Why do my legs hurt at night teenager

Some people write off nightly leg pain as a symptom of getting older, but if you are experiencing nightly leg pain that is interrupting your sleep that could be a symptom of Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD).

Peripheral Artery Disease is a circulatory disease that is caused by fatty deposits in your artery walls. Those deposits build up and reduce blood flow to your legs or arms. With reduced blood flow, your legs do not get the oxygen they need, and they start to hurt.

More serious cases of PAD can lead to heart attack, stroke, infection, and possible amputation. Ellichman Vein and Vascular Centers are here to help. If you are experiencing leg pain that lasts longer than a few days, you should seek the advice of a medical professional either your primary care doctor or a specialist like Dr. Jonathan Ellichman.

Below you can find more information on PAD as well as Ellichman Vein and Vascular Centers state of the art treatments that will have you feeling better in just 24 hours.

Click here to set up your appointment or call Dr. Ellichman’s office today (901) 479-1063.

What is Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)?

Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) is a circulatory disease in which fatty deposits in your arteries reduce blood flow to your legs or arms. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, an estimated 8.5 million people suffer from PAD and nearly 15% of Americans over the age of 70 have been diagnosed with it.

Symptoms of Peripheral Artery Disease include:

  • Leg Cramps
  • Legs feel weak
  • Legs feel numb
  • Legs feel cold
  • Legs are an odd color
  • Legs feel tight or tingly
  • Sores on toes, feet, legs that will not heal

These risk factors can increase your chances of developing Peripheral Artery Disease:

  • 50 years old or older
  • History of diabetes
  • History of high blood pressure or hypertension
  • History of high cholesterol
  • History of smoking

How can Ellichman Vein and Vascular Centers help?

If you are experiencing these symptoms you should speak with your primary care doctor, or a specialist like Dr. Jonathan Ellichman. Click here to set up your appointment or call Dr. Ellichman’s office today (901) 479-1063.

At Ellichman Vein and Vascular, we can diagnose artery blockages with a noninvasive ultrasound screening, or Ankle Brachial Index. If these tests show that you could benefit from treatment, Dr. Ellichman’s office can schedule you for a minimally invasive treatment in our own office.

The treatment can take as little as 30 minutes and you could be back on your feet feeling pain free in as little as 24 hours.

You're getting bigger and growing up. But for some kids, growing up comes with something called growing pains.

What Are Growing Pains?

Growing pains aren't a disease. You probably won't have to go to the doctor for them. But they can hurt. Usually they start when kids are between the ages of 3 and 12. Doctors don't believe that growing actually causes pain, but growing pains do stop when kids stop growing. By the teen years, most kids don't get growing pains anymore.

Kids get growing pains in their legs. Most of the time they hurt in the front of the thighs (the upper part of your legs), in the calves (the back part of your legs below your knees), or shins (the front part of your legs below your knees), or behind the knees. Usually, both legs hurt.

What Causes Growing Pains?

Growing pains don't hurt around the bones or joints (like your knees or ankles) — only in the muscles. For this reason, some doctors think that kids might get growing pains when they run, climb, or jump a lot during the day. When you are more active than usual, you might have aches and pains in your legs at night.

What Can I Do to Feel Better?

Your parent can help your growing pains feel better by giving you an over-the-counter pain medicine like acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

Here are three other things that might help you feel better:

  1. Put a heating pad on the spot where your legs hurt.
  2. Stretch your legs like you do in gym class.
  3. Have your parent massage your legs.

When to Go to the Doctor

If you have a fever, are limping when you walk, or your leg looks red or is swollen (puffed up), your parent should take you to the doctor. Growing pains should not keep you from running, playing, and doing what you normally do. If you have leg pain during the day, tell your parent.

You might never feel any growing pains, but if you do, remember that before you know it, you will outgrow them!

Growing pains are leg pains and soreness that happen to children at night. Growing pains usually start when kids are 3–12 years old.

What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Growing Pains?

Most kids with growing pains have pain in their thighs, calves, shins, or behind the knees. The pain usually is in both legs and does not involve the joints. Occasionally, kids may have pain in the arms along with leg pain, but they do not have pain only in the arms. Growing pains often strike in late afternoon or early evening before bed but pain can sometimes wake a sleeping child.

Most kids are pain-free and active as usual during the day. Growing pains may last for months or years, but they don't happen every day. There might be days, weeks, or months between pain episodes.

What Causes Growing Pains?

Doctors don’t know what causes growing pains. Pain is not worse during growth spurts and the pain is not around the growth areas of bones. So "growing" pains might just be aches from the jumping, climbing, and running that kids do during the day. Often, a child’s growing pains happen after a very active day.

How Are Growing Pains Diagnosed?

There is no medical test for growing pains. Doctors diagnose them based on a child’s symptoms. It’s likely growing pains if a child:

  • is healthy and has leg pain at night that gets better with massage, heat, and over-the-counter pain medicine
  • is active and has no pain during the day
  • has a normal physical exam

If symptoms do not fit this pattern, the doctor may order blood tests and X-rays to look for another cause.

Why are my legs aching at 16?

Check if it's growing pains The symptoms of growing pains can come and go over months, even years. The pain is usually: an aching or throbbing in both legs. in the muscles, not the joints.

Is it normal for a 13 year old to have leg pain?

Growing Pains. 10% of healthy children have harmless leg pains that come and go. These are often called growing pains (although they have nothing to do with growth). Growing pains usually occur in the calf or thigh muscles. They usually occur on both sides, not one side.

Why do my legs hurt mostly at night?

Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) can cause aching legs at night due to high pressure in the veins and stagnant venous blood from sitting or standing all day. Proper daily leg elevation can help relieve this pressure. Nervousness and restless leg syndrome usually result in legs that feel heavy, jittery, and shaky.

Can you get growing pains at 18?

Adults may have growing pain sensations, but they usually aren't growing pains. The sensation can be harmless, but it can also be a sign of an underlying problem. If your pain is severe, lasts for a long time, or you have other symptoms, see a doctor.