leg pain/sunburn

I am a 35 year old caucasion female. I went to the beach yesterday and am experiencing the same type of pain that this 18 year old talks about.  It is extremely painful. I don't know the cause and have spent a lot of time searcing for answers online.  This forum was the only place I found a reference to what was happening.  I know that you didn't have any idea what was causing the problem and neither do I. i just wanted to let you know that what she was experiencing was very real, very painful and not in her mind whatsoever. I thought I was nuts when I couldn't find anything about it.  Somebody suggested that it might be caused by dehydration so I am keeping as hydrated as I can. Have you discovered anything out about it? Thanks.


This discussion is related to Chronic leg pain/sunburn.

[Tuckamore]

Hi Brebe,

Welcome to the Pain Mangement Forum. There are no physicians on this forum. I did follow your link and noted that the thread that you are referring to (Jan. 09) is on the forum by Jeffrey T Junig, MD PhD - Chronic Pain.

I am sorry you are experiencing this type of pain. You may want to post on Dr Junig's Forum for a medical professional opinion. I hope you will soon be feeling better. You may be correct. It could be in part from dehydration.

Best of luck to you.
Take Care,
Tuck

[littlebaroness]

Well, you're not alone. The same thing is happening to me. I'm 35 and olive-skinned. I got a bad sunburn a few days ago. More so than the pain on my skin, the pain somewhere inside my legs was unbearable and I could barely walk. Now, three days later, I still have trouble getting out of bed and my ankles are now so swollen, they look like they're about to explode. I'm considering seeing a doctor because I'm diabetic as well, and like you said, this seems to be somewhat of a mystery.

If you ended up getting to the bottom of this, please let me know what you found out. Hope you're well!

Stefanie

[ArizonaJulie]

I also experienced this extremely painfull event following too much sun exposure. Actually, my sunburn was relatively minor. I had slight redness, never blistered or peeled. However, the pain in my legs started a few hours after being in the sun. I was fine while sitting with my legs elevated, or while laying down, but as soon as I tried to get on my feet the pain was so severe it braught me to tears. The pain lasted about three days. I had little redness and little to no swelling. I have often wondered what this was and what was really the cause. I sunburn easily, however I was in the sun for much less than an hour and if it were not for this deep leg pain, I would not have considered much of the sunburn. I have a sister who tells me she experienced the same thing following sun exposure. I thought it may have been a result of dehydration, however I never had any leg cramping. I also drank a lot of water immediately after in hopes it would aleviate some of the pain. It did not seem to make a difference. I would like to know if any doctor is familiar with this condition.
Julie

[beed90036]

I realize these posts are old, but I thought I'd comment anyway just in case this is happening to someone now..  I went to the beach last Saturday for 4 hours.  I am not fair skinned at all..,  I got a terrible sunburn and INTENSE internal pain in my legs as well.  I drank tons of water and Gatorade during that time. I was not all that active at the beach, so I know I did not injure myself.   My legs hurt from below my knee down to my feet.  BAD pain!  It was probably the worst the next day.  Fine while lying down, but the minute you stand the pain kicks in and shoots down to the feet.  Really weird pain like cramping in calves and the worst shin splints you've ever had.     Motrin helped a tiny bit, but not that much.  Thankfully, 2 days later the pain subsided a bit.  Still laid up though. Now it's Tuesday, and I'm walking around almost like normal.  Pain level very low, but still there a little bit.  If anyone else is going through this, you should probably see a dr.  because I really don't know the extent of damage it could do..   I did not visit the Dr. but I was really close to taking myself to the ER...  I googled leg pain and sunburn and found so many similar stories, just not many updates.  Next time you go in the sun,  Don't only wear high spf sunblock, but reapply as directed and don't think you're immune to the sun.  It's stronger than you think and can do more than skin damage.