Stabbing leg pain may make it difficult for you to manage your day-to-day activities. Go through this article to develop a better understanding about the possible causes and remedies for stabbing pain in leg.

A stabbing pain can be described as a sudden sharp pain in the legs. It often turns severe that you may not be able to even stand on your feet. It makes walking a painful affair. It can happen to people of all age groups including small children and elderly. The characteristics of throbbing leg pain often varies from one person to another. The pain may affect the entire leg or could be just confined to either the front part of the leg or the calf region. The timing of the pain also varies. Some people tend to get leg pain only at night, while others may be bothered by it all through the day and night.

Causes

There are innumerable factors that can trigger stabbing leg pain. A few of them are quite serious while others are not. Some key causes are as follows:

• Cramps in leg muscles. These muscles tend to suffer cramps when they become fatigued due to overwork while performing physically strenuous activities. If the body is dehydrated due to excessive loss of fluids, then the muscles contract abnormally.
• Traumatic leg injury. It is quite common among those who are physically active like athletes. Others may get it due to a bad fall or any other accidents. Some common forms of injury in legs include tear in muscle fibers, fractured bones and inflamed tendons also known as tendinitis. Runners often experience a stabbing pain in the shin region because of repetitive use of legs. This is referred to as shin splints.
• Circulation disorder. It affects the normal blood flow to and from the leg and the painful condition arises. Atherosclerosis is one such problem where the arteries are blocked and cannot supply sufficient blood to the legs. Venous insufficiency is a similar problem due to which blood from the veins of the legs fail to flow back to the heart and clots develop inside the veins.
• Damage in the nerve. Diabetes, vitamin deficiency, smoking, excessive intake of alcohol are few of the primary causes that can lead to nerve damage. Sciatic nerve runs from the lower back region to the lower part of the leg. It gets damaged when it is compressed by a slipped disc in the lower spine. This painful sensation often travels through the nerve and is felt at the back of the leg.
• Arthritis affecting leg joints can cause stabbing leg pain which is chronic in nature. It is accompanied by inflammation and stiffness of the joint.
• Baker's Cyst. In this condition, the knee joint fluid gets accumulated at the back of the knee and pain can be felt at the back side of the leg.
• Growing pain in legs. Children in the age group of 5 - 10 years often complain about a sharp leg pain at night that lasts for an hour or so. It causes them a lot of discomfort but it is not a serious issue. It will stop once they grow up.

Treatment

The sole aim of the treatment is obviously pain relief and that too as soon as possible. Besides, if any underlying problem has triggered the problem then it has to be treated in order to get rid of the leg pain permanently. Therefore, the diagnosis is based upon medical history, lifestyle, physical examination of the painful site and of course, a number of laboratory tests like x-rays, imaging tests, blood tests, etc.

Some common pain relieving options are rest, ice application, compression and elevation. Most leg pains tend to get aggravated when you try to move around as the weak legs have to bear the pressure of your entire body weight. So, as long as the pain is there, you must rest your legs properly. When you have to walk, use crutches to minimize the stress upon the legs. Ice application has a numbing effect on the painful leg and you feel better. Place an ice pack for 10 - 15 minutes and not more than that. Reapply it after one hour or so. Compress the painful part of the leg with elastic bandage and keep your feet at an elevated position. This will control swelling of the legs. Elevation is also helpful when there are blood clots inside the veins. You can try these remedies at home till the time you visit your doctor. Even your doctor will suggest you to follow these simple treatments.

As far as medicines are concerned, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs are prescribed for bringing down severe pain in the legs. If the pain is chronic, physical therapy is highly recommended. It involves massaging the legs and is followed by leg stretching exercises. Massage improves blood flow in the region and ensures faster healing. Stretching exercises help to increase the strength and flexibility of the soft muscle tissues and tendons.

Any underlying health problem should be suitably treated. A fractured bone in the leg should be kept in immobilized condition with the help of a cast or brace. Massaging the leg can make children feel comfortable who are having growing pain. Nerve damage and circulatory disorders are treated with suitable medicines. Diabetic patients need to control blood sugar level. In some rare cases of leg pain where any of the structural components of the leg are badly damaged by some serious injuries or diseases, surgery has to be conducted to repair the damage.

The pain is so bad that you never want it to recur. Therefore, you must bring about some changes in lifestyle to reduce the chances of another spell of stabbing pain on legs. If you are obese, you must lose weight to ease off the extra pressure from the legs. Smokers must quit smoking as it contributes towards circulation problems by constricting the blood vessels. Alcohol is bad as it may cause extensive damage to the nerves. Regular exercising is also important to keep the leg muscles strong and healthy.