X
More than 60,000 patients use Brite
4.6 stars
Your health finally understandable with Brite
Enter email and you're done. No subscription, no credit card.
Search, tap and you're done. Over 3,400 medicines.
Check, remind, get an overview.
Sarah K., 34
I finally understand my therapy. The app reminds me, answers my questions — and I don't feel alone with it anymore.
With a deep vein thrombosis, a blood clot closes a deep vein in the leg, so that the blood no longer flows away properly. Such clots often arise when the blood flows too slowly, for example after long sitting with bent legs. Typical signs are one-sided calf pain, a swelling with a difference in circumference to the other calf, a feeling of tension or heaviness, warmth and sometimes a reddish-bluish discolouration of the skin as well as visible veins. Often the pain sits deep in the calf and increases when stepping down. Important and at the same time tricky: these signs can also be absent or only weakly pronounced, and some thrombosis feels at first like muscle soreness. Smaller clots in particular often cause only few complaints but can still become dangerous. Therefore with suspicion it always applies to seek medical help, because only an ultrasound of the leg veins and a blood test can clarify reliably whether a thrombosis is present. A self-test or palpation alone is not enough for this. The greatest danger is the thrombosis with a subsequent pulmonary embolism. If part of the clot comes loose, it can travel with the bloodstream into the lung and close a vessel there, which is life-threatening.
Call the emergency number immediately
Immediately call the emergency number if shortness of breath, chest pain, racing heart, coughing with blood or dizziness up to fainting are suddenly added to calf pain or a leg swelling. These can be signs of a pulmonary embolism, in which a clot has travelled into the lung. This is a life-threatening emergency in which every minute counts. Try to stay calm and move as little as possible and wait for the emergency service.
In more than four out of five cases, calf pain is muscular and harmless. This makes the muscles by far the most common source of calf pain, which can be reassuring when classifying. A calf cramp is a sudden, very painful tightening of the muscle that often appears at night or with strain and can be released again by stretching. Triggers are often a lack of fluid or a lack of minerals such as magnesium and potassium. Muscle soreness after unfamiliar movement, a strain or a small muscle fibre tear cause a dull, pressure-sensitive pain that intensifies with movement. Such complaints can usually be assigned well to a specific trigger, for example an intense workout the day before. Tensions of the calf muscles or an irritated Achilles tendon also come into question. These make themselves felt above all with movement and strain and improve with rest and a little patience. These causes usually subside within a few days when the calf is rested, and do not go along with a one-sided swelling and warmth. Helpful in this time are rest, light stretching and, with a fresh injury, cooling the area. With a strain it makes sense not to strain the calf heavily for a few days, so that it can heal in peace.
Another serious cause is peripheral arterial disease, PAD for short, also called intermittent claudication. It arises through arteriosclerosis, that is a calcification and narrowing of the arteries. Here the arteries are narrowed, so that the calf muscles get too little blood when walking. Typical is a pain that appears after a certain walking distance and eases again when stopping, which is why those affected pause again and again as if in front of a shop window. This is exactly where the vivid German name, window-shopping disease, comes from. In advanced stages the pain can also appear at rest or at night, often with pale, cold feet. Then the blood flow is already clearly restricted, which makes a swift assessment all the more important. PAD is a chronic circulatory disorder and should be assessed by a doctor, especially in smokers and people with diabetes or high blood pressure. Unlike with the thrombosis, the pain here typically appears with strain and improves at rest.
Water retention in the legs causes a feeling of heaviness and tension and can also hurt. Technically such swelling is called oedema, it arises when fluid accumulates in the tissue. It usually appears on both sides, for example after long standing or sitting, and often leaves a dent when you press on the skin. This dent stays visible for a few seconds and is a good indication of water retention. A one-sided swelling with pain, on the other hand, points more to a thrombosis. Further possible causes of calf pain are a nerve irritation, for example through a slipped disc in the lumbar spine, or a burst Baker's cyst in the back of the knee, which can imitate a thrombosis. With nerve irritation, the pain often radiates from the back or buttock into the leg. Here too, the question about accompanying signs helps with the classification. Water retention can have many causes, from harmless vein weakness to diseases of the heart, kidneys or liver, which is why lasting or pronounced swelling should be assessed by a doctor.
The overview below helps you to classify typical causes based on their accompanying signs. It does not replace a diagnosis but is a first orientation and can help you sort your observations for the conversation with the doctor. Pay attention above all to whether the pain is one-sided or on both sides.
| Possible cause | Typical signs | Urgency |
|---|---|---|
| Calf cramp | Sudden, short, releases through stretching | Harmless |
| Muscle soreness, strain | Dull, pressure-sensitive, after strain | Usually harmless |
| Thrombosis | One-sided, swelling, warmth, tension | Emergency, assess immediately |
| Circulatory disorder (PAD) | Pain after walking distance, better at rest | Assess medically |
| Water retention | Both sides, heaviness, dent on pressure | Assess if persistent |
This combination is an alarm sign
One-sided calf pain together with swelling, warmth, a feeling of tension or discolouration should be assessed by a doctor immediately, as it can point to a thrombosis. Do not wait and do not try to loosen the calf with massage or exercise, because in the worst case a clot could come loose. You should be especially attentive if you have risk factors, for example after a long journey, an operation, with bedriddenness, in pregnancy or under hormonal contraception.
The risk of a thrombosis is not the same for everyone. It is worth knowing your own risk factors, because they help determine how likely a thrombosis is as a cause. It rises clearly with long immobility, for example on long flights or car journeys with bent legs, after operations, with bedriddenness and after injuries of the leg. In all of these situations, the blood flows more slowly in the leg veins than usual. Smoking, a hormonal contraception, a pregnancy, overweight, a previous thrombosis, a congenital tendency to clotting and certain diseases such as cancer also increase the risk. Often several of these factors come together and reinforce each other. Those who have one or more of these risk factors and notice new, one-sided calf pain with swelling should be especially attentive and not hesitate to seek medical advice. On long journeys, regular standing up, movement of the feet and drinking enough help to lower the risk.
If a thrombosis is found, it is usually treated over months with blood thinners. Especially then the reliable, regular intake is important. brite helps you manage your medications, be reminded of the intake and keep interactions in view. This way you keep your therapy safely under control in everyday life.
The bottom line: most calf pain is harmless and passes on its own. What is important is not to overlook the few but dangerous cases. This does not require long expert knowledge, but attention to a few clear signs. The simplest rule of thumb is: one-sided pain with swelling and warmth is an alarm sign and should be assessed by a doctor quickly, complaints on both sides after strain, on the other hand, are usually harmless. This one rule already covers a large part of the cases. If shortness of breath or chest pain are added, every minute counts and the emergency number is right. Better to call the emergency number once too often than to wait too long, because a pulmonary embolism can become dangerous very quickly. Those who know this distinction can deal calmly with harmless calf pain and act quickly and correctly in an emergency. When in doubt, it is always better to seek medical advice once too often than to overlook a dangerous warning sign.
Well prepared for the appointment
Set up your medications in brite for free and take a clear overview to the appointment. This helps to classify your complaints and risk factors faster and to forget nothing important.
Free · ad-free · GDPR-compliant
This article is for general information and does not replace medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. With one-sided calf pain with swelling, seek medical help promptly. With shortness of breath, chest pain or dizziness, immediately call the emergency number.
