Why do legs hurt after alcohol? Unpleasant sensations in the lower extremities are a rather dangerous sign. Such a symptom rarely occurs after a single and moderate intake of alcohol. Leg pain often occurs in people who systematically drink strong drinks in large doses. Thus, the body signals the need to stop drinking. As you know, ethanol negatively affects almost all body systems. In the article, we will consider in detail the possible consequences of excessive alcohol intake.
Causes of Pain
Often patients complain that after heavy drinking they have “buzzing legs”. The causes of discomfort can be different:
- circulatory disorders in the lower extremities;
- violation of the water-salt balance;
- decreased potassium in the blood;
- deposition of salts - urates;
- lesions of the nervous system;
- myopathy.
All these conditions are caused by alcohol abuse. Next, we will examine in detail each of the consequences of excessive drinking.
Circulatory disorders
Ethanol has a vasodilating effect. After taking alcohol in a person, blood pressure drops. Then the heart and kidneys resist the influence of alcohol, and the vessels begin to narrow sharply. As a result, nutrition of the lower extremities is disrupted and oxygen starvation of tissues occurs. This is accompanied by aching pain in the feet and calves. Patients complain that their legs are "buzzing" the next morning after drinking alcohol in the evening.
Often, pain and heaviness in the legs after taking alcoholic beverages are observed in patients with varicose veins. With this disease, any dose of alcohol is categorically contraindicated, because ethanol contributes to venous insufficiency. Drinking alcohol with varicose veins can lead to blood clots and vascular blockage.
Dehydration
Why do legs ache after alcohol and a strong thirst? This is due to a violation of the water-salt balance. The kidneys seek to remove alcohol toxins from the body as quickly as possible. In addition, the oxidation of ethanol molecules requires a large amount of liquid. As a result, the body loses a lot of water.
The following symptoms of dehydration in adults occur:
- dry mouth and skin;
- thirst;
- decreased urine output;
- drowsiness;
- dizziness.
Due to the loss of fluid in a person, pain occurs in the muscles and joints of the legs. This is a reaction of nerve cells to dehydration. Violation of the water-salt balance is especially pronounced during the hangover syndrome.
Swelling
Often after drinking alcohol, swelling of the face and legs is observed. This is also a symptom of dehydration in adults. The intake of large amounts of alcoholic beverages leads to improper distribution of fluid in the body. Water escapes from the blood and accumulates in the tissues.
Swelling of the legs after alcohol is always accompanied by severe pain and a feeling of heaviness in the limbs. This symptom is often noted after drinking a large amount of beer or low-alcohol carbonated cocktails.
Hypokalemia
Often, patients notice that they have legs at night after alcohol. Seizures are accompanied by very painful sensations. This symptom indicates a deficiency of potassium. With regular drinking, this element is washed out of the body. Dehydration after alcohol leads to the development of hypokalemia.
The patient experiences pain while walking. Unpleasant sensations intensify at night. A person is disturbed by sleep, due to frequent painful cramps, one has to constantly wake up.
Arthralgia
Why do legs hurt joints after alcohol? Ethanol washes calcium from bone joints. In the joint bag and cartilage, salts of uric acid - urate, are deposited. These compounds irritate tissues, leading to pain in the knees and ankles.
In advanced cases, urate penetrates into the bone tissue. The patient develops gout. This is a painful disease, accompanied by severe pain and atrophy of the joints, swelling of the knees and toes. In the blood, the level of uric acid rises sharply. Complications of gout can be kidney damage, arterial hypertension, and cerebrovascular accident.
Polyneuropathy
Often, after many days of drinking, patients fail to have legs. It becomes difficult for a person to walk, and sometimes to stand. This is a very dangerous symptom that indicates damage to the peripheral nerves - alcoholic polyneuropathy. This disease is observed in patients with hard drinking.
The cause of this ailment is damage to nerve fibers and a slowdown in the transmission of electrical impulses in neurons. These pathological changes occur due to the toxic effects of ethanol on the peripheral nerves. In addition, the systematic intake of alcohol leads to a deficiency of B vitamins. This also negatively affects the state of neurons.
