While there are many potential causes of hip and leg pain, the most common include arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, dislocation, and sciatica.
Nerve Pain from the Hip to Leg
This type of pain may be caused due to the irritation of certain lumbar and/or sacral nerve roots, also called sciatica. Musculoskeletal conditions, such as sacroiliac joint dysfunction or piriformis syndrome, may also cause sciatica-like pain.
Seek immediate medical attention
Ask someone to drive you to urgent care or the emergency room if your hip pain is caused by an injury and is accompanied by: A joint that appears deformed. Inability to move your leg or hip. Inability to bear weight on the affected leg.
Muscle sprains, tears or strains in the lower back, buttocks, pelvis, and thighs can cause hip and leg pain. Joint problems. Arthritis [ahr-THRAY-tis] can lead to pain in the hip, lumbar or lower spine, and the knee, causing pain that can be felt throughout the lower body.
Siegrist says your mobility in the hip is limited because it's stiff or you have arthritis. The pain causes you to limp, which in turn causes you to strain your calf muscles.
The pain of hip pathology usually is centered at the groin, and it is rare for it to radiate below the knee joint. Sciatica symptoms may, on the other hand, may radiate down the legs into the toes.
See your health care provider as soon as possible if you have: Symptoms of infection, such as redness, warmth or tenderness, or you have a fever greater than100 F (37.8 C). A leg that is swollen, pale or cooler than usual. Calf pain, especially after sitting for a long time, such as on a long car trip or plane ride.
Sciatic nerve
The sciatic nerves branches from your lower back through your hips and buttocks and down each leg. Sciatica refers to pain that travels along the path of the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve travels from the lower back through the hips and buttocks and down each leg.
Hip, knee, or ankle dislocation can cause hip and leg pain. The most common causes include injuries sustained during activities such as jumping or playing sports. An accident, such as a motor vehicle crash or fall from a height, can also cause dislocations.
Other red flags of concern with respect to the patient presenting with hip and/or groin pain include a history of trauma, fever, unexplained weight loss, burning with urination, night pain, and prolonged corticosteroid use.
This condition is called piriformis syndrome and can be mistaken for sciatica, as it also tends to cause pain, weakness and numbness in the lower spine, hips, or even legs.
Back pain can often times be mistaken for hip pain since the hip joint is so close to the spine. Generally, hip and back pain can range from a dull ache to sharp pain. This can affect your mobility and everyday activities.
A hip affected by inflammatory arthritis will feel painful and stiff. There are other symptoms, as well: A dull, aching pain in the groin, outer thigh, knee, or buttocks.
Other common causes of leg pain include: Peripheral artery disease (PAD), which causes a problem with blood flow in the legs (this type of pain, called claudication, is generally felt when exercising or walking and is relieved by rest) Blood clot (deep vein thrombosis) from long-term bed rest.
Leg Pain From Hip Disorders
When the hip is affected, you may have groin pain on the affected side, reduced range of motion of the hip, thigh pain, knee pain, or buttocks pain. The pain usually does not go down below the knee, and there is no associated numbness or tingling.
Leg or hip pain when walking.
Someone with heart disease may experience pain while walking. The pain could be caused by a narrowing of the arteries that can limit oxygen flow to the tissue.
The most common causes are bursitis, osteoarthritis, sciatic-piriformis syndrome and tendonitis. Other causes include injury to your muscles or soft tissues, pregnancy, the position you sleep in and your bed or pillows.
The sciatic nerve runs under the piriformis muscle, a flat, narrow muscle in the buttocks. If your piriformis muscle spasms or becomes tight and compresses an area of the nearby sciatic nerve, it may cause a burning or shooting pain in the back of the hip that may travel down the leg.
Vascular pain often feels like an uncomfortable heaviness or throbbing sensation. It can also feel like an aching sensation. It usually affects your legs and can be worse with walking or exerting yourself.
What causes aching legs? Muscle cramps and strain play a part, but a number of health conditions may also result in leg pain, such as arthritis, gout, deep vein thrombosis, peripheral neuropathy, and sciatica.