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911 Pain Management: More Life, Less Pain.

Our facility is free from unnecessary wait times and we provide the best experience for our patients. This is made possible by our incredible staff and our nationally renowned pain management specialist, Dr. Liu MD, who has over 30 years of scientific research and clinical experience in her profession.

Our number one priority is patient safety and positive treatment outcomes. We provide treatments free of anxiety with a short-term sedation so you can go home with the least possible discomfort.

By cobaltmoe | June 22nd, 2021 |

The Anatomy of The Leg: The Basics

The human leg is made up of five different regions: the upper and lower leg, knee, ankle, and foot. Each of these regions is composed of a combination of bones, muscles, tendons, and cartilage. Below, you can find a breakdown of the basic parts of each region of the leg.

Upper Leg (Thigh)

  • Femur — the thigh bone
  • Hamstrings — three muscles on the back of the thigh, allow the knee to bend
  • Quadriceps — four muscles on the front of the thigh, allow the knee to straighten
  • Adductors — five muscles on the inside of the thigh, allow the thighs to close

Lower Leg (Calf)

  • Tibia — the shin bone
  • Fibula — the muscle next to the tibia
  • Lower leg muscles — including the gastronemius, soleus, plantaris, tibialis muscles, and peroneus muscles, allow the foot and ankle to move
  • Nerves — fibular and tibial nerves stimulate the muscles on the front and back of the leg, respectively
  • Achilles tendon — connective tissue attaching the calf muscles to the ankle and foot

Knee

  • Patella — the knee cap
  • Knee ligaments — connective tissue surrounding a joint, stop bones from sliding
  • Knee tendons — connective tissue on the end of muscles, attach muscles to bones
  • Bursa — fluid sacs cushioning the knee joint
  • Meniscus — cartilage separating the femur and tibia, provides balance and stability

Ankle

  • Medial ligaments — connective tissue in the inner ankle
  • Lateral ligaments — connective tissue on the outer ankle

 

Foot

  • Tarsals — seven bones making up the lower ankle and arch of the foot
  • Metatarsals — five bones between the tarsals and toe bones
  • Phalanges — the 14 bones of the toes
  • Foot muscles — more than 20 muscles giving support and allowing movement
  • Foot ligaments — hold together the boned of the arch of the foot

Common Underlying Causes of Leg Pain

Usually, leg pain is a symptom of either an injury or a disease. The cause of your leg pain will help your pain management doctor determine which treatment will work for you. The causes of leg pain can be grouped based on the type of pain experienced, as shown below.

  • Vascular pain — pain due to a lack of blood flow resulting in discolored skin, pain, numbness, and heaviness.
  • Neurological pain — pain due to malfunctions in the nervous system that can be present even when the sufferer is sitting still.
  • Musculoskeletal pain — pain affecting the joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles, or bones.

Each of these types of pain can linger for years, greatly affecting the sufferer’s ability to function. Acute injuries may result in immediate pain that goes away once the injury is healed. However, causes of leg pain can also produce pain that develops slowly over time, making it more difficult to pinpoint a cause. Common causes of leg pain include:

I. Vascular Pain

  • Deep vein thrombosis – when a blood clot forms in the deep veins of your legs and causes pain.
  • Cellulitis – bacterial infection that causes redness, swelling, and pain.
  • Varicose eczema – long-term condition that causes inflammation and pain in the lower legs because of fluid buildup.
  • Varicose veins – veins right under the skin in legs that twist and swell, may cause aches and pain in some cases.
  • Infections – bacterial, viral, fungal, or parasitic invasions of your body that can cause pain and disease.
  • PAD – otherwise known as peripheral artery disease, fatty and/or calcium buildup in the veins of your legs that happens with age, diabetes, or smoking.

II. Neurological Pain

  • Restless leg syndrome – a condition that causes uncontrollable urges to move the legs.
  • Neuropathy – numbness, muscle weakness, and sharp pains are common in neuropathy, which could result from infections, diabetes, injury, or even certain toxins.
  • Sciatic nerve pain – a pain that shoots from the lower back down one or both legs through the sciatic nerve.

III. Musculoskeletal Pain

  • Acute injuries – injury done to ligaments, bone, muscles, and tendons. Bursitis can be an example of acute musculoskeletal pain.
  • Compartment syndrome – a dangerous condition where extreme pain is brought on by either excessive swelling of tissues in the muscle or internal bleeding.
  • Night cramps – involuntary, painful muscle spasms that tend to affect your calves when in bed.
  • Strains – torn or pulled leg muscles.
  • Fractures – breaks in the bones of the leg.

Top Causes of Acute Leg Injuries

Acute injuries to the leg can cause overwhelming pain if not treated properly. They usually occur due to:

  • Overuse
  • Direct blow
  • Penetrating injury
  • Sprained muscles
  • A bad fall
  • Overextended limb injury

If you’ve suffered any of the events listed above, seek necessary medical attention from a doctor or nearby hospital. After treating the initial injury, you may wish to find a pain management clinic to help you deal with any lingering leg pain.

After treating the initial injury, you may wish to find a pain management clinic to help you deal with lingering leg pain.

More Life, Less Pain. At 911 Pain Management, Treating Our Patients’ Source of Pain is Our Expertise.

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Sources Of Acute Pain

Knee

Suffer from knee pain? This part of the body is a complex network of nerves, cartilage, and muscle, and every step can signal that something is wrong. If you need pain relief fast, let 911 Pain Management take care of your knee pain today.

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Arm

Your daily life routine over time can cause significant arm pain, and it can continue if you don’t seek out adequate pain management from an experienced pain management doctor. Learn more about your treatment options now.

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Neck

Neck pain shouldn’t stop you from doing what you need to do during the day, especially when plenty of options to relieve pain are available at 911 Pain Management. Seize the day and learn more about potential causes for your neck pain and how we can treat it.

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Shoulder

Are you experiencing pain in your shoulders? Plenty of reasons for shoulder pain exist, from a torn rotator cuff to joint pain and more. Don’t grin and bear the pain alone. Learn more about shoulder pain and how we can help you feel better today.

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Lower Back

No matter if you hit the gym, work in an environment that requires heavy lifting, or are just feeling the effects of aging, lower back pain and stiffness can demobilize you if you aren’t careful. 911 Pain Management helps patients overcome lower back pain with solid pain management solutions.

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the patient Journey

The Patient Journey
Yixiang Liu MD

About Dr Liu

Yixiang Liu MD is a nationally renowned pain management physician in McAllen, Texas. She has never settled for less when it comes to healing others, and her medical training, education, and experience ensure that you get the best in pain management available to you.


Read Dr. Yixiang
Liu's Bio