If pain and cramps in the calf muscles are bothering, inevitably the person begins to panic. If the sensation comes at night, you wake up in a cold sweat, and calling anyone such a revival pleasant will not turn anyone's tongue. If sensations appear in the daytime, the mobility of a person is seriously limited for the whole period, it is impossible to concentrate attention and thoughts on anything other than a sore leg. Why do my legs hurt, and what makes my muscles feel weak? Let's try to figure it out.
Is it worth paying attention to?
Only a doctor can say exactly why the legs hurt when walking with a particular person. The doctor will examine the limbs, prescribe instrumental and laboratory tests based on the assumption of the cause, and based on the results of the official information received, give an accurate conclusion, and together with it develop a program to fix the problem. It seems to some that the syndrome, especially if it appears infrequently, does not deserve special attention. In fact, pain is almost always an indication of some kind of disease, and you can not neglect it. Of course, in some cases there is no great danger - for example, if the sensation is associated with short-term over-exertion and fatigue and the body thus asks for rest. But sometimes the reason can be much more serious and worse.
And what happens most often?
The doctor, examining a patient complaining that the calf muscle is tense and sore, often associates this condition with physical overload. Indeed, soreness can occur against the background of active sports, an abundance of movements. In addition, it is worth evaluating the ratio of growth and body weight. Perhaps leg pain is triggered by excess pounds. Some syndromes are caused by injuries - this is more common among athletes. There is a risk of damaging muscle tissue mechanically. Effective preventive measure - before competitions, training, it is imperative to perform a stretching complex. The more intense the expected load, the more important it is to thoroughly warm up your legs.
Sharp pain in the calf muscle when walking can occur if the load on the limbs changes quickly and unpredictably. Pain syndrome is possible if a person walks for a long time or is forced to run a considerable distance, especially without suitable training.
What to do?
These factors are common, usually do not lead to serious consequences. To improve the condition, it is necessary to revise the volume of loads, reduce their strength, reduce the duration. If the reason is overweight, it is recommended to make an appointment with a nutritionist, and possibly take additional tests to identify hormonal conditions. If a person is actively involved in sports, you should contact your trainer to develop a more suitable warm-up program.
Experienced athletes know well how to relieve pain in the calf muscle - you need to do a warming massage. Well help from pain caused by the above reasons, bath, sauna, steam room. You can fix the limb with an elastic bandage. This helps to strengthen muscle structures and distribute the load between the fibers more evenly.
Case features
Often soreness is only the first manifestation of a problem. The pain occurs when walking, then passes, but during the night rest cramps appear. The cause of this condition may be dehydration, overstrain of muscle tissue, lack of mineral components, vitamins. If convulsions first appear, only then the pain comes, it can persist for several days, disturb both during movement and during rest.
Perhaps, athletes and those who are constantly faced with increased physical activity know best about pain in the legs. Jumps, running, too fast and long walking can provoke pain. The cause of the condition is the stretching of the fibers due to sudden movements. To prevent pain, you need to thoroughly warm up before class. If this does not help, after training, you need to give your legs a rest for several days.
Or am I sick?
Sometimes pain in the calf muscle indicates a disease. Such a phenomenon may indicate, for example, diabetes mellitus. Often, the legs hurt in people suffering from atherosclerosis. With this disease, the vascular walls become denser, the tissues contract, and pain occurs. Unpleasant sensations become especially strong if you walk on foot for a long time. Atherosclerosis can be suspected if the feet are constantly cold, while the phenomenon does not depend on the level of environmental warming.
Spinal column pain can provoke pain in the calf muscle when walking. The phenomenon is observed if the disks are displaced, a tumor process develops, osteochondrosis or other pathological lesions of the main supporting element of the human body are observed.
Myositis, the formation of an inflammatory focus, can become a cause of pain. Such pathologies are widespread, usually formed against the background of infection, the penetration of the virus into the body. In some cases, inflammation is associated with muscle strain, resulting in soft tissue injury. Myositis is a rather serious and dangerous pathology that must be treated under the supervision of a qualified doctor.
Causes and consequences: why do legs hurt?
If pain in the calf muscle is disturbed when walking, the phenomenon may be due to thrombophlebitis. This term is used to characterize a vascular lesion, one of the manifestations of which is a pain syndrome localized in the limbs. Perhaps a violation of the integrity and performance of the elements of the peripheral nervous system. If neuralgia becomes the cause of the pain, sensations may come in bouts, but may be permanent. Symmetric pain is possible, but for some it occurs in only one leg.
