Could Driving Too Much Be Causing the Pain in the Back of My Leg?

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Reader Question:  I do a lot of driving for work.  Lately the back of
my right leg has been hurting, and I’m feeling it the most behind my
knee cap.  Could this be a form of carpal tunnel syndrome?  What can I
do to fix it?

Dr. Harold Rees: Pain in the back of the knee and leg can have many causes, some related to the knee and others related to other parts of the body.  Pain
shooting down the leg from the hip to the foot is likely related to
sciatica, which is caused by pinched nerves in the lumbar spine.  This
phenomenon is like having a short circuit that tells the brain that
there is pain in the leg, even though the problem is in the lower back.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by a pinched nerve in the wrist, so in
some ways sciatica is similar in that a pinched nerve is involved.

Knee osteoarthritis can also cause the type of pain you describe.
Often those with osteoarthritis experience stiffness after being in the
same position for long periods of time.  The knee usually feels better
after moving it around.  Pain in the back of the knee can occur with
osteoarthritis because of the presence of a Baker’s cyst, which is
really not a cyst, but a fluid-filled branching of the joint lining that
can cause pain and a feeling of fullness.

The most ominous condition that can cause pain in the back of the knee
is a deep venous thrombosis, or blood clot in the leg.  This condition
is very rare among otherwise healthy people, but there is a higher
chance of this problem in those who are sitting still for long periods
of time, particularly when traveling in airplanes for long flights or
riding in a car.

In any event, the first step in fixing the problem should be a visit to
your doctor for further evaluation.  Sciatica and osteoarthritis are
usually treated first with medications and physical therapy, which
solves the problem for most people.  Your doctor may also order an
ultrasound test to look for a blood clot, and if you have one, then you
may need to be on blood-thinning medication for several months to make
sure it does not spread to your lungs, which can be a fatal
complication.

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