Is knee causing lower limb pain

Flowerpower69

Hello everyone. Although I was diagnosed with knee arthritis in January 2025, it was deemed to be mild. However, just lately it feels a lot worse. I was wondering if anyone has the following symptoms and are they related to the knee. Calf feels tight and swollen although it looks fairly normal, when standing or walking and ankle does too although it does have a slight swelling on outer side sometimes. Also occasionally the top of my foot aches and I get a worrying tingling. And of course my knee hurts! I know that sometimes I overdo it with walking but not often. I weigh just 7 stone so don't understand why my weight, when just standing, would cause this. I worry there is some underlying issue going on. Thanks

Anna

Hi @Flowerpower69 and welcome to the online community,

Knee pain due to arthritis can cause referred pain in other parts of the leg, so the symptoms you are experiencing could be a result of the arthritis. However, it’s always best to check new symptoms with your GP or medical practitioner, as there could be other conditions that are causing your pain. If your calf is red, painful and hot to the touch then I would definitely advise you to seek medical attention as it could be an infection or a DVT.. (You didn’t talk about these symptoms, but I thought I should mention it).

I’ve attached a link that gives more information on knee arthritis, and also some suggested gentle exercises that could help to manage the pain.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/osteoarthritis-of-the-knee/

Hopefully, other members living with arthritis in the knee might come along to share their experiences with you.

Do let us know how you’re getting on,

Anna ( Moderator)

Bryony

Do you have varicose veins? They do not need to be big and very visible to cause symptoms. I had calf swelling from mine and it made my legs feel very heavy, though the veins weren't that big and bulging. I did get referred by my GP to check the swelling was not caused by a DVT. Fortunately it wasn't, but just varicose veins. I was also needing knee replacements. I got the veins treated privately - the NHS wouldn't have done them until they were ulcerating. Made a big difference. I had also been suffering from iatrogenic botulism which made my muscles very weak, so walking had got very difficult, and correcting just one bit of my faulty legs (the varicose veins) was such a help. I'm still waiting for the knee replacements though, on the NHS.