Diseases of the veins can provoke soreness. Thrombosis is most common, its main competitor in prevalence is varicose venous expansion. There is a chance of osteomyelitis, infection of the skeletal system. If this is the reason, the patient is worried about acute pain in the calf muscle.
The listed pathological conditions without adequate treatment lead to serious undesirable consequences. It is impossible to treat these diseases at home without a doctor’s control - this is fraught with deterioration. Suspecting any of the described diseases, it is necessary to get an appointment with a doctor as soon as possible in order to establish the exact cause.
How to help yourself?
If the calf muscles are sore after running, while walking, with prolonged exercise, it is necessary to analyze the situation, understand when and why sensations come, suggest the root cause. For example, if it is obvious that soreness appears against the background of training and prolonged walking, the volume of loads should be reviewed. If there is reason to believe that a person is seriously ill, it would be prudent to visit a doctor for examination and making an accurate diagnosis. In some cases, soreness in the legs is the first signal indicating the need for urgent hospitalization. In some cases, the doctor may refer the patient for surgery. In chronic diseases, some forms of pathologies, the best option would be conservative complex therapy.
It is very difficult to figure out on your own how to treat pain in the calf muscles, especially if it is not possible to consult a doctor for a diagnosis. Self-medication almost always brings unsatisfactory results, the patient's condition gradually worsens. If the pain came suddenly, the sensations are very strong, you can take an anesthetic and go to the local hospital, where the therapist will examine the limbs and send him to a specialist. If the pain is so severe that it is impossible to even walk, a first aid team should be called.
Activities and methods
Sometimes a sharp pain in the calf muscle at night is so strong that a person wakes up instantly, but can’t move - the soreness literally fetters, the sensations are strong to tears. If such an attack recurs, do not hesitate to go to the doctor. Perhaps the reason is serious enough for the doctor to immediately prescribe therapy in a hospital setting. They may recommend agreeing to an operation. Surgical treatment is prescribed if studies show a tumor process, if the pain is associated with a prolapse of the disc between the vertebrae or displacement of this element. In some cases, the help of a surgeon is required against a background of neurological disorders.
There are possible causes of pain in the calf muscle when walking, the course of which is chronic, and a complete cure can be achieved using even the most modern methods and methods. The doctor will select a supporting therapeutic course. If analyzes and studies have shown varicose venous expansion, the doctor will advise you to constantly use special knitwear. Stockings with a tightening effect help maintain blood vessels and muscles in an anatomically correct position, increase the efficiency of their functioning.
General measures
If your legs hurt after training, the sensations come when walking, intensify in the evening, you need to see a doctor, as well as practice general activities aimed at improving limbs. The first and basic thing to do is normalize, stabilize weight. Excess kilograms aggressively affect the state of various internal systems and organs. If you manage to leave them in the past, the blood flow improves, including in the limbs, and the load on the musculoskeletal system decreases.
To improve their condition, alcohol and tobacco products should be excluded from everyday life. For a person, prolonged static stress is harmful, therefore it is necessary to exclude from one's life prolonged standing in one pose. It should move more, but in moderation, without too abrupt movements and shock loads. It would be wise to review the mode of work and rest. Useful for people of any age are considered walks in the fresh air - you should introduce such into your daily routine.
Manifestations and diagnoses
If pain in the calf muscle when walking occurs in combination with a feeling of heaviness in the limbs, it is likely that the cause was varicose venous expansion. In general, vascular disease is one of the most common reasons for visiting patients' clinics. Soreness is caused by improper outflow of blood flowing in the veins - while this increases vascular pressure, the fluid stagnates, irritating the elements of the nervous system.
If the soreness is dull, the legs ache, it hurts in the muscles, this is probably provoked by a prolonged stay in one position - standing, sitting. Due to improper distribution of the load, the blood stagnates, the performance of both veins and arteries is disrupted, some areas lack oxygen and nutrients necessary for normal operation.
If the sensations are pulsating, thrombophlebitis can be suspected. The pain often transforms over time into a burning sensation. Feelings are constantly disturbing, covering all the limbs, but it is in the calf area that are most expressed.
