Mom 72 with leg pain

[embliegus]

My mom is 72 years old and has been 40-50 pounds overweight most of her adult life. She refuses to go to the doctor - hasn't been for 15 years at least. She has been having extremely excrutiating pain down her left leg. She says the pain goes all the way from her hip to her ankle. She also said her hip seems a bit swollen and that she's also been having pain in her stomach that she feels is associated with this leg pain (left side stomach pain). Advil releives the pain somewhat to where she can walk, but without that she wouldn't be able to move. Although I've encouraged her to go to the doctor, she most likely won't.
She has no known medical problems (since she doesn't go to the doctor!!) with the exception of arthritis in her hands for years. She says this pain is much worse than the pain of arthritis, and doesn't feel that arthritis is what this is. Any ideas what could cause this sort of leg pain?
Thanks for your help.

[cosmaann]

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[Tomasello_MD]

It is possible that the pain could be to osteoarthritis, however my first thought is that she may be having some gastritis related to the use of anti-inflammatory medications. Medications such as Vioxx and Celebrex do a very good job of easing arthritis pain, with a much lower incidence of stomach irritation.

[embliegus]

Thanks for the answer! Could this osteoarthritis also cause internal pain in the stomach area?

Thank you.

[Forum-M.D.-DT]

Thank you for visiting the Family Practice Forum.

You mention the pain is in the hip and into the leg and appears to be relieved with Advil. It is most likely, based on the symptom complex you describe that she has an arthritic hip. Being overweight, of course makes matters worse.
Osteoarthritis is the most common joint disease. Its incidence increases with age. At least half of individuals over the age of 65 will have evidence of osteoarthritis on Xray. This disorder is characterized by cartilage damage and the response of the bone to this damage. This week we discuss the causes, prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis.
Cartilage between the bones in the joints usually provides for a very smooth surface with very little friction (similar to rubbing baby oil between your fingers). Osteoarthritis begins as the cells which making cartilage in the joints begins to grow abnormally. The result is an initially thickened layer of cartilage, which soon becomes thin and develops cracks on the surface. The bone in the joint responds to this damage and produces small bumps on the surface of the bone (called