Walking is a low-stress sport. People of any age category and with different physical fitness, diseases and general condition of the body walk. Every day, a large number of people complain of weakness, heaviness or pain in the leg area.
Pain in the legs when walking - the reasons can be very different, and to find out it is better to consult a specialist. Do not confuse the usual tired legs after long walks or a working day. If, after about a few dozen steps, pain and numbness in the limbs occurs, and rest does not help, this can lead to unwanted diseases.
Leg pain when walking - causes, treatment
More often than not, people who are used to experiencing discomfort after a day on their feet, and this is not surprising. For the whole day, the legs take on more load than any other part of the musculoskeletal system.
The range of painful sensations can range from mild tingling and numbness to seizures. Often, such pains do not lead to anything serious and are not symptoms of a specific disease.
But there are cases when you need to urgently contact an ambulance:
- Due to painful sensations, it is impossible to transfer body weight to one leg or move.
- A severe cut or open fracture is visible.
- Crunching or clicking, followed by severe pain in this area.
- At the same time, the temperature rose, the limbs were swollen, reddened and began to hurt.
- The part of the leg has changed in color, the local part is significantly higher than body temperature.
- Both legs were swollen and breathing became heavier.
- Constant pain in the legs for no reason.
- Strong pain in the legs after a long sitting position.
- Severe swelling of the leg, which is accompanied by blue discoloration and a decrease in temperature.
During any of these symptoms, you should urgently seek help from specialists, as complications may arise as a result.
Also, leg pain can often appear in overweight people, cardiovascular diseases, varicose veins, the elderly, playing sports, and more.
Deficiency of vitamins and minerals
A person receives almost all the necessary vitamins and minerals for the body during meals. If there is a deficiency of them, this leads to problems with digestion, skin condition and the occurrence of painful sensations in various limbs of the body.
Long-term deficiency of essential vitamins and minerals in the human body can lead not only to pain, but also to osteopenia and osteoporosis. This is a condition in which, due to a lack of vitamin D, bones become especially fragile, making it very easy to break something.
The disadvantage can be identified by:
- Lips dry out and chapped.
- A white coating appears on the tongue, and the gums bleed constantly.
- Constant pressure drops.
- Inconsistent appetite.
- Insomnia.
- Headaches.
- Constant evening pains in the legs, accompanied by their swelling.
If these symptoms are detected, it is necessary to seek help from a therapist, start eating right, reinforcing the body with special additives and medicinal products.
Trauma
Any injury can cause pain in the leg area. In addition to fresh injury, leg pain can also be caused by the consequences of fractures and other injuries to bones, joints and ligaments. Usually the main symptom is severe pain while walking.
As soon as such a problem arises, it is necessary to contact a traumatologist. To ensure safe and painless movement for people with the consequences of injuries, they have to wear specialized devices - orthoses.
Flat feet
Flat feet is a very common disease among people of different ages. It is accompanied by constant aching pain in the lower leg and foot, which only increases in the evening. Also, people with this ailment quickly get tired while walking or running.
Flat feet can be determined by paying attention to old shoes, if the sole is heavily worn down or worn out on the inside of the foot - this is most likely evidence of this disease. As soon as possible, you should seek help from an orthopedist.
To relieve and cure flat feet, you need to wear special shoes without heels or insteps, keep your feet in special baths with sea salt and perform exercises and massages prescribed by your doctor.
Dehydration of the body
Dehydration is not a disease, but most often a symptom of an ailment. It occurs in the human body when the amount of fluid consumed is less than the amount that leaves the body.
The symptoms of dehydration are divided into categories:
Light loss of water in the body.
- Dry mouth.
- The saliva becomes viscous and thick.
- Intense thirst.
- Decreased appetite.
- Small amount of urine and darkening.
- Fatigue, lethargy and desire to sleep.
Average degree of dehydration.
- The heart beats faster.
- The body temperature has risen.
- No urination for more than 12 hours.
- Shortness of breath even at rest.
Severe degree.
- Vomiting.
- The skin becomes dry.
- Rave.
- Loss of consciousness.
Already with a moderate degree, you can feel pain in the legs, it occurs due to impaired blood circulation in the body. In order to avoid dehydration, it is necessary to replenish the total moisture in the human body.
