Cause* | Common Features† | Tests |
---|---|---|
Sudden, severe pain that develops within a few minutes | ||
Blockage of an artery in a limb, usually a leg, by a blood clot | Sudden, severe pain Coolness and paleness of the limb After several hours, signs of nerve malfunction, such as weakness, numbness, tingling, or cramping Weak or no pulse felt in the limb | Arteriography done immediately |
Sudden herniation of a disk in the spine | Pain and sometimes numbness that occurs in a line down the limb Pain that is often worsened by movement Often neck or back pain Sometimes weakness in part of the affected limb | Usually MRI |
Heart attack Acute Coronary Syndromes (Heart Attack; Myocardial Infarction; Unstable Angina) Acute coronary syndromes result from a sudden blockage in a coronary artery. This blockage causes unstable angina or a heart attack (myocardial infarction), depending on the location and amount... read more (myocardial infarction) | Pain in an arm, not a leg Sometimes pain or pressure in the chest or jaw Sometimes nausea, sweating, and shortness of breath Sometimes in people known to have heart disease | ECG Blood tests for substances that indicate heart damage (cardiac markers) Sometimes angiography of the arteries of the heart |
Fatty deposits in artery walls ( atherosclerosis Atherosclerosis Atherosclerosis is a condition in which patchy deposits of fatty material (atheromas or atherosclerotic plaques) develop in the walls of medium-sized and large arteries, leading to reduced or... read more ), which reduce blood flow, almost always in a leg | Intermittent episodes of leg pain that occur only when walking and are relieved by a few minutes of rest (intermittent claudication) | Ultrasonography Sometimes arteriography |
Pain that develops gradually (over hours to days) | ||
An irregular area of redness, warmth, and tenderness Sometimes fever | A doctor's examination Sometimes blood cultures | |
Deep vein thrombosis Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Deep vein thrombosis is the formation of blood clots (thrombi) in the deep veins, usually in the legs. Blood clots may form in veins if the vein is injured, a disorder causes the blood to clot... read more (a blood clot in a deep-lying vein in a leg [typically] or an arm) | Swelling of an entire part of a limb (for example, whole calf or calf and upper leg) Usually pain, redness, warmth, and/or tenderness in the affected area Sometimes in people with risk factors for blood clots, such as recent surgery, an injury, bed rest, a cast on a leg, use of hormone therapy, or cancer | Ultrasonography Sometimes a blood test to detect blood clots (D-dimer) |
Bacterial infection deep under the skin and/or in the muscle ( myonecrosis Gas Gangrene Gas gangrene is a life-threatening infection of muscle tissue caused mainly by the anaerobic bacteria Clostridium perfringens and several other species of clostridia. Gas gangrene can... read more ) | Deep, constant pain Redness, warmth, tenderness, and swelling that feels tight Signs of severe illness (such as fever, confusion, and a rapid heart rate) Sometimes a foul discharge, blisters, or areas of blackened, dead skin | Blood and tissue cultures X-rays Sometimes MRI |
Deep, constant pain that often occurs at night Bone tenderness and fever Often in people with risk factors (such as a weakened immune system, use of injection drugs, or a known source for the infection) | X-rays and MRI and/or CT Sometimes bone culture | |
Chronic pain (present for a week or more) | ||
A bone tumor (originating in the bone or spread to the bone from cancer elsewhere in the body) | Deep, constant pain that is often worse at night Bone tenderness Often in people known to have cancer | X-rays and MRI and/or CT |
Pressure on certain nerves, as occurs in
| Usually weakness and sometimes numbness or tingling along part of the limb | Sometimes only a doctor's examination Sometimes electromyography and nerve conduction studies Sometimes MRI |
Pressure on a spinal nerve root (the part of a spinal nerve next to the spinal cord), which may be caused by a herniated disk or bone spurs | Pain and sometimes numbness that occurs in a line down the limb Pain that is often worsened by movement Often neck or back pain Often weakness in part of the affected limb | Usually MRI |
Degeneration or inflammation of many nerves throughout the body ( polyneuropathy Polyneuropathy Polyneuropathy is the simultaneous malfunction of many peripheral nerves throughout the body. Infections, toxins, medications, cancers, nutritional deficiencies, diabetes, autoimmune disorders... read more ) | Chronic numbness and burning pain, typically in both hands and/or both feet Often in people with a disorder that causes nerve damage, such as diabetes, alcohol use disorder, or vasculitis | Sometimes only a doctor's examination Sometimes blood tests or electromyography and nerve conduction tests |
Severe burning or aching pain Sometimes increased sensation and pain caused by something that would not ordinarily be considered painful Often skin that appears red, mottled, or ashen and increased or decreased sweating in the affected limb Typically in people who have had an injury (sometimes many years before) | Only a doctor's examination | |
Chronic venous insufficiency Chronic Venous Insufficiency and Post-Thrombotic Syndrome Chronic venous insufficiency is damage to leg veins that prevents blood from flowing normally. Post-thrombotic syndrome is chronic venous insufficiency that results from a blood clot in the... read more (causing blood to pool in the legs) | Swelling of the ankles or legs Chronic mild discomfort, aching, or cramps in the legs but no pain Sometimes reddish brown, leathery areas on the skin and shallow sores on the lower legs Often varicose veins | Only a doctor's examination |
*Arm or leg pain that is caused by injury is not included. | ||
† A doctor's examination is always done. Features include symptoms and the results of the doctor's examination. Features mentioned are typical but not always present. | ||
CT = computed tomography; ECG = electrocardiography; MRI = magnetic resonance imaging. |