Alcoholic polyneuropathy is characterized by the following symptoms:
- muscle weakness and atrophy of the lower extremities;
- feeling of numbness of the legs;
- a sensation of tingling and crawling in the area of calves and feet;
- difficulty walking;
- pain in the legs;
- spasms of the calf muscles at night.
Pain sensations are usually localized in the area of the feet and calves. Alcoholic polyneuropathy requires immediate treatment. This disease can be complicated by leg paralysis. Timely and adequate therapy helps to restore normal movement in the lower extremities.
Obliterating Endarteritis
Obliterating endarteritis is a serious disease of the arteries of the legs. It is often observed in chronic alcoholics and heavy smokers. Under the influence of ethanol, a spasm of the vessels occurs in the patient. This can provoke inflammation and dystrophic changes in the walls of the arteries.
Obliterating endarteritis is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- pain in the feet and calves;
- limp;
- marbled or bluish coloration of the skin of the legs;
- cooling of the lower extremities.
In advanced cases, the patient's legs fail and trophic ulcers appear. Obliterating endarteritis requires immediate treatment. This disease can be complicated by gangrene, which often leads to amputation of the leg. To stop pathological changes in the walls of the arteries is possible only in the early stages of endarteritis.
Myopathy
Why do legs ache and muscles of limbs weaken after alcohol? Such a symptom may indicate myopathy. This disease is observed in patients who abuse alcohol for several years. Ethanol damages muscle cells - myocytes. Alcoholics with experience have dystrophic processes in the muscles of the legs. Myopathy is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- intolerable muscle pains;
- spasms of the calf muscles;
- muscle weakness.
At first, the unpleasant sensations bother the patient only during binges and with a hangover. However, as the pathology progresses, muscle pains become constant and are noted even with complete sobriety. In urinalysis, muscle protein is found in patients, and a high level of creatinine is found in the blood. In advanced cases, alcoholic myopathy can lead to the formation of foci of necrosis in the muscles, which causes disability.
How to eliminate leg pain
How to get rid of unpleasant sensations in the legs after drinking alcohol? It is necessary once and for all to refuse to take alcohol in any quantities. If a person continues to drink, then pain in the limbs will only progress.
With numbness and leg failure, as well as muscle weakness, you should urgently consult a doctor. Diseases such as polyneuropathy, myopathy, and obliterating endarteritis without treatment lead to disability. It is impossible to get rid of these pathologies with home remedies. Such serious ailments require long-term treatment.
If the pain in the legs is caused by temporary dehydration, potassium deficiency or vasospasm, then at home, you can use the following tools:
- Ointments and gels: Lyoton, Troxerutin, Troxevasin. These drugs are applied to sore spots twice a day. Such drugs improve blood circulation in the lower extremities, relieve pain and swelling. Ointments and gels with venoprotective action are especially useful for vasospasm and exacerbation of varicose veins, provoked by alcohol intake.
- Compresses with sea salt. In water with a temperature of +37 - +38 degrees you need to dissolve sea salt. Then moisten the towel in the composition and wrap it in your legs. Compress hold for about 30 minutes. Such a tool will help relieve pain and swelling.
- Compresses with dandelion. The flowers and greens of the plant must be crushed to a state of gruel. Then apply the composition to sore spots and apply a bandage. The compress is held for about 25 to 30 minutes.
- Massage. Before the procedure, a warming ointment based on pepper, ginger, snake or bee venom is applied to the skin. Massage sore spots need to be done very carefully, strong pressure can be harmful. The procedure begins with light strokes, then the intensity of movements is gradually increased.
- Foot baths. Sea water or calendula broth is added to warm water. Feet should be placed on the composition for 15 to 20 minutes. Baths are contraindicated in case of severe hangover.
Night cramps are very often associated with hypokalemia. Therefore, you must adhere to a special diet. The diet includes foods rich in potassium. These include bananas, avocados, greens, oranges, potatoes, and legumes.
It should be remembered that the above methods of treatment are effective only if alcohol is abandoned. Otherwise, the pain syndrome will be repeated with each use of alcohol and it will be much more difficult to get rid of unpleasant sensations.