Almost every person, regardless of gender and age, knows the feeling when the leg muscles hurt. Most often this occurs after intense and unsystematic physical exertion. Such pain causes some inconsequential discomfort and, as a rule, disappears on its own after a short period of time. However, it often pulls the leg muscles for other, sometimes much more serious reasons.
First you need to figure out exactly where the pain occurs: whether it’s the joints, or the muscles of the legs. Anatomy divides the muscles of the leg into 4 groups: the muscles of the leg, buttocks, front and back groups of the thigh. Unpleasant sensations, as a rule, arise precisely in the muscles of the lower leg. We will understand their reasons.
- Violation of local blood circulation. When a person spends a rather long period of time in an uncomfortable position or simply does not change it for a long time, the limb “numb” - everyone knows the feeling of slight numbness and “spines”, which then “run” over the skin. In this case, it is best to gently massage the stiff leg.
- Various pathological conditions of blood vessels, primarily varicose veins, also cause pain in the legs. The leg muscles can pull, tingling. Periodically, heaviness occurs in the legs. In this situation, you should immediately consult a doctor, since such diseases are fraught with serious consequences.
- In addition, the leg muscles often pull, even if there is no obvious reason. So, diseases of the spine, pinched nerves may well be given to the legs, creating the erroneous opinion that the problem is in the muscles.
- Tendons can also cause leg pain. It can be both inflammatory processes and microtraumas. In such a situation, you can’t avoid visiting a doctor.
- General health problems also affect the condition of the legs. This is overweight, circulatory disorders (including stroke) and others.
- However, the most common reason pulling leg muscles is cramping. They arise spontaneously, last only a few seconds, but, nevertheless, cause almost unbearable pain. The occurrence of seizures can be associated with common diseases (vascular pathology, diabetes, rheumatism, thyroid dysfunction, and others), as well as an imbalance in the body of trace elements. So, often a seizure occurs in violation of the transmission of a nerve impulse from a neuron to a muscle. Minerals such as magnesium and calcium are responsible for this. It is their lack or excess that can cause the appearance of systematically repeated convulsions. In addition, there is also a hidden component of this chain - vitamin D, necessary for the absorption of these minerals from food.
First aid, or What to do when pulling leg muscles?
- First of all, provide your feet with a comfortable and physiologically natural position: lower them down, free from shoes and tight clothing, evenly distribute the load.
- Massage is the easiest way to relieve discomfort. Thus, you will restore blood circulation and relax your muscles.
- A warm foot bath with decoctions of herbs and a warming cream after it will also have a healing effect.
- If the cause of your concern is a cramp, slightly but sensitively pinch yourself or prick in a spasm.
- However, remember that all of the above is by no means an alternative to visiting a doctor!
Finally, let's talk about how to prevent foot diseases.
- The best way, as always, is a healthy lifestyle! First of all - sports. One of the good options for reasonable loads is now popular yoga. It gently stretches the muscles, giving them elasticity, and improves blood circulation.
- Good nutrition is the second most important component of a healthy lifestyle.
- Do not allow the transition of acute diseases into a chronic form: sooner or later, an untreated disease will make itself felt.
- The key to foot health is the right choice of shoes, especially for women. Daily wearing of hairpins deforms the foot, and if not now, then after a few years, leg problems will let you know.
The leg muscles are the most important component of the human musculoskeletal system - only the back can be compared with the load on them. Therefore, one should not allow neglect of them - even trifling, it would seem, ailments, can turn into serious health problems in the future.