Muscle Pain in the Legs: A Neurological Perspective - Neurology

Abnormal muscle pain in the legs?

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Dear Dr.
Yeh,
I am a glaucoma patient who was diagnosed and began treatment four years ago, and I am still undergoing treatment.
Over these four years, I have rarely gone out, sometimes only once a month, and I mostly stay in my room.
As the weather gets cooler, I experience pain in my left thigh and knee when squatting, which feels like muscle strain from overexertion.
Occasionally, I feel dizzy, but it doesn't happen often—about once every six months.
It feels like I suddenly lose my balance, but I haven't fainted.
Sometimes, when I look at things, my eyes feel numb, similar to the dizziness, but it also doesn't occur frequently.
My hands occasionally feel numb as well, but these episodes are infrequent, estimated to occur every three to six months.
I have a smoking habit and have been smoking for nearly seven years.
My height is 175 cm, and I weigh 88 kg, which classifies me as obese.
I do consume meat at every meal, but not excessively; I just have a bit of meat with each meal.
Last Monday (November 26), I went to help my aunt set up the internet, running up and down three floors.
Since I don't exercise often, the next day, Tuesday, when the weather was a bit cooler, I experienced the aforementioned pain in my left thigh and knee, mostly when bending my leg, feeling a sense of pressure, but there was no soreness when my leg was still.
That Tuesday night, I felt similar sensations in the front muscles of both thighs, akin to a muscle strain.
At that time, I thought it was due to climbing too many stairs on Monday.
However, when I stood up from my computer desk to go to the bathroom, I noticed that the muscles in my left calf also started to hurt, and I almost collapsed due to weakness in my legs.
By Wednesday morning, when I got up to leave, I found that the front of my thighs and the back of my calves were much more painful than on Tuesday.
Even the position of lifting my legs just ten centimeters off the ground to put on pants was very painful, and I couldn't lift them.
The pain I refer to occurs only during specific movements of my legs; if I don't bend them in those ways, I don't feel pain.
When I attended class, after sitting for nearly two hours, I stood up expecting my legs to hurt, but surprisingly, they didn't hurt at all.
It felt somewhat like a cramp, but the pain had significantly decreased.
On Thursday, my legs felt fine, but when I went to class again on Friday, after sitting for nearly two hours without moving, I stood up and found that the front of my calves hurt while walking.
By Saturday, I felt better again.
This morning (Sunday, December 2), around midnight, my legs started to hurt again, and the pain has been increasing.
My hands have been numb for almost three hours now, but they are a bit better, just slightly numb.
The pain is located on the inner side of my feet near the groin, affecting both legs.
I lie in bed trying to sleep, but when I stretch out flat, as soon as I try to bend my legs, like in the side view diagram, just the initial movement causes significant pain in my inner thighs, making it impossible to lift them.
I have to sit on the bed first, and only in an upright position can I lift my legs without pain.
When I lie down, my bent legs can only remain vertical to the bed; if I try to tilt them to the sides, it hurts a lot.
Because of this, I can't sleep, fearing that if I fall asleep, I might accidentally hurt my legs again, so I am hesitant to sleep.
Dr.
Yeh, this is a detailed account of my condition.
After listening to me, my brother speculated whether there might be a blockage in my blood vessels, as I have a history of fatty liver and high cholesterol, but my cholesterol levels should have been controlled; two years ago, prior to surgery, my blood tests showed that it had dropped to normal levels.
Previously, I experienced dizziness and nausea but didn't vomit; at that time, I didn't think much of it, unaware that it was a precursor to my glaucoma, and by the time I realized it, I had only 5% of my visual field left in my left eye.
I am concerned about my health, as I cannot afford to be ill again.
I am very worried that this might be a precursor to a vascular rupture, so I would like to ask for your analysis of my condition.
I will quit smoking, as I no longer have the right to be sick.
I hope you can help me.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
A worried Xiao Kai
December 2, Sunday

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Xiao Kai, 20~29 year old female. Ask Date: 2001/12/02