Lower leg pain

The lower leg is between the knee and the ankle. It consists of 2 bones: the shinbone (tibia) and the calf bone (fibula). In addition, the lower leg has 12 muscles that provide movement and stability in the adjacent joints. Pain in the lower leg can arise both acutely and gradually.

Anatomy & injuries of the lower leg

The shinbone lies at the front of the lower leg. At the upper end the bone is broad and flattened, forming a plateau. This plateau is called the tibial plateau and is part of the knee joint. 

The fibula is on the outer side relative to the shinbone. The fibula and shinbone are connected by connective tissue (the syndesmosis). At the bottom of the lower leg, the shinbone and fibula together form the upper part of the ankle joint.

Muscles and compartments
The lower-leg muscles can be divided into three groups: a group at the front, a group at the outer side and a group at the back. The three muscle groups are separated into compartments by fascial septa. The posterior group is also divided by connective tissue into 2 groups: superficial and deeper muscles. This results in four compartments in total.

Injuries
Overuse of the muscles of the lower leg can cause the muscles to swell, leading to increased pressure within a compartment, which can result in pain. This can arise acutely or chronically. This is also known as compartment syndrome. 

Another overuse injury of the lower leg is medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), also known as shin splints. This injury is located at the front of the lower leg along the inner border of the shinbone.

In addition, pain in the lower leg can also occur acutely, in the most extreme case with a fracture of the shinbone or the fibula. An acute muscle tear, such as a calf strain, can also lead to troublesome pain.

Check your lower-leg pain

To get an idea of the origin of your lower-leg pain, we advise you to take the online physiotherapy check. First indicate where in your lower leg the pain is located. You can then answer a number of questions about your symptoms, after which we compare your symptoms with the most common conditions in physiotherapy.

The result shows the condition or injury you may be dealing with. For professional help you can make an appointment with a physiotherapy practice near you.

Injuries and conditions of the lower leg

Pain in the lower leg can have different causes. Below you will find an overview of the most common conditions and injuries that cause pain in the lower leg.