Posterior Thigh Pain

Recurring episodes of thigh pain could be caused due to a wide range of reasons. While frontal or anterior thigh pain is often caused due to quadriceps muscle pull, hip arthritis or a compressed lumbar nerve, lateral thigh pain, which is pain extending to the sides of your thighs, is often felt due to the impingement of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve. Posterior thigh pain, on the other hand, often results from strained hamstrings or any injury affecting the tendons, tissues, nerves, blood vessels or any other structures that are a part of the rear thigh region. Sports persons involved in contact sports and people who perform intense workouts are more susceptible to thigh pain.

While physical trauma to any area of the body causes pain in that particular part of the body, there are times when pain is felt at a place other than the part which is subjected to trauma. The pain you might be experiencing in posterior thigh might be a referred pain arising from the lower back. The unpleasant sensation of pain is your body's way of warning you that some part of the body has been adversely affected. So, those of you who have been experiencing a sharp thigh pain, especially in the rear section of your thighs must consult a doctor. Given below are some of the common conditions that might give rise to pain in the posterior thigh region.

Pain in the Back of Thigh

Causes

Pain in the posterior thigh area could be attributed to various medical conditions. Here are some of the medical conditions that could be responsible for causing pain in the rear portion of the thighs.

Pulled Hamstring: Hamstrings, which are located in the rear of thighs, comprise three muscles called biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus. This muscle group facilitates the bending movements of the knee and also helps in moving the thighs backwards at the hip. One of the common causes of rear thigh pain is a hamstring muscle pull. This can restrict one's range of motion and lead to pain in thigh when walking or running. Sprinters and hurdle jumpers are more susceptible to a pulled hamstring. A pulled hamstring is often characterized by pain as well as tightness in the rear thigh. One is likely to experience pain while flexing the knees. A direct blow to the back of the thigh could also cause a hamstring contusion. Such injuries often affect those who play contact sports.

Sciatica: Another common cause of pain in posterior thigh could be a pinched sciatic nerve. This is the longest and widest nerve in the human body. If it gets compressed or inflamed, it gives rise to pain that starts at the lower back and radiates towards the thighs as well as the lower extremities. A nerve root compression is the most common cause of sciatica. This is usually caused due to protrusion of the inter-vertebral discs that separate the bones present in the spine. Spinal injuries or conditions such as lumbar spinal stenosis or spondylolisthesis could also compress this nerve and cause pain in the rear of the thigh.

Piriformis Syndrome: The piriformis muscle runs in proximity to the sciatic nerve. It lies underneath the gluteal muscles and runs from the sacrum or the lower region of the spine to the outer hip bone. Over-stretching of this muscle can cause it to tighten. Since it lies near to the sciatic nerve, it can irritate or compress the sciatic nerve. This in turn, can lead to pain, numbness or tingling sensation in the lower back, rear thighs and lower extremities.

Compartment Syndrome: Another condition that can give rise to rear thigh pain is compartment syndrome of the posterior thigh. This could be caused due to overuse injuries. This condition is characterized by swelling of muscles in the posterior thigh. When a massive swelling occurs, pressure is exerted on the sheath surrounding the muscle. When the muscle is enclosed within a smaller space, the nerves, blood vessels and muscles can get compressed. If oxygen supply is cut off, tissue death might take place. This can give rise to pain in posterior thigh.

Referred Pain: When pain is experienced at places other than the site of injury, it is referred to as referred pain. Many a time, pain is caused due to inflammation of muscles, ligaments or tendons placed in the hip area, but is felt around the thigh region. Injury around the sacroiliac joint or gluteal muscles could also result in referred hamstring pain.

Poor Blood Circulation: Many a time, people experience pain in thigh when sitting for long stretches of time. Pain in the rear of the thigh when sitting is mainly attributed to poor blood circulation. People who have recently been operated upon and are bed-ridden might suffer from aching thighs due to a limited flow of blood. Those suffering from blood clotting disorders such as venal insufficiency and deep vein thrombosis could also suffer from pain in thighs and lower extremities.

Treatment

If episodes of severe pain in posterior thigh are recurring, then you must consult a doctor in order to ascertain the underlying cause. Those who often indulge in intensive workouts will benefit by resting, while people who are not physically active, should start leading an active lifestyle. RICE approach is generally recommended by most doctors for the treatment of thigh pain. This non-surgical treatment of hamstring pulls often involve taking ample rest, application of ice, use of compression bandage and keeping the leg elevated so as to reduce the swelling. Besides the use of knee splints to immobilize the knee joint, one might be prescribed painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs or steroids. If the injury is severe, surgery might be suggested. Once the structures in the thigh have healed considerably, certain exercises will be suggested to the strengthen the muscles in the posterior thigh region. Use of drugs, coupled with certain lifestyle changes can also help in the treatment of conditions such as sciatica and piriformis syndrome. Surgery is often suggested if other treatment options don't seem to work.

While going through these common causes of posterior thigh pain, it would have struck you that the pain in thigh region is either brought on by trauma due to injuries or medical conditions caused due to an overuse of hamstrings or gluteal muscles. You must therefore, refrain from activities that strain the thigh muscles. If you experience pain in rear thigh region, take rest so that the muscles, tendons and nerves get time to heal. Those who have recently starting working out, must first perform stretching exercises so that the muscles are prepared to endure any strenuous activity. Since medical conditions could also be responsible for thigh pain, it would be best to let a medical expert look into the matter.