How to Deal with Leg Pain

So you were playing sports and your leg started to throb, right? No? Okay, so you picked up something heavy, hurt your back and it started shooting down to your legs, I bet. No dice? Maybe you felt something give out while at work then? Well, I guess it’s different for everybody!

If the last paragraph is a little on the ridiculous side, it’s meant to make a point - leg pain is no simple matter. It might be completely different from one person to the next.. That’s so often the case with leg pain - the number of areas in the body that can affect the legs and cause pain, either directly or as referred pain, is huge. More or less, from the upper waist down - that’s a lot of real estate to cover.

Although they differ in terms of the treatment approach, leg pain from sports injuries, lifting injuries and work injuries can all be prevented to some extent.

As you have probably heard before, stretching is a big part of keeping yourself injury-free when you engage in strenuous activity like hard work (or play for that matter). It can seem like an annoyance, I know, but if 10 minutes of stretching will keep you at 100%, it’s well worth it.

Just as important as stretching is good posture and biomechanics. Posture is usually the one that irks people the most - how could the way I sit or stand have anything to do with my legs? Well, it’s a good question. When sitting in a posturally incorrect position, you don’t engage your back muscles much. Sitting all the time like this weakens these muscles that provide crucial support to the spine. Without the support, the spinal bones can more easily become misaligned and because of your bad posture, they are misaligned. You see where I’m going with this. Nerves that pass from the spine to the legs can get pinched and cause serious pain.

The main thing is to recognize when you need help. If the pain is serious and it’s not going away, call a doctor. For our part, Living Well Medical provides a complete line of non-surgical pain relief services like spinal decompression and physical therapy in NYC. We’re here if leg pain is taking its toll on your life. Call us today at 212-645-8151.

And stretch for an extra minute next time. Trust me, your body will thank you for it.

- Dr. Shoshany, NYC Chiropractor