What Causes Pain In The Muscles Of The Legs

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

What causes pain in the muscles of the legs

The feeling of pain in the muscles of the legs bothered every person at least once. Their appearance can be the result of heavy loads on the limbs, which caused muscle fatigue, or become a signal of other health problems. They can be localized in the upper leg, in the lower leg, or dispersed throughout the limb. Usually, such painful sensations indicate the appearance of problems, both with muscles and with blood vessels, joints, tendons or the lumbar spine.

Pain in the muscles of the legs, causes

Frequent cramps at night in children and adolescents are the result of changes in loads on arterial and venous vessels. This is due to the physiology of the growing organism and is explained by the intense blood circulation during the period of the child's motor activity during the day, and a sharp decrease in vascular tone during sleep. Lightly massaging the lower leg will improve blood flow and relieve unpleasant stiffness. The formation of vascular elastic fibers by 10-12 years of age will be completed, and night muscle spasms will pass on their own.

But for pain in the muscles of the legs in a child caused by orthopedic deviations, a thorough medical examination and treatment is required.

Also, the causes of pain in the leg muscles can be such common diseases of the vascular system as:

• Atherosclerosis is a disease of the arteries associated with the retention and accumulation of cholesterol plaques on their inner lining. The appearance of seals and thickenings on the walls of blood vessels is associated with a violation of metabolic processes, and it can also be a consequence of spasms of the arteries, provoked by hypertension. A feature of atherosclerosis is the feeling of cold feet all year round, while the muscle pain is of a contracting nature and intensifies when walking;
• Varicose veins caused by an increase in pressure in the vessels when the blood flow slows down. Often worries women, especially during pregnancy, with a feeling of heaviness in the legs. Symptoms of the disease begin to appear in early youth with burning, cramps, pain in the calf muscles. A great danger is caused by the chronic form - thrombophlebitis. Inflammation of the inner lining of the veins leads to the formation of blood clots, which irritate the nerve endings and manifest themselves as breaking, pulling pain. The disease can affect deep and superficial veins. With varicose veins on the skin, characteristic bluish seals are visible along the course of the vessel, deep vein damage is always accompanied by swelling of the focus;

Pain in the muscle tissues of the legs can also be caused by entrapment of the sciatic nerve with displacement of discs or intervertebral hernia. Constant irritation of the inflamed sciatic nerve roots can penetrate the entire leg to the tips of the toes with acute, eversion pain.

Treatment is selected depending on the source of pain, only on the basis of magnetic resonance imaging.

Pain in the muscles of the lower leg

If the muscles of the legs hurt for no reason, this does not mean that it does not exist, but indicates a person's inattention to their health.

The calf muscles are considered the strongest in the muscle structure. Performing an important function in the human musculoskeletal system, they daily undergo loads of varying severity. Located on the back of the lower leg, they are in close relationship with the nervous and vascular systems of the body. This explains the pain in the calf muscles as a sharp reaction to a change in the state of each of them.

It is important to note that pain in the muscles of the legs is often the result of a passive, sedentary lifestyle.

Prolonged sedentary work or work associated with motionless standing leads to circulatory disorders, this causes stagnation, oxygen starvation, and blood intoxication. Stubborn disregard for preventive measures that normalize the work of blood vessels can lead to very serious consequences.

Leg muscles hurt - treatment, prevention

If the muscles of the legs hurt, the treatment of each pathology involves preliminary accurate diagnosis and strict adherence to the doctor's recommendations. Conservative methods are effective early on. As a prophylaxis - a diet that excludes spicy, fatty, fried foods, a categorical rejection of alcohol and nicotine, the systematic implementation of dosed physical exercises. Accurate diagnosis and effective treatment will be ensured by a complete medical examination.

With pain in the leg muscles, the cause can be inflammation of the joints and tendons as a result of overload and injury:

• Bursitis (inflammation of the periarticular bag and the accumulation of synovial fluid in it) of the joints of the lower extremities - the inflammatory process can spread to the muscle tissues, causing pain in them, and with a strong exacerbation is accompanied by an increase in body temperature. Infectious bursitis is treated with certain types of antibiotics, non-infectious - with anti-inflammatory drugs, in both cases, if necessary, the liquid is pumped out;
• Myositis is a disease caused by muscle inflammation. Aching pain limits their contraction, causes protective tension and, as a result, muscle weakness. Forced stiffness can provoke the appearance of skin flushing. With myositis, the leg muscles above the knees hurt. Most often it manifests itself as a complication of viral infections such as flu or tonsillitis. Treatment involves topical use of pain relieving ointments, dry warmth and rest, and analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs. Rehabilitation will be accelerated by foot massage. Myositis can be of purulent and parasitic etiology. But it should be borne in mind that if the leg muscles above the knees hurt, it can also be triggered by a number of other pathologies.

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  Cramps are sudden muscle contractions that can cause pain in the leg muscles. Sudden sharp painful sensations seem to fold them when stretching in bed or when changing the position of the legs after prolonged immobility. With a slight kneading of the frozen area, a gradual relaxation of the tissues occurs. Prevention can be a good treatment for leg muscle pain caused by cramps. A diet rich in protein, limiting salt, and drinking plenty of water. In order not to disrupt blood circulation, it is necessary to try to sleep on the left side, and while sitting - not to cross your legs. Contrast baths for the lower extremities have a beneficial effect on blood circulation and general condition, contribute to the hardening of the body.
• Flat feet is a pathology associated with an improperly formed plane of the foot, which leads to the loss of its functions and is the cause of rapid fatigue with minor loads. The disease arises from the wrong shoes. It is more common in women who prefer high heels that disrupt posture and load distribution on the feet. The pain in the muscles of the legs can be very severe, accompanied by cramps and swelling.

Therefore, the opinion that the leg muscles hurt for no reason is wrong. First of all, you need to pay attention to your weight, it often provokes disturbances in the vascular system and other pathologies. Discomfort of any etiology must always be perceived as a signal from the body about a health disorder and promptly respond to it.

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