Thigh Pain

When you're talking about thigh pain, there are dozens of potential causes. In this article we're going to highlight some of the most common causes of thigh pain with more articles to follow in the future. 

We're not going to focus much attention in this article on broken bones, contusions or bruises. You usually know you've got them and where they came from. The goal of this article will be to help you take the mystery out of thigh pain when you're not sure why you've got it.

Causes of Thigh Pain

Pulled or Strained Hamstring or Quadriceps Muscles The quadricep muscle is in the front of the thigh, the hamstring is in the back. These are relatively common injuries in sports, especially among sprinters.

Symptoms are pretty obvious: a sudden pain in the front or the back of the thigh, usually during an explosive or high velocity movement. It also happens when you stretch too enthusiastically or do a thigh exercise that involves strong resistance. When injured, the large muscles of the thigh may swell or look bruised.

Tendinitis Anytime you see the suffix "itis" attached to a word, you know you're talking about inflammation. Tendinitis can occur occurs where tendons attach to bones in the hips. Most likely cause of pain in this area is wear (as in overuse) or tear (as in an injury).

Strained, Pulled or Ruptured adductor Muscles The colloquial name for this problem is a "groin pull." It occurs in the adductor muscles of the thigh. These muscles connect the thigh bones to the pelvis. There are three different grades of groin pulls, rated from "discomfort" to "severe pain." There are a number of variations to this type of injury which will be covered in future posts.

Charley Horse The term "charley horse" has been around for a long time. It's a colloquialism meaning a muscle spasm in the leg. When the spasm occurs in the thigh, it can cause sudden, very distracting pain. A spasm occurs a muscle that contracts without your control. The cause could be a blow to the muscle or an irritated nerve.

Referred Pain from Nerve Damage  There could be a problem with the nerves coming out of your spine that follows the nerve path down into your thigh. When pain originates in one place but is felt in another, it's called referred pain.

Sciatic Pain The sciatic nerve is one of the largest in the human body. It comes out the back and down through the thighs. When this nerve is compressed or damaged, pain can occur in the back, buttocks, and yes, the thighs. This type of pain is common to people who have to sit for extended periods as part of the jobs, like professional truck drivers.

Stress Fracture of the Femur This is a fracture you could have without even knowing it (which is why it's included in this article). The femur is the "thigh bone" that connects the hips to the knee. Even though it's a very strong bone, it can crack from overuse, resulting in a dull, aching pain in the thigh. This is fairly uncommon, but is worth including in this list nonetheless.