Options and Feelings
If your legs hurt after a workout, it is most likely caused by overload. In this case, pain is aching, but relatively short-lived. For several days after excessive practice, pain can be disturbed constantly, the level of the syndrome is quite weak. This is especially often observed if a person is engaged for the first time after a long pause.
Soreness may be due to atherosclerosis. The disease is accompanied by a feeling of contraction in the limbs, especially pronounced in the area of muscle tissue. With atherosclerosis, the lower leg is very painful, during movement the sensations become stronger.
If vertebral diseases became the cause of the pain, then the syndrome is usually irradiating, that is, it is not localized where it is felt, but only surrenders to this zone. In this case, often the spine does not bother with pain. Often, this is how sciatica manifests itself - an inflammatory process localized in the sciatic nerve.
Causes and consequences
Doctors repeat over and over again: if you feel pain, you need to go to the clinic, where they will pick up, first finding out the cause, treatment. Cramps in the legs at night, severe pain that occurs during a period of calm and when walking are possible options for the appearance of diseases of the nervous system. Sensations come in attacks between which no discomfort is noted. The duration of the attack varies from seconds to minutes.
The inflammatory process is the source of the most pronounced pain syndrome. This is possible against the background of flu.
If the legs ache, probably the cause is overstrain, injury. Such sensations become stronger with movement. If the site is injured, there is an open wound, the risk of forming an inflammatory focus, complicated by suppuration, increases. About purulent myositis is signaled by fever, chills, hardening and swelling of the damaged area. The skin turns red.
Symptoms nuances
If they become an occasion to go to the clinic in order to establish the cause and treatment of leg cramps at night and pain when walking, there is a chance that the patient has developed osteomyelitis. In this case, the cause of the pain are bones affected by pathological processes. Seizures due to prolonged physical activity are possible. In this case, you can alleviate the condition by relaxing the limbs. It is necessary to take a sitting pose, lying down, change the position of the legs, massage the affected areas with your hands, apply a cool, damp towel. You can walk barefoot on cold ground.
If the pain in the calf muscle is required when walking, plus the pain syndrome covers the back of the head and back, spreads to the neck, shoulders, sternum, hips, you may have to fight fibromyalgia. More often, the disease affects the female half. Pathology is provoked, activated against the background of increased loads, rheumatism, trauma. Provoke deterioration can cold, humidity.
Myopathy: subtleties
If, when making a diagnosis, choosing the appropriate treatment for pain in the calf muscle while walking, the patient revealed myopathy, it is necessary to determine the nature of the pathological condition. The disease is neurogenic. If disorders related to neurology have not been identified, perhaps the cause is metabolic disorders, inflammatory foci. There is a likelihood of developing myopathy while taking medications. To provoke this condition can poisonous substances that enter the body, as well as infection. About 95% of cases occur in myositis, poly-, dermatomyositis. They are more often observed if the body is affected by a systemic disease that disrupts the functioning and structure of the connective fibers.
Medicinal myopathies are more prone to people suffering from heart and vascular diseases. Myopathy can develop with the use of drugs from the class of statins. With increased risks associated with treatment with drugs "Singal", "Lovastatin." In addition, fibrates, which are actively used in the treatment of atherosclerosis, can provoke myopathy. When prescribing such a medication to a patient, the doctor usually immediately reports what the first manifestations of drug myopathy are, what needs to be done to help yourself. Recommendations will depend on the prescribed agent, the characteristics of the condition and the patient’s diagnosis.
Pain: is it possible to prevent?
Certain preventive measures are known to help eliminate the appearance of unpleasant pathologies. In order for the blood flow in the limbs to be of high quality, contrast foot baths should be done regularly. Such a measure helps, if convulsions are often disturbed - it is used as an adjunct in combination with the main treatment.
The shoes used should be reviewed and any inconvenient items excluded from everyday life. The harm of high heels has long been proven - such products should be discarded or reduced to a minimum. It is recommended to choose high-quality shoes from good materials.
In order to minimize the risk of developing limb diseases, in order to ensure optimal functioning conditions for internal systems and organs, it is recommended to control your weight. Excess pounds have a bad effect on blood flow. At the same time, it is important to eat fully, providing the body with the necessary amount of protein structures. Doctors recommend consuming a minimum of salt and drinking plenty of water. A balanced diet and prevention of dehydration help eliminate the risk of convulsions and leg pain.