Pain in the rear lower leg

On the rear lower leg there is mainly muscle tissue, which forms the calf muscles. Deep down, there are also the blood-carrying arteries and the blood-discharging veins. Pain in the rear lower leg can basically originate from all these structures.

The most frequent are muscular complaints. The calf musculature serves to lower the foot on the one hand, and on the other hand to provide stability of the leg in relation to the foot in the ankle joint. For this reason, the calf muscles are under constant strain both when walking and when standing.

Incorrect or excessive strain can easily lead to minor injuries of the muscles, resulting in pain in the rear lower leg. In addition, the muscles of the calf are most frequently affected by cramps, which can also be very painful. If the arteries are the cause of pain in the posterior lower leg, in most cases the cause is a narrowing of the inner walls of the vessels due to calcification.

This is manifested by pain that occurs after an initially longer walking distance and subsides when the patient stops. If the calcification increases – the main risk factor is cigarette smoking – this leads to a constant shortening of the pain-free walking distance. However, pain in the rear lower leg can also indicate that a deep vein is blocked by a blood clot.

In the case of a so-called deep vein thrombosis, the affected leg often swells up. Patients who have been immobile for a long time, for example after a long-haul flight or an operation, are particularly at risk. A doctor should be consulted as soon as possible if this is the case.

Short-term pain in the rear lower leg without further symptoms or risk factors, on the other hand, almost always has a harmless and self-limiting cause. If the cause is a leg vein thrombosis, the localization of the pain varies greatly depending on the location of the thrombus, but usually an additional calf or sole pain can be triggered. Often the pain occurs gradually and is of a pulling quality with a simultaneous feeling of tension.

There are certain risk factors for thrombi such as smoking, diabetes, little exercise, the contraceptive pill, pregnancy and obesity. Causes are often long-term bedriddenness, for example after major surgery, heart disease, vascular disease, certain medications (diuretics, neuroleptics, the pill) and disorders of blood formation. A sign of pain in the lower leg caused by a thrombus is when the pain can be significantly relieved by elevating the leg. A visit to a doctor is essential in this case.