Nocturnal pain

If there is pain in the lower leg at night, which wakes the person up from sleep, it is usually a calf cramp. This usually lasts no longer than a few minutes and is harmless despite the sometimes severe symptoms. If cramps occur frequently, magnesium can be taken as a preventive measure.

However, if pain in the lower leg regularly occurs only at night and there is no calf cramp, this is very unusual and should be clarified by a medical examination. The most common causes of pain in the lower leg are triggered or at least intensified by leg movement. Causes of night-time pain at rest can be, for example, inflammation or rheumatic diseases and, in extremely rare cases, malignant diseases of the bone.

Pain at rest

When pain is felt on the lower leg at rest, it is important to distinguish whether it occurs exclusively at rest, or whether it persists at rest and walking is intensified. For example, an occlusive disease of the blood vessels in the legs leads to pain in the lower leg in the early stages, which only occurs after a longer walking distance. In the further course of the disease, this pain-free walking distance usually becomes increasingly shorter, so that ultimately pain in the lower leg already occurs at rest.

However, if pain at rest suddenly occurs without such a history, other causes are more likely. Typically, inflammations such as erysipelas are manifested by pain that occurs under stress and at rest. In contrast, a muscular cause, which is generally often responsible for pain in the lower leg, typically causes less or no pain at rest.

What role do the fasciae play?

Fasciae are the skins of connective tissue that usually surround several muscles on the body. On the lower leg there are four muscle groups separated from each other by fascia. The muscle skins contain sensory cells that perceive and transmit pain stimuli.

Therefore, the fascia play an important role in the perception and transmission of pain signals to the brain, for example when muscle fibers are injured or inflamed. In addition, the fasciae themselves can be affected by damage and disease, which can also cause pain in the lower leg. In particular, lack of exercise but also overloading can cause the fasciae to stick together, which impairs the gliding ability of the muscle fibers.

This can result in pain in the lower leg. The most important measure to prevent or treat damage to the fascia is therefore sufficient healthy exercise.If necessary, additional exercises can be performed to loosen the fascia.

Fasciae and
Fasciology training