Q: I am 40 years old. I am feeling mild pain in my calf muscle during the night. When I wake up at midnight to urinate then I feel pain in my calf muscles on both legs since two three months back, pain subsides after a massage for 15 minutes. Some times I feel swelling on calf area on both my legs (around the calf area of tibia fibula bone muscles). Please advice, what will be the cause of leg swelling & pain in calf area & what is the treatment?

A:Based on your symptoms description it is difficult for me to arrive at a diagnosis. You are around 40. At this age if you were a diabetic it might become apparent. It is also the age when you may develop some pain in the knee due to degenerative changes, especially when you lead a sedentary life. If you are a smoker, calf pain may indicate narrowing your blood vessels. If you have associated back pain it could be because of a disc prolapse in the back. Some times cramps in the leg may come if you have imbalance of salt in the body. Usually this occurs when you have loose motions or vomiting. There are many more causes. I have deliberately listed several causes of calf pain. This is just to give you an idea on how decision making is not easy based on the symptoms given by you. I would suggest you consult a competent orthopaedic surgeon to arrive at a correct diagnosis.