What are the causes of heaviness in the legs and how to get rid of it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Perhaps this is the first sign of varicose veins.

Heavy, droning, like cast-iron legs - one of the characteristic signs of physical overwork. You may have been so busy that you never sat down all day. Or maybe we ran a cross - longer than ever before. Or we have ridden a bicycle about fifty kilometers. In these cases, the feeling of heaviness in the legs is quite natural.

But if you haven't loaded your legs lately, and they still buzz, moreover, regularly, this may be a sign of health problems. Including dangerous ones.

What are the causes of heaviness in the legs

1. Varicose veins

With varicose veins, blood flow in some veins of the legs is disturbed. The blood begins to stagnate in the vessels. And because it has weight, the legs feel heavier.

In addition, the feeling of heaviness can be caused by swelling that occurs with varicose veins in the ankles and feet.

As a rule, varicose veins are noticeable to the naked eye. It manifests itself as lumpy vessels protruding from under the skin. However, at the initial stage of the disease, the veins may not be visible. Heaviness in the legs, which occurs regularly and for no obvious reason, is an early symptom that can lead to developing varicose veins.

2. Chronic venous insufficiency

This is the name of a disease of the veins, in which the outflow of blood from the legs is seriously impaired.

Chronic venous insufficiency is sometimes accompanied by varicose veins. But this is optional. The first to suffer are small blood vessels, and a person can notice the disease only by the appearance of heaviness in the legs, swelling, discoloration of the skin: in the affected area, it acquires a bluish-purple hue.

3. Peripheral artery disease (PAD)

This is another condition that is associated with circulatory disorders. With PAD, the lumen of the arteries narrows. For example, due to the fact that atherosclerotic plaques accumulate on their walls.

As a result, the limbs, most often the lower ones, do not receive enough blood, and the muscles receive less oxygen and nutrients. A person feels this through regular cramps and heaviness in the legs.

4. Restless legs syndrome

This is the name of a neurological condition in which a person has the need to constantly move his legs. If this is not done, they will hurt, itch, throb, grow numb, become heavier.

Most often, restless legs syndrome is unpleasant - for example, it makes a person unable to get enough sleep - but it is safe. However, in some cases, this condition turns out to be a symptom of serious malfunctions in the body:

• iron deficiency;
• kidney failure;
• rheumatoid arthritis;
• spinal cord lesions.

5. Dysfunction of peripheral nerves (peripheral neuropathy)

It resembles restless legs syndrome: a person continually wiggles his limbs to get rid of discomfort in them. But with peripheral neuropathy, discomfort, including a feeling of heaviness, usually affects only the feet.

Peripheral nerves can fail due to injury, infection, exposure to toxins, and metabolic disorders. Developing diabetes is considered one of the most common causes of this disease.

6. Overweight or obesity

The more you weigh, the more heavily you load your legs when walking. And so they can hum, even if you seem to have walked quite a bit.

In addition, excess weight increases the risk of diseases, which manifest themselves, including heaviness in the legs. For example, varicose veins or chronic venous insufficiency.

7. Pregnancy

Many expectant mothers face a feeling of heaviness in their legs. There are several reasons for this:

• natural weight gain, especially in late pregnancy;
• deterioration of blood circulation in the legs, which is caused by pressure on the vessels from the growing uterus;
• swelling of the legs that often occurs in pregnant women.

What to do if your legs are heavy

It depends on how often the unpleasant sensation occurs. If it appears only from time to time, for example, once a month or less often, and disappears after a rest - most likely, you can not worry.

But if the legs get heavy, swell and get tired all the time, and even more so if additional symptoms arise - numbness, pain, tingling, - it is important to consult a doctor. To begin with, with a therapist or, if you are a woman and pregnant, with a gynecologist watching you.

A physician will conduct an examination, ask about symptoms, lifestyle, past illnesses and injuries, assess height and weight. Perhaps he will suggest that you get tested - for example, to find out the level of sugar or cholesterol in the blood.

Based on the results of the examination, the doctor will advise how to get rid of the heaviness in the legs. In some cases, just a little change in lifestyle and habits is enough.

1. Try to get rid of excess weight, if any.
2. Move more - walk, swim, ride a bike. First, exercise is important for weight control. And secondly, they improve blood circulation in the legs and help to avoid or reduce blood congestion and swelling.
3. Avoid strenuous physical activity and do not exercise every day: breaks are needed to allow the muscles to recover.
4. Limit your salt intake. This will help reduce the swelling.
5. If you smoke, quit, or at least try to do it less often. Smoking significantly impairs blood circulation, and this can lead to stagnation of blood and, as a result, a feeling of heaviness in the legs.
6. Don't sit or stand in one position for too long. Try to do a little warm-up every 20 to 30 minutes to improve circulation.
7. Wear compression stockings or knee-highs. They keep the walls of the veins in a normal state and thus prevent blood from stagnating in the legs. It is especially important to wear compression stockings or knee-highs if you plan to sit or stand for a long time.
8. Try lying down from time to time during the day with a small pillow under your ankles. This will improve the flow of blood and lymph from the legs.

If the problem is more serious, the therapist will issue a referral to a specialized doctor who specializes in the violations identified in you: a surgeon, phlebologist, endocrinologist, neuropathologist, rheumatologist. Further treatment will depend on the diagnosis.