Upper leg pain

I have this upper leg pain that goes from my knee up the side of my leg. Sometimes it will go down to my foot. It will keep me awake some nights.

You make no mention of lower back pain so for the moment let's concentrate on the possible causes of side of the leg pain.

It's the area where a very large muscle and tendon called the ITB are located. A common cause of pain especially in athletes. The definitive test is called Noble's sign.

Then there is a large bursa on the side of the hip that frequently radiates down the side of the leg.

The nerve supplying this area is called the Lateral Femoral Cutaneous nerve and it exits from the pelvis in the groin. The condition is called Meralgia Paresthetica.

A host of knee conditions could cause pain on the side of the leg. The quadriceps muscle too.

Try bending forwards and backwards, and to the side; do any of these movements provoke the pain? Or pain in the back.

Sitting, straighten your leg parallel to the floor, and then flex your head and neck (Slump test). Does it provoke the pain?

You can punch these terms into the Search this Site feature at C-H for more info.

In short, nothing short of a careful and thorough chiropractic examination is needed to decide what is causing your pain.

I hope this has contributed.

Dr B