. While not harmful, this means having the flu can leave you with some painful body aches. These body aches occur throughout the whole body, although, some people may find the pain centralized to the back and legs.
Symptoms of a viral infection depend on where you're infected, but some common ones include:
Symptoms
Can ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) treat COVID-19? Ibuprofen, also known by the brand names Advil and Motrin, is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). These medications can help lower your fever and minimize muscle aches from COVID-19 while also reducing some inflammation in your body.
Common New COVID Variant Symptoms in 2025
Look for emergency warning signs* for COVID 19:
COVID may commonly cause muscle aches and pain your neck, head, and legs. Muscle pain is a common COVID-19 symptom that affects 86% of diagnosed people. You may have COVID muscle pain for about two weeks, but it can last longer in severe cases.
Taken together, our results indicate that the study group displayed a significantly worse performance in walking when compared to the non-infected by COVID-19 group.
Benign acute childhood myositis (BACM) is a common, self-limited condition and a frequently missed cause of lower leg pain in children. This muscle-related condition is also known as influenza-associated myositis, viral myositis, and acute myositis.
Take over-the-counter pain medication
Common pain relievers may help you feel better but be sure to choose non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen. NSAIDs Link is external have anti-inflammatory properties and block the body's production of inflammation-causing chemicals.
Don't Ignore Dehydrated Leg Pain
When you're dehydrated, blood flow decreases, starving these muscles of much-needed nutrients. The result is unwanted leg cramps and pain. Your knee, hip, and ankle joints are also affected by dehydration.
Unusual COVID-19 symptoms: What are they?
Drinking water plays a vital role in reducing swelling by: Flushing Out Toxins: Proper hydration helps the kidneys eliminate excess sodium and waste, preventing fluid retention in the legs.
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS) is a rare but serious condition associated with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in which different internal and external body parts become inflamed, including: heart. lungs. kidneys. brain.
If you suddenly develop pain from an injury, use the RICER method:
Coconut water contains more potassium than commercial sports drinks. Since low potassium is associated with leg cramps, coconut water may help prevent leg cramps caused by exercise and sweating. Researchers believe that drinking coconut water can give your muscles extra potassium before you start working out.
If you have mild-to-moderate pain, paracetamol is often the best painkiller to try first. But NSAIDs such as ibuprofen can be better for pain associated with inflammation. You can switch to a different painkiller if the first one you try doesn't ease your pain.