Is this your symptom?
- Injury to the leg (from hip to foot)
- Injury to a bone, muscle, joint or ligament
- Excluded: muscle pain caused by too much exercise or work (overuse). Overuse is covered in Leg Pain care guide.
Types of Leg Injuries
- Fractures are broken bones. They can be caused by a direct blow, twisting injuries, or falls/jumps from a height and landing on the feet. If a bone is broken in the leg, it will be hard to put full weight on the leg. There will be pain and swelling. A broken ankle is one of the most common broken bones in adults. It can be hard to tell an ankle break from a bad sprain. Other common fractures occur in the hip, thigh bone (femur), around the knee and in the shin bones.
- Microfractures can happen along the surface of a bone due to repeated minor injuries. Shin splints happen this way, often due to repeated running or not running in the proper footwear. They cause pain in the bone, but often go away with lengthy rest.
- Dislocations happen when a bone is pulled out of its joint socket. Dislocation of the ankle often happens with fractures of the joint. It may need surgical repair.
- Sprains are stretches and tears of ligaments. These often occur in sports injuries when ligaments are stretched and pull away from the bone they are attached to (or even snap). These injuries can cause the joint to be unstable (feel wobbly). Unless just a minor sprain, may need surgical repair.
- Strains are stretches and tears of muscles. These can range from minor to severe tears, causing a lot of pain, swelling and bruising.
- Muscle Overuse. Muscle pain can occur without an injury. There is no fall or direct blow. Muscle overuse is from hard work or sports.
- Muscle Bruise from a direct blow.
- Bone Bruise from a direct blow.
- Skin Injury. Examples are a cut, scrape or bruise. All are common with leg injuries.
Pain Scale
- Mild: you feel some pain, but it does not keep you from most normal activities. Work, activities and sleep are not changed.
- Moderate: the pain keeps you from doing some normal activities. It may wake you up from sleep.
- Severe: the pain is very bad. It keeps you from doing all normal activities.
When to Call for Leg Injury
Call 911 Now
Go to ER Now
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
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Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
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Self Care at Home
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Call 911 Now
- Leg is crushed or has many broken bones
- Major bleeding that can't be stopped
- Bone or object is sticking through the skin
- You think you have a life-threatening emergency
Go to ER Now
- Can't move the hip, knee or ankle at all
- You can't put any weight on the limb (you cannot walk on it)
- Any part of the leg looks crooked or deformed
- Loss of feeling in any part of the leg
- Any part of the leg is pale (could be from lack of blood flow)
- Large or deep cut that will need many stitches
- A puncture injury. An object (broken glass, nail) has gone into the skin.
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
- Can't put full weight on the leg or walk normally or the leg gives way when walking
- Severe swelling
- Severe pain
- Skin is cut and No past tetanus shots
- Sudden increase in pain and/or swelling a few days after the injury
- You think you need to be seen, and the problem is urgent
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
- Very large bruise or swelling
- Increasing redness, pain or swelling around the wound
- You have a cast that :
- is too tight or too loose
- feels uncomfortable
- has gotten wet
- Pain not starting to get better after 3 days
- Dirty cut or hard to clean and no tetanus shot for more than 5 years
- Clean cut and no tetanus shot for more than 10 years
- You think you need to be seen, but the problem is not urgent
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
- Wound is not getting better after 7 days
- Pain lasts more than 2 weeks
- Injury limits work, sports, or other activities
- You have other questions or concerns
Self Care at Home
- Sore muscle or bruise from direct blow
- Minor leg injury
Care Advice for Stomach Pain
What You Should Know About Stomach Pain:
- Mild stomach pain can be caused by something simple. It could be from gas pains or eating too much.
- Sometimes, stomach pain signals the start of a viral infection. This will lead to vomiting or loose stools.
- Watching your child for 2 hours will help tell you the cause.
- Here is some care advice that should help.
Lie Down:
- Have your child lie down and rest until feeling better.
Clear Fluids:
- Offer clear fluids only (such as water, flat soft drinks or half-strength Gatorade).
- For mild pain, offer a regular diet.
Prepare for Vomiting:
- Keep a vomiting pan handy.
- Younger children often talk about stomach pain when they have nausea. Nausea is the sick stomach feeling that comes before they throw up.
Pass a Stool:
- Have your child sit on the toilet and try to pass a stool.
- This may help if the pain is from constipation or diarrhea.
- Note: for constipation, moving a warm wet cotton ball on the anus may help.
Do Not Give Medicines:
- Any drug (like ibuprofen) could upset the stomach and make the pain worse.
- Do not give any pain medicines or laxatives for stomach cramps.
- For fever higher than 102° F (39° C), acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) can be given.
What to Expect:
- With harmless causes, the pain is most often better or gone in 2 hours.
- With stomach flu, belly cramps may happen before each bout of vomiting or diarrhea. These cramps may come and go for a few days.
- With serious causes (such as appendicitis), the pain worsens and becomes constant.
Call Your Doctor If:
- Pain becomes severe
- Constant pain lasts more than 2 hours
- Mild pain that comes and goes lasts more than 24 hours
- You think your child needs to be seen
- Your child becomes worse
Extra Help - Worried Stomach:
- Help your child talk about events that trigger the stomach pain. Talk to your child about how to cope with these the next time around.
- Help your child worry less about things she can't control.
- To treat the pain, help your child get very relaxed. Lying down in a quiet place and taking slow deep breaths may help. Make the belly go up and down with each breath. Then try to relax all the muscles in the body. Think about something pleasant. Listening to audios that teach how to relax might also help.
- Make sure your child gets enough sleep.
- Make sure that your child doesn't miss any school because of stomach pains. Stressed children tend to want to stay home when the going gets rough.
- Caution: your child should see her doctor for an exam. Do this before concluding frequent stomach pains are from worrying too much.
