A medical health professional has said that you need to menion leg pain to your GP as it could be because of an underlying condition. The doctor reacted to a video of a woman trying to soothe her sore legs, saying that this type of pain should be cause for concern.
Dr Karan Raj aka @dr.karanr, took to TikTok to explain it could be related to conditions you or even your doctor may not think of. In his warning, the health expert and GP says: “If you have endometriosis or any pelvic condition, chronic leg pain is not uncommon and this also highlights a problem in medicine.
“For example, with endometriosis, the lesions can grow near or infiltrate the pelvic nerve like the obturator nerve or the scatic nerve leading to pain which radiates down the leg. The same thing can happen with other inflammatory conditions which affect the pelvis like Inflammatory Bowel Disease or be the result of referred pain.”
Endometriosis UK explains: “Endometriosis occurs when cells similar to the ones in the lining of the womb (uterus) are found elsewhere in the body. These cells can grow and change in response to hormones in the menstrual cycle, this can cause inflammation, pain and scar tissue.
“Endometriosis is most commonly found on the lining of the pelvis (peritoneum) and may occur in the ovaries and involve other pelvic organs, like the bowel or bladder. Less commonly, endometriosis can also be found outside the pelvis, such as in the chest.”
Diving further into the common health condition which is currently making national headlines for being dismissed by doctors, he adds: “In cases of chronic pelvic pain, this can lead to muscle spasms and pelvic floor tightness affecting the hip flexors, gliutes or hamstring.
“In fact, chronic inflammation or scar tissue from surgery, endometriosis, or physical obstructions like fibroids can compress blood vessels, reduce blood flow leading to pelvic congestion which can contribute to aching in the leg.”
Because of this, he says the even medical professionals can overlook this symptom as it may not tick the typical symptoms associated with the liked of endometriosis.
He explains: “It’s not uncommon to misdiagnose, under-diagnose or completely miss a symptom like this because it doesn’t fit into the neatly packaged disease and symptom category we like to box up chronic conditions.
“In this case, leg pain on the surface seems totally unrelated to endometriosis. But failing to recognise that this could be part of the symptomatology is something we unfortunately do a lot of in medicine especially when it comes to gynecological and gastrointestinal conditions where many of the symptoms can be systemic and very unexpected.”
What are the symptoms of endometriosis and how do I get diagnosed?
Depending on where the lesions grow, your symptoms and the intensity can vary from person to person, so no two cases could be the same.
Some of the more common symptoms however include:
- Pelvic pain
- Painful periods that interfere with everyday life
- Heavy menstrual bleeding
- Pain during or after sex
- Bloating
- Painful bowel movements/when having a poo
- Pain when urinating/peeing
- Difficulty getting pregnant – up to 70% of those with endometriosis will be able to get pregnant naturally
- Fatigue, with one or more of the above symptoms
If you think you have symptoms of endometriosis, it’s important that you speak to your doctor. You can find out more on Endometriosis UK’s Getting Diagnosed page here.
