I Have Ongoing Pain In My Leg Muscles; What Can I Do?

Do you struggle with pain in your leg muscles?

We know that determining what's causing this type of pain and how best to treat it can be difficult.

But understanding some of the most common causes of muscle pain in the legs can potentially help you identify the root cause and get some much-needed relief from the pain. 

So, is the cause an injury, overuse, or a chronic underlying condition?

Let’s find out.

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What Causes Leg Muscle Pain?

Leg pain can be quite a debilitating issue that affects people of all ages. It can also drastically affect your daily routine, mental health, and overall well-being.

It has a variety of causes, from injuries to wear and tear, and results from underlying medical conditions like diabetes. 

So, correctly identifying the cause is crucial to finding the right treatment plan and getting some relief from the pain.

While it can be tempting to try to self-diagnose or hope for the best that it'll go away on its own, we wouldn't recommend it because you could make things worse. Instead, consulting with a physical therapist can provide valuable insight and guidance – and get you out of pain much faster.

So, if you're experiencing pain in your leg muscles now, don't wait to get help. Instead, take the first step towards healing and schedule an appointment with us. 

Physical therapy provides several benefits for leg muscle pain. One of the main advantages is reducing pain and inflammation with targeted exercises and manual therapy techniques.

It can also improve your strength, flexibility, and range of motion. It’s a great alternative to medications and surgery.

But the most important benefit is, we can help you understand what's going on, help you fix the pain, and prevent it from reoccurring. 

We can use several treatments to alleviate ongoing pain in your leg muscles. We also help you avoid taking medication all the time.

Instead of pills, we use special exercises and hands-on therapy techniques to help relax and strengthen the muscles to reduce your pain and improve mobility. 

For muscle pain caused by chronic tension in your fascia, we may use a more relaxing approach with massage therapy to soften and elongate the leg muscles.

This approach can help reduce pain by increasing hydration and circulation and reducing stress levels.  

3 Easy Ways To Reduce Leg Muscle Pain

Finding the best combination of prevention and treatment is the key to dealing with leg pain effectively. Here are our top three tips on how to treat and prevent leg muscle pain:

Develop a daily stretching routine: 

Improving mobility and flexibility is crucial for overall health and well-being. A regular stretching routine can help you achieve better flexibility and prevent injuries. 

Whether you're an athlete or have quite a sedentary lifestyle (like lots of us do), incorporating stretching into your daily routine can have long-lasting benefits.

Not only does it improve your range of motion, but it also reduces muscle tension and promotes blood flow to your legs and other muscles.

With a few simple stretches each day, you can feel more energized, less stressed, and more flexible overall.

Incorporate light aerobic activity: 

Incorporating light aerobic exercises like walking or swimming into your routine is a fantastic way to keep yourself active and healthy and reduce ongoing leg muscle pain.

Whether you take a daily stroll around the neighborhood or do a few gentle laps in the pool, these activities provide plenty of health benefits.

They’re a perfect way to improve cardiovascular health without putting too much strain on your joints. They're also enjoyable to get fresh air and sunshine (and immune-boosting Vitamin D).

So, if you want to add variety to your workout routine and reduce leg pain, try incorporating walking or swimming into your regimen. Your body (and mind) will thank you.

Take regular rest days: 

If you’re a regular exerciser, remember to allow your muscles time to recover and heal. Rest days are crucial to any fitness routine, but it’s easy to overlook their importance.

When you exercise, you are putting stress on your muscles and causing tiny tears in the fibers. These tears need time to heal and repair, which is where rest days come in.

So, taking a day or two off from your regular exercise routine can improve your overall performance, reduce leg muscle pain, and help you avoid injury.

It may seem counterintuitive to rest when you want to get fit, but sometimes doing less can lead to more progress in the long run.

So, do your body a favor. Don't feel guilty about taking a day to rest. Instead, look at it as an opportunity to heal and grow your muscle fibers.

How Can Physical Therapy Help With Leg Muscle Pain?

If you’re dealing with pain in your leg muscles, physical therapy can help alleviate the pain and fix the underlying issue.

So, whether you're an athlete with a sports injury or struggling with chronic muscle pain, we can help you relieve the soreness, stiffness, and tension accompanying these conditions.

We use a range of exercises and stretches, manual therapy techniques, and potentially heat and ice therapies that we tailor to your needs to improve your legs' flexibility, strength, and range of motion.

We can also help you prevent future leg injuries and enhance your overall physical performance and function. Here’s how we do it:

Stretching and Strengthening Exercises: 

Stretching and strengthening exercises are critical to a healthy, balanced workout routine and healthy leg muscles.

Whether you're a seasoned athlete or just starting to get into fitness, incorporating these exercises into your regimen with the guidance of a physical therapist can help you improve flexibility, reduce your risk of injury, and improve your strength.

Stretching can also help lengthen muscles, reduce muscle tension, and improve circulation.

In contrast, the strengthening exercises we teach you to help build up the muscle mass in your legs and increase your bone density.

Both of which can contribute to reduced muscle pain. Yoga, Pilates, and guided resistance training can also play an important role in your recovery. 

Therapeutic Massage:

Therapeutic massage is a wonderful way to relax your mind and body. But this type of massage goes beyond just soothing sore muscles.

It can also lower stress levels and help with pain management. During a session, we use different techniques to release tension, improve circulation around your entire body, and promote health and wellness.

So, whether you're dealing with chronic leg muscle pain, recovering from an injury, or just trying to unwind from a busy week, therapeutic massage can be a great addition to treatment sessions.

Heat and Cold Treatment:

When managing pain and inflammation in your body, heat and cold treatments can be helpful, so we sometimes apply heat to an injury or area of pain to increase blood flow, relax muscles, and alleviate stiffness. On the other hand, we may use cold treatments to reduce swelling and numb pain. 

So, if you're tired of persistent leg pain, don't let it hold you back. Physical therapy might be just what you need – to regain your freedom of movement. 

How To Choose A Physical Therapist To Help With Leg Pain

Managing ongoing leg muscle pain can be frustrating. However, finding relief is crucial to your quality of life and your ability to enjoy it.

That’s why choosing the right physical therapist to help you with it is so important. But the process of finding one can be quite overwhelming.

There are countless options out there, and it can be challenging to know where to start. But don’t let that discourage you from finding the right one or put you off seeking help altogether.

Physical therapy is a great solution for leg muscle pain. Studies show that it can help reduce symptoms, but it can also help to prevent future occurrences of pain.

However, to reap the benefits of this effective therapy, you need to find an experienced professional with knowledge of different treatments that can customize the therapy to you and your specific symptoms.

Nevertheless, with proper care and attention, physical therapy can be a safe and effective way to permanently reduce or eliminate leg pain. 

Take some time to research the best physical therapists near you. Then, get a recommendation from friends and family on a physical therapist that will prioritize your individual needs and work with you to create a personalized, but most importantly, effective, treatment plan.

Someone who can guide you through fixing your injury or chronic pain to feel like your (younger and more flexible) self again. 

We can certainly help you with leg muscle pain if you’re reading this near the Apex Orthopaedic Rehabilitation clinic in Wycoff, New Jersey.