Q: Good afternoon ma’am. Thanks for the good works being rendered by you for masses. May God continue blessing you & your family &may your efforts be crowned gigantically. Ma’am, I want a lasting solution to the nerve pain problem I am having. I can’t walk a long distance. I can’t do exercise, I can’t do strenuous work. If I do, I’ll be having nerve pain all over my body in which analgesic drugs can’t work unless, I take carbamazepine or gabapentin. I’m not a diabetic patient. Please, which medication can I take for the lasting solution and for the avoidance of the problem? Ma’am, I’ll be expecting your reply to my inbox. I am very keen to hear from you soon. Thanks & God bless you ma’am

A: Thanks for writing in. The pain in your right leg/body needs further evaluation.

There are quite a number of causes of pain in the leg. Pain in one leg may be due to an injury, a fall or hitting the leg against an object. This pain may be felt immediately after the incident that caused it and subside after a few days, with the proper care. It can also linger for some time, if perhaps there was a break in the bone, which was not properly taken care of and affected some nerves.
Other causes include arthritis, leg swelling from different causes like infection, vein abnormalities, diseases like heart problems, diabetes, and liver problems. In long standing hypertension, or diabetes that is not properly managed, there could be nerve problems, often described as a cramp, feeling of lack of blood, or a feeling like pins pricking the feet. The pain could also result from a muscle cramp, which typically occurs at night and may last a few seconds to minutes. There is also condition known as familial recurrent knee dislocation, in which there is repeated dislocation of the knee, followed by a fall, due to lack of stability. It runs in families and can be very painful too. There are also some cancers that can give similar symptoms.

I would advice that you reduce stress on your legs as much as possible, i.e. avoid standing for too long. You could also start some mild exercises focusing on the legs. These may help to strengthen any lax ligaments and improve blood flow, thereby helping any nerve disease, if that’s responsible.

Good diet, rich in proteins and vitamins are also important. You may occasionally take a mild pain relief to reduce the pain (but do not make it a habit). If the pain worsens or continues despite pain tablets, please see your doctor.

In conclusion, I strongly recommend you see a doctor who will take a proper history and examine you thoroughly, and proffer a line of management for your symptoms.

Hope this helps