Where does weakness in the legs come from and what to do with it

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

Shaking knees can be a sign of a serious medical condition.

Wadded legs that have become naughty are a particular case of Fight Back Against Muscle Weakness. Most often, this unpleasant condition is temporary and quickly goes away by itself. But sometimes, especially if you notice weakness in the legs all the time, it can signal a serious malfunction in the body.

When to Seek Help Immediately

Sudden muscle weakness can be a sign of a stroke - an interruption in blood flow to the brain. Call 103 or 112 if suddenly the feeling of sagging legs is accompanied by other symptoms:

• acute, very severe headache;
• dizziness;
• loss of balance;
• deterioration in coordination of movements;
• unilateral numbness - for example, one of the hands is suddenly taken away or one side of the face becomes numb;
• blurred vision in one or both eyes;
• problems with speech - the language becomes naughty, it is difficult for you to pronounce the simplest words.

Any of these symptoms, together with weakness in the lower extremities, are sufficient to suggest a stroke. In this case, the slightest delay is deadly, urgent medical attention is needed.

If there are no dangerous signs, try to figure out what exactly is happening to your lower limbs.

What are the causes of weakness in the legs

Legs can become wadden for a variety of reasons. What causes muscle weakness? … Here are the most common ones.

1. Severe or prolonged stress

“Fear paralyzes” is not a form of speech, but a real-life phenomenon of Muscle Weakness Anxiety Symptoms. When you are very afraid of something or worried about something, the body triggers a fight-or-flight response. Trembling knees, feeling of weakness in the legs can be a subjective manifestation of it.

Muscle weakness often occurs in those who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome, anxiety disorder, depression.

2. Iron deficiency anemia

Anemia occurs when the level of red blood cells - red blood cells that carry oxygen to organs and tissues - decreases in the blood. Most often this happens due to the fact that the body does not receive enough iron. This trace element is essential for the production of hemoglobin, a key protein that makes up red blood cells.

Other symptoms of anemia include fatigue, easy shortness of breath, and cold, numb limbs.

3. Lack of certain nutrients

It's about electrolytes What causes muscle weakness?, which include calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium. These substances are necessary to maintain water-salt balance and, among other things, help to ensure the correct transmission of nerve impulses and proper muscle function.

An electrolyte deficiency is often caused by dehydration caused by insufficient drinking, profuse sweating, diarrhea, and vomiting. An unbalanced diet or medication, such as certain antibiotics and immunosuppressants, may also be the culprit.

4. Old age

Muscles weaken over the years. This condition is called sarcopenia. As a rule, muscle mass begins to decline from the age of 30–40, and by the age of 60–70 this process becomes obvious Fight Back Against Muscle Weakness.

All muscles in the body are affected, but weakness in the legs is often the most visible, simply because the lower limbs are more likely to be stressed.

5. Sedentary lifestyle

If you spend a lot of time sitting or lying down, temporary weakness in your legs after you decide to take advantage of them is quite an expected phenomenon.

6. Taking some medications

Muscle weakness is a side effect of these drugs. What causes muscle weakness? like corticosteroids, interferons, cholesterol-lowering medications, and even conventional over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen.

7. Pinched blood vessels or nerve endings

Probably everyone knows what it means to sit a leg. When a limb (or both) is in the same uncomfortable position for a long time, there is a risk of pinching blood vessels or disrupting nerves. Disruptions in blood circulation, incorrect transmission of nerve impulses are often accompanied by numbness, tingling and severe weakness in the affected leg.

8. Peripheral neuropathy

This is a disorder in which peripheral nerves are affected, that is, nerves located far from the spinal cord and brain, for example, those located in the legs. Peripheral neuropathy can have different causes of Peripheral neuropathy.

• Age. The nerves get disrupted over the years. In the United States alone, more than 20 million Tingling in Hands and Feet people suffer from peripheral neuropathy, most of whom are elderly people.
• Beginning diabetes … In this case, we are talking about diabetic neuropathy Weakness in Legs: 11 Causes, Symptoms and Treatment.
• Hypothyroidism This is a condition in which the thyroid gland produces too few hormones.
• Love for alcohol. Heavy drinking leads to alcoholic neuropathy.
• An unbalanced diet lacking vitamins. In particular, we are talking about vitamins E, B1, B6, B12, as well as P, which are critical for the normal functioning of the nervous system.
• Poisoning with toxins. As a rule, we are talking about poisoning with salts of heavy metals - lead, arsenic, mercury, thallium, as well as some industrial chemicals (for example, cleaning agents). Disruption of the nerves in this case is called toxic neuropathy.

9. Injury or swelling of the spine

Lingering weakness in the legs may be a symptom of spinal cord injury Ask Dr. Choi: Why Do Legs Give Out Without Warning? …

10. Autoimmune diseases

Multiple sclerosis, autoimmune thyroiditis (damage to the thyroid gland), Guillain-Barré syndrome - many conditions in which the immune system goes crazy and begins to attack its own body, make itself felt weak in the legs.

11. Parkinson's disease

The first signs of this type of dementia are just problems with the limbs: tremors in the hands and weakness, uncertainty in the legs, the appearance of a shuffling gait.

What to do if you feel weak in your legs

First, analyze your condition. If weakness in the legs appears only from time to time and you can associate it with the experience of stress or, for example, a long sitting position, there is nothing to worry about.

But if trembling in the knees becomes regular and you notice weakness in the legs almost every day, this is a definite reason to visit a therapist. The doctor will conduct an examination, ask about your lifestyle, habits (including harmful and food habits), and clarify what medications you are taking. You will most likely be asked for blood and urine tests to check for any abnormality, such as anemia, diabetes, or hypothyroidism.

Depending on the results of the examination and tests, the therapist will send you to a specialized specialist - endocrinologist, neuropathologist, surgeon, psychotherapist.

Although, perhaps, in order to get rid of weakness in the legs, it will be enough to adjust the lifestyle:

• move more;
• go in for sports or at least exercise therapy to strengthen the muscles;
• make changes to the diet by adding foods high in iron, vitamins, electrolytes;
• reduce the amount of sugar consumed;
• give up alcohol;
• learn to deal with stress.

The therapist will give you detailed advice. Follow them.