Left leg pain. Can anxiety cause this? Very worried.

[ElectricAlice]

Left leg pain still :( extremely worried. Any help would be so appreciated.
My left leg is still hurting, it's been about 3 weeks now. I'm so scared it's something bad, like a blood clot. The pain is all up the back of my leg, especially behind my knee. And coming down the inside of my thigh. It's not excruciating pain, more like a tight uncomfortable strange pain. It can ache at night or when I'm sitting badly, and hurt when I'm walking sometimes too. No swelling or redness. Sometimes it feels hot but not to touch, if that makes sense. I get pelvic pain and back pain too. I also get a pins and needles feeling too.

I got a blood test for clots, and examined at the hospital and the doctor said its definitely not DVT. Blood test came back fine. Is that accurate?

I can't stop worrying. Even when I feel relaxed I still get the pain. It comes on and off though, it's not 100% there all the time.

Please can someone help. It's becoming an obsession and fear and I don't know what to do. Has anyone else had this? I'm so terrified the doctors have missed something. :(

[missykat]

i used to have this type of pain for weeks!! i think the constant worry and focus on it made it linger for longer becuz ure tensing ure muscle without knowing it. do u wear comfortable footwear? if not and u wear high shoes and stand most of the day this can also be the cause. i really wouldnt worry about it unless ure leg suddenly swells and hot to the touch

[ElectricAlice]

Yeah that's what I try and tell myself. It's really difficult because the more I get scared the more it stays around. So did you have the exact same pain yeah? Like up your inner thigh and things? How long did yours stay for? Or how did you get rid of it? Thanks so much for your reply, I'm so worried about it :(

[missykat]

yes the exact same pain, i convinced myself it was radiating pain from cancer in my cervix (was terrified i had it at the time) i think i had mine for around 3 solid months!! then one it just went away, think because i was thinking less of it. how i got rid of it wen it was flaring up was just took a regular pain killer but only before i went to bed because it wud disturb me trying to sleep. i know its really hard to think positive, im guilty of that myself all the time. its terrible but im sure its nothing.

[suzy-sue]

Bad posture can cause this .That combined with tense muscles .It can cause problems in the lower back that lead to deferred pain in the leg s and the nerves ,cause the tingling sensation .Try to be aware of how you stand, walk ,sit ,and sleep Do some relaxation techniques to get your body relaxed ,on a regular basis ..As the previous poster says wearing high heels can cause probs .Try heat on your back and maybe do some excercise to strengthen your back muscles like Pilate s ..t/C sue x

[ElectricAlice]

I'm glad yours went away and your ok now :) was it just in one leg? Right now I'm in bed and getting pins and needles on and off. It feels like my whole leg is about to go into cramp or something. Did that happen to you?

[missykat]

it was mainly in the one leg which was my right leg bit it varied alot but was mainly the right. at the start of anxiety a couple of months ago i got the pins and needles in my feet every nite in bed i was so worried and kept moving them to shift it but wud return again wen rested. so went to the doc told him and he said pins and needles in feet very common with anxiety! i was so suprised, its mad how much anxiety can effect our body in so many ways. also used to get little scratchy sensation in my arms and hands and back, again all anxiety related. try relax read a book have some tea might help. but i know excess worry and worsen our symptoms!

[ElectricAlice]

I have quite bad posture, I don't wear high heels, but my dad said my feet turn inwards when I walk. Maybe this is something to do with it. But I only really got leg pain in the last month along with my anxiety being there. I hope it's not a trapped nerve or something :(. How would I find this out? The doctor said I should ignore the pain. But it's not that easy. I just worry. My whole leg feels tingly :(

[missykat]

was just reading over ure previous posts, and i see ure mum has died of dvt, im so terribly sorry thats so sad :( just thinking maybe this is where all ure leg pain as stemmed from, because ure so worried about getting what ure mum had? if u are at all anxious over it which is understandable there wud be no doubt that u wud experience pain there as ure focused on it. u poor thing i really feel for you. take ure doctors advice and ignore it. i promise u it will pass

[ElectricAlice]

Yeah that's exactly what caused my worry :( it's so so awful. Can't even describe it... So you think my mind is creating the pain and if I ignore it it'll go away? Xx

[missykat]

well was the pain there before ure mum died? i doubt it was therefore yes ure mind is creating it. ive no doubt u feel the pain, ure mind tells u to feel it. also tension can create it and make it more intense. im sure if u ignore it(it will be hard im sure) it will go away. i bet the next worry u have and next symptom u have u wont be thinking of ure leg and then one day ull notice its gone :)

[missykat]

how is the pain today?? is it any better?

