There are several different conditions which can cause diabetes thigh pain. Any types of pain in diabetes should not be easily overlooked because it is so crucial for diabetics to get treatment early before complications can arise. Therefore, any kind of reoccurring diabetes thigh pain, or thigh pain that does not go away within a couple of days should be brought to the attention soon. The same stands for any other type of pain as well.
One of the most serious of these is proximal neuropathy. In peripheral neuropathy, the most common type of nerve damage found in diabetes, the symptoms begin in the outer limbs such as the feet and the hands and then spreads to the legs and arms. In proximal neuropathy, however, the nerve damage begins with pain in the thighs, hips, buttocks and legs and usually only on one side of the body. Therefore, diabetic thigh pain could be an indicator of this condition. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH.gov), proximal neuropathy causes weakness in the legs and the ability to go from sitting to a standing position without help. This type of neuropathy is more common among older diabetics. Treatment is usually available, but the length of recovery time varies.
Diabetes Thigh Pain Causes
Diabetes thigh pain may just be a normal symptom of growth and aging. The onset of age comes a little sooner for most type-2 diabetics because of the trauma your body goes through in life, and of course children with diabetes have normal growing pains. Diabetes thigh pain may also simply be a result of muscle strain or contusion brought about by physical activity. Any kind of injury should be brought to your doctor’s attention to ensure that it gets healed up well and without risk of infection.
There are several infections that may form in or around the thigh, causing diabetes thigh pain. Cellulitis, for example, is an invasive infection of the skin and surrounding tissue. Any type of wound and sore may also lead to serious infection. An infection of the knee or hip may cause diabetes thigh pain as well as well, as the infection spreads. Osteomyelitis is another type of bone infection that can lead to infectious diabetes thigh pain.
Other conditions that may lead to diabetes thigh pain include:
Deep vein thrombosis – a blood clot in the leg which breaks loose, can cause a pulmonary embolism in the lung. This could also lead to a heart attack or a stroke.
Fibromyalgia – this is a chronic condition which causes muscle pain, stiffness, and tenderness.
Peripheral artery disease – this condition is characterized by narrowing in the arteries due to the buildup of fat and cholesterol leading to poor circulation in the extremeties.
