Can you sprain your femur

Breaks happen when the bone has been shattered or fractured. These injuries require immediate medical attention and may cause numbness and severe pain. Danney says to look out for some immediate symptoms to consider: Does the area look deformed? If, after injury, the extremity looks deformed or out of place, it is a good indicator of a broken bone or dislocation.

Can you bear weight? If the injury happened to an ankle, knee, arm, wrist or other load-bearing extremity, see if you can put weight on it. If you can walk with soreness, it is unlikely that it is broken. Is there significant swelling?

If the injured area experiences immediate and severe swelling, that could be a sign of a broken bone or fracture. A muscle strain in the thigh causes sudden pain that can be quite severe. Someone experiencing a muscle strain in the thigh frequently describes a popping or snapping sensation as the muscle tears. The area around the injury may be tender to the touch, with visible bruising if blood vessels are also broken. Weakness, swelling, inflammation and cramping are also common signs of a strain.

Common factors that can make it more likely for you to experience a muscle strain include:. During the physical examination, your doctor will examine the injured area for tenderness or bruising, and you may be asked to bend or straighten your knee or hip. An X-ray may also be needed if there is a possible fracture or other injury to the phone.

Once a muscle strain occurs, the muscle is vulnerable to reinjury; therefore, it is important to let the muscle heal properly and to follow instructions carefully. Your doctor may recommend a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory, such as aspirin or another analgesic for pain relief. Rest, ice, compression using a bandage , and elevation—or R. A proper warm-up helps to protect your muscles against strain by increasing range of motion and reducing stiffness. Warm up before any exercise session or sports activity, including practice, by stretching slowly and gradually, holding each stretch to give the muscle time to respond and lengthen.

Condition your muscles with a regular program of exercises based on your age and activity level. Be sure to take as much time as needed to let your muscle heal before returning to sports.

Wait until your strength and flexibility return to preinjury levels. This could take anywhere from 10 days to three weeks for a mild strain, and up to six months for a severe strain. About Specialists At Shoreline Orthopaedics, our orthopaedic surgeons use a truly collaborative approach so our patients have the benefit of multiple expert opinions, without having to go elsewhere to obtain them.

Michael A. Caused by pressure on the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, meralgia paresthetica MP may cause tingling, numbness, and a burning pain in the outer part of your thigh.

It typically occurs on one side of the body and is caused by compression of the nerve. Treatment involves identifying the underlying cause, then taking measures such as wearing looser clothing or losing weight to alleviate pressure.

Exercises that reduce muscle tension and improve flexibility and strength may also help alleviate pain. Prescription medications and surgery may be recommended in some cases.

While deep vein clots appear more frequently in the lower legs, they can also form in one or both thighs. Sometimes there are no symptoms, but other times they may include:. As a result of DVT, some people develop a life-threatening condition known as pulmonary embolism in which a blood clot travels to the lungs.

Symptoms include:. Treatment for DVT ranges from lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, to prescription blood thinners, the use compression stockings, and surgery in some cases. A complication of diabetes, diabetic neuropathy occurs as a result of uncontrolled high blood sugar levels. It typically begins in the hands or feet, but it can spread to other parts of the body as well, including the thighs. While there is no cure for diabetic neuropathy, treatment to manage pain and other symptoms may involve lifestyle changes and measures to maintain healthy blood sugar levels as well as medications for pain management.

Greater trochanteric pain syndrome can cause pain in the outside of your upper thighs. Treatment may include lifestyle changes, such as weight loss, treatment with ice, physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, and steroid injections. Also common among runners, iliotibial band syndrome ITBS happens when the iliotibial band, which runs down the outside of the thigh from the hip to the skin, becomes tight and inflamed. Symptoms include pain and swelling, which is typically felt around the knees, but it can also be felt sometimes in the thigh.

This can cause pain in the thighs and legs. If a person feels pain in nearby areas, such as in the hips or knees, this could also be the reason why their thighs hurt. People may also experience pain from nerves in the upper thigh. Nerve pain occurs when there is damage to the nerves. This creates the feeling of pain even when there is not a physical injury to the thigh. Peripheral neuropathy is nerve damage that causes nerve pain.

It is often due to other conditions, such as diabetes. People with this pain may experience unusual sensations in the thighs and elsewhere, including burning, numbness, prickly sensations, and shooting pains.

Meralgia paresthetica is also called Bernhardt-Roth syndrome. Damage to or pressure on the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve , a nerve that affects feeling in the outside of the thigh, can cause this painful sensation. A person may experience this pain as burning or shooting, and the condition can cause periodic numbness in the upper thigh and hips.

A bruise, even one that is not visible, can be intensely painful. This pain is often throbbing and occurs in a single area. Numerous chronic conditions can cause pain in the upper thigh. People with fibromyalgia experience chronic widespread pain at specific pressure points. Leg pain often occurs just above the knees and on the back of the upper thighs.

Various types of arthritis can cause pain throughout the body, including in the thighs. The pain of osteoarthritis is often concentrated in the hip and knee joints but may radiate down or up. Rarely, pain in the upper thigh can be due to a blood clot in a blood vessel.

Also called deep vein thrombosis DVT , this painful condition can become life-threatening if the clot breaks loose and travels to the lungs, heart, or brain. People who take long flights, are sedentary for extended periods, have poor circulation, smoke, have cardiovascular disease, or are pregnant or overweight are at a heightened risk of developing DVT. Sometimes, pain can radiate to the front, sides, and back of the thigh, and each might occur due to different causes.