can feel the pain as I am sitting here writing this email

Hello,

Where is the pain - calf, knee, ankle or whole leg?

Are both the leg involved?

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Experienced in the management of Pregnancy,Infertility,Menopause and all problems in Pregnancy and Gynecology

mainly the thigh--back and just in the left leg

Hello,

There are 2 conditions that you could have :

A. Inflamed Pyriformis muscle : The pyriformis muscle is a small muscle just below the buttock deep under the large muscles of the thighs. It can be inflamed if you have been sitting for some time, e.g. while driving. The pain can be primarily due to the inflamed muscle itself or due to the muscle pressing on the sciatic nerve that runs under it. The condition is also called the Pyriformis syndrome. The following website gives good examples of how to stretch the muscle and relieve the pain.

- http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/piri.html

- http://www.arthritis.org/conditions/exercise/how_to_relieve_back_leg_pain.asp

B. Sciatica : The pain can be due to a herniated disc in the spine pressing on the sciatic nerve and causing pain to radiate down the buttocks to the leg and foot. Please see here for more on sciatica : http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/backpain/a/sciatica.htm

Considering the description of your pain, I think you are suffering from the Pyriformis Syndrome. You can try out the exercises described in the websites for relief. If you feel that the exercises are not helping and the pain continues for more than a week after starting the exercises, please see an orthopedist (bone doctor) for an examination and investigations like Xray spine.

I hope this helps.

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__________________
Experienced in the management of Pregnancy,Infertility,Menopause and all problems in Pregnancy and Gynecology