For the past month or two I have had a sharp stinging sensation in one of my legs by the shin that last for a few seconds. Usually it is once or twice a day. I do not know what is causing this, and after looking on Web MD the closest thing I could find was muscle cramps. The thing is that it said the cramps usually occur in the foot and calf. Also, it mentions it usually occurs while sitting or laying down. This is not the case in my situation; it occurs at any given moment regardless of my position. I have had shin splints before and it does not feel the same way. I have not overexherted myself in any way.
Hopefully it is nothing, or something simple, but I thought I would inquire into the minds of the SDMB to see if you had any ideas as to what is wrong or ways to help it. Thanks
See a doctor.
I get similar pains, and the first things my Dr. ruled out were a calcium deficiency, and blood clots.
If you’re a woman, and you’re on the pill, leg clots, while uncommon, are still a posibility and could result in the pain you described. This needs to be checked, pronto. If a clot were to get loose, it could cause you to have a heart attack. Badness.
The other thing my Dr. ruled out was a calcium deficiency. I guess osteoperosis can cause similar pain.
The conclusion reached in my case was that I kick too many people and have developed bone bruises. It’s nice to be sure though.
Could be stimulation of your sciatic nerve because of a bad disk.
Actually, not likely. A disc protrusion or nerve root entrapment/irritation of the sciatic nerve, or sciatic nerve irritation in the gluteal region, is much more likely to result in pain in the lower back or in your gluteal region (i.e. butt). There may also be radiating pain and/or numbness farther down into the leg.
Intermittent, sharp pain in a specific spot in the lower leg/shin is could be due to a number of other things, like alice_in_wonderland said.
See a doctor.
Well, I went to the doctor yesterday and he sent me in to have it X-Rayed. The woman who did the X-Ray didnt see anything wrong with the bone, and my doctor is supposed to call me sometime today. And for what its worth, I’m a 16, female, and not on the pill. Thanks for your help, I’ll let you know what my doctor says.
IANAD but I do know that people often confuse shin splints with a stress fracture.
Do you drink enough water? I often get pains like this when I’m dehydrated. Such pain often involves the membranes surrounding the bones and muscles, too.
Very important: see a health professional and get something called a homans’ test. It’s to check for phlebitis (alice’s blood clots, which can happen to anyone, although the pill is a risk factor), which is a reasonably simple-to-treat ailment but can be fatal if not treated. Water’s good, muscle cramps are the culprit 9 times out of 10, but if you think it’s just a cramp and you rub it you’re running the risk of letting that hypothetical clot get on its way toward your heart.
Well the doctor called today and said that everything looks normal. Its some sort of muscle cramps because the bone is growing faster than the muscle. I think the term he used was a charlie horse.