Excess weight
People who are overweight often have heaviness and pain in their legs. Also, such people often have swelling of the limbs, mainly the legs.
This is not only due to increased stress on the legs and the entire musculoskeletal system, but also due to the large amount of subcutaneous fat, which worsens the contraction of blood vessels.
Varicose veins
One of the most common diseases in people who are constantly on their feet. The disease is accompanied by: evening pain, swelling, pulsation in the muscles of the legs, as well as external signs (blue discoloration and discharge of arteries, ulcers).
It is better to prevent varicose veins in advance, because if this disease reaches the final stage, it will become impossible to cure it.
You should immediately contact a vascular surgeon and do a Doppler ultrasound. To eliminate pain and prevent the development of the disease soon, it is recommended to wear compression hosiery.
Thrombophlebitis
Thrombophlebitis is one of the complications of varicose veins, in which blood clots can form in a vein. They can be fatal if they enter the pulmonary or cardiac artery with the blood. D
This disease can be identified by the characteristic throbbing pain in the calf muscles, burning sensations, redness of the skin, swelling and induration around the veins.
If this ailment is found, you should urgently seek help from a vascular surgeon. After that, a blood test and angioscanning should be taken, the treatment is carried out on an outpatient basis.
Inflammation of the sciatic nerve
It is a disease that results from sedentary work, obesity, heavy lifting, diabetes and old age. An inflammation of the sciatic nerve is a pinching in the back of the thigh or buttocks.
It is accompanied by constant pain in the upper back of the thigh, in a sitting state, the painful sensations increase, and a burning sensation appears. You may also experience numbness and swelling of the legs and stitching pains in the limbs that do not allow movement.
To reduce pain, you need to not strain your own body, stretch your back and use special relaxing ointments.
After the onset of the disease, you need to contact a vertebrologist. He, in turn, will prescribe treatment, which is carried out with the help of drugs, physiotherapy, injections of steroids into the sciatic nerve and, in extreme cases, surgery.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is an ailment in which persistent, severe cramps are felt in the legs, most often in the calf muscles. Most often, this problem occurs in women over 40 years old, especially in people with genetic changes (hair, eye color).
First of all, you should seek the help of specialists and carry out densitometry. Treatment is usually with medicines and vitamins.
Arthritis
Arthritis is the general name for all joint diseases in the body. Approximately 15-20% of people with arthritis become disabled.
Characterized by stitching, twisting pain in the joints, which appear when moving or standing for a long time. Joints begin to react to weather changes, with pain, swelling and redness.
As soon as suspicion falls on this ailment, it is necessary to go to a rheumatologist. Treatment is only complex, which includes taking medications, special exercises, diets, and more.
Heel spur
This is a growth that occurs on the heel and is accompanied by severe pain in the area. Immediately, you need to contact an orthopedist, and the treatment is carried out with the help of medicines, massages, laser therapy and special shoes. Usually, this ailment disappears over time.
Diabetes
A disease that can appear for many reasons, the main symptoms are: swelling of the limbs, pain and heaviness in the legs, feet and legs itch, and the skin dries up. Also, the legs are often numb with characteristic tingling and inability to move.
As soon as suspicion fell on this disease, it is necessary to take a sugar test and consult a specialist.
First aid for pain in the legs when walking
If painful sensations suddenly appear in the legs, first of all, you need:
- Give your legs a rest, lie down and relax, while the legs should be higher than the position of the heart.
- Apply a cool compress to the area where it hurts or has other symptoms.
- Take any pain reliever.
- Massage your feet.
Pain diagnostics
It is quite difficult to diagnose pain and its cause on your own. Therefore, if the unpleasant sensations in the legs that have arisen last long enough, or systematically it is better to play it safe and consult a doctor.
Preventive measures
To prevent the occurrence of any diseases and pain in the legs, you should:
- Less static.
- Move more and engage in an active lifestyle.
- Get rid of excess weight.
- Ensure the supply of essential vitamins and minerals to the body.
- Several times a year to be checked by specialists if there is a genetic predisposition to diseases such as diabetes mellitus, varicose veins.
Pain in the leg area can occur for various reasons, from simple fatigue to an incurable disease. As soon as the first symptoms of any ailment appear, you should immediately seek help from specialists.