[ElectricAlice]

Yeah it started about a month ago I think. Unless before I just wasn't noticing it. But I'm pretty sure it started a month ago. It's just the same today really. Sore and tingly :( xxxx

[missykat]

is it a dull ache? the tingles is from anxiety! unless ure lower back is sore too which cud be a trapped nerve which resolves itself in a matter of weeks or even up to 6 months my doc told me :ohmy: its no real health concern just annoying.

[ElectricAlice]

Yeah like a dull ache sometimes stabbing pains. I'm just aware it's sore most of the time. I do get back pain yeah. I was thinking it might be a trapped nerve. But these resolve themselves do they? It sort of feels like a stitch in my thigh sometimes too.

[ElectricAlice]

It goes right up to the top of my inner thigh too. It's hard to believe it's anxiety :(

[anx mum]

It goes right up to the top of my inner thigh too. It's hard to believe it's anxiety :(

Hiya how r u? Feel awful getting chest pains:weep: been 2 doc again said anxiety hard 2 believe when u feel so bad

[ElectricAlice]

I'm feeling a bit better, just my leg pain is worse :( had blood tests for clots and they came back fine but doesn't seem to stop me worrying. Thinking it might be a trapped nerve. I mean are these blood tests accurate? I had/have chest pain too. If you notice the way your standing then completely just drop your shoulders and relax you can really notice how much your tensing and breathing and posture affects the chest pain. I just wish I knew this about my leg pain!! I don't understand it. Have you ever gotten leg pain?

[missykat]

it is isnt it hard to believe at times thats the power of our brain, wen we fear something so much we make believe its happening. its awful awfulo awful. :mad: since my dad died of a brain tumor 4 years ago everytime i get a headache i belive its that! and sometimes im so afraid of it i bring a headache on! i used to get the ache and darting pains all the time then they stopped and will for u too. at times it was so bad i had to take painkillers to get a bit of sleep.

[ElectricAlice]

Is there muscles down your inner thigh?

[missykat]

u have muscles nearly everywhere! and yes u do have them there. :)

[ElectricAlice]

I keep getting stabbing pains in my legs :(

[missykat]

did u pop to ure doc? maybe he cud reassure u

[ElectricAlice]

I've been to the doctors and A&E both times and they say it's muscle pain and anxiety. I've had blood tests for clots and they came back ok.

[ElectricAlice]

I'm just so so so worried :(

[missykat]

take comfort in the fact they said ure ok and ure bloods tests ok thats very reassuring. ure like me cant stop worrying about everything even though ive been checked. its horrible

[ElectricAlice]

It's so bad. It feels so weird :( :(

[missykat]

ure alright :yesyes:

[ElectricAlice]

I'll try hard to accept that. Thanks so much for your continuing help. I really hope the psi. Gets better and not worse :(

[ElectricAlice]

Pain not psi. Dunno why that happened :(

[missykat]

ure welcome! anytime u need to talk im here :D now relax tonight and take it easy

[ElectricAlice]

Do you think I should try taking some ibuprofen? Is that what you did. I'm worried because the pain seems to be worse. Did yours hurt when you walked? And did you get stabby pains randomly. Also I read a while ago that when you have DVT and point your foot back towards your body it hurts more. This happens to me :( is this normal? Does it mean when you pull it back a little it should really hurt? Mine isn't excruciating...

[ElectricAlice]

Oh my god I just read an old post that said DVT can be virtually symptomless and now I'm really really freaked out. Are the blood tests accurate? Does this fully say I don't have a clot?! God i'm really panicking.

[missykat]

ok. firstly yes i got the same kind of pain u described. secondly relax, u are getting ureself into a state and thats not good. u said DVT has no symptoms? usually ure leg swells and is really hot and tender. whats uve read about pulling ure foot back u are experiencing this because ure mind is telling u to! blood can tell alot about whats going on,if ure bloods are fine well then nothing sinister is going on. i took some mild painkillers for my pain but only wen it got in the way of things like sleeping

[ElectricAlice]

I just can't get this out of my head. I am so scared

[missykat]

are u on anything to help ure anxiety? if not maybe u shud be it will help u. and u WILL have to get it out of ure head because u will make ureself very sick with all this worry

[ElectricAlice]

I've got citalopram but worried about the side affects

[missykat]

im sure the side effects wud be better than having constant fear and worry about something wouldnt you? they can only help not make u worse

[yvonne_uk_98]

hi ElectricAlice,

I left a comment on your other thread.

Yvonne

[ElectricAlice]

It's so scary I keep seeing posts where people are saying that DVT can cause hardly any symptoms. I'm so terrified that my leg is swollen and I'm not actually realising. I measured my legs and they're the same size. And the blood tests came back ok, so really there's nothing else I should be worrying about. But I keep reading random things that freak me out. It's horrific. I just wish I felt ok. And not worried. If you had the same leg pain and yours was nothing then at least I can try and see it's symptom of anxiety more. I just hope one day my leg doesn't go swollen. And I'm scared if I don't keep checking I'll miss the swelling. God I can't cope with it anymore.

[suzy-sue]

Youve had the tests .You need to step back and look at this rationally ..I know you are scared but you are making your Anxiety worse by thinking this is DVT .IT ISNT ..Anx Mum was convinced she had this too .Read thru her posts it may help you see the pattern of your thinking .Its caused by anxiety .once you accept this you will feel a lot better ..sue :hugs:

[ElectricAlice]

Thanks for your help. I'm determined to get through this. I can't live my life like this anymore. I'm only 22 :(. I need to focus on getting through this. Tomorrow I'm going to start taking the Citalopram that was prescribed to me.

[missykat]

how is ure leg today?

[suzy-sue]

Have you taken your Cit today ? How much were you perscribed ? Sue x

[ElectricAlice]

I got prescribed 10mg a day for 2 weeks and then increased to 20 mg a day for 6 months. I haven't yet taken it as my anxiety has improved a little after realising a little more that my pain is most likely not a clot. I still have the terrible fear in my head and it's very hindering :(. I still have the pain but I've been discussing sciatica on this forum
and I'm more inclined to think it's that. I got a book on health anxiety and CBT. So I'm trying to stop using my 'checking solutions' even though it's really hard to stop comparing my legs every hour!! :(. I just need to remember what the dr told me. Hopefully the pain will eventually go away. Any more advice/help
is so appreciated :) thank you.

[Croline]

I have been googling (as you do) because I've had pain in my thigh like a bruise that has been on for a few days now and this morning had spread to my calf and my ankle. I'd got myself so worked up about it being bone cancer or DVT. By the time I got to work this morning I had pins & needles in my heels and feet, and blurry vision.

For the first time I started to think it was anxiety. I like to think I've never been an anxious person. But for the first time in August I got really ill prior to a horse showjumping competition. It was like food poisoning, but I did the competition and straight after I was completely better! That was the first time I thought about anxiety.

I've had so much on this month. My car broke down and I had to buy a new one, which I could barely afford. I've been evicted and had a month to move out, and am moving this weekend. So I've spent the last few weeks trying to pack and move my stuff, and stressing about borrowing a transport van, etc. Then my dog died of bone cancer in his leg which came on in a week, we had to have him put to sleep. And since then one of my horse's saddles broke and has caused her a massive back injury which is going to cost hundreds of pounds to put right. So vet bills alone are making me worry about money.

All of that in October, I am starting to think I might be a little stressed and anxious. And now this leg pain. It started feeling like a bruise on the outside of my right thigh, but there was no bruise. It really hurt to touch and when I leaned and put pressure on the leg. This morning it's spread all down the back of my knee, my calf and my ankle.

So could this be anxiety?

The other thing is that, after just reading your comments alone, I felt a sweeping sense of relief that actually made the pain go away!! I think I will still go to the doctor's though, just to be sure.

I'd love to hear from other people who've had similar experiences.. I've never encountered anxiety before :-(