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Heaviness in the legs
Last reviewed: 20.11.2021
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When a person feels heaviness in his legs, it is not just fatigue. This can be a signal of a complex disease that needs to be started immediately. The peculiarity of “heavy legs” is that this symptom may manifest itself when the latent disease is still unknown.
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Why do the legs react first?
The legs are the organ that carries the greatest load, because they bear the entire weight of the body. But it is no secret that many people are overweight. In addition, the legs are constantly in motion. A person takes an average of six to eight thousand steps per day. As soon as the legs are sick, a comprehensive diagnosis is needed, which can reveal other diseases at the very beginning.
What causes blood stasis?
Blood stasis in the veins of the extremities arises from the fact that fluid, which is blood, cannot independently rise to the heart valve and circulate through the body. This is the law of gravity (gravity). This causes swelling in the legs, and blood clots in the veins - blood clots. So that they do not form, the blood must be sufficiently liquid and sufficiently quickly move through the veins, not stagnate in them.
Causes of leg pain
Pain in the veins and lower limbs can be signs of damage, injury or inflammation of the arteries. Can be the causes and diseases of the veins, as well as vertebrae, blood vessels, tendons, muscles, lymph nodes.
Causes of pain in the veins can be diseases of the nervous system, which so far have not even been diagnosed. Vein pain can occur when joints, lymph nodes, bones and tendons are deformed or inflamed.
Pain in the veins can be a signal that a person is not all right with blood. One of the diseases that can begin with leg pain, heaviness in the legs, may be diabetes. Moreover, doctors can diagnose an increased blood sugar level after the patient complains of heaviness and pain in the lower extremities.
Diabetic foot
The manifestations of diseases associated with diabetes mellitus are muscle cramps in the legs, weakness in the lower extremities when a person is standing, general weakness, increased dryness of the skin that is not removed even with creams. Feet may swell, edema appears in them. An edematous foot is called a diabetic foot. This is a very serious symptom. If a diabetic foot is not treated, it will have to be amputated over time.
Other signs of diabetic foot are dry, even dry skin, irritation of the skin, itching, peeling, acne (minor). Very often, a person can be disturbed by pain in the lower limbs, especially in the calf area, as well as cramps. At night, cramps can be further aggravated in combination with pain in the veins.
In addition to these symptoms, the legs may become cold, numb, a person cannot feel anything in them even with a tingling of a light needle. This means that the nerve endings are affected. Another person may feel as if small insects crawl along his legs, and this is very annoying to him.
The pain in the lower limbs can be either flat, constant, or sharp, incremental. It does not depend on the season or time of day. If the pain is sharp, it changes - it is quiet, then strong, this can be a sign of blockage of blood vessels, in particular, a large artery. Then the leg is deprived of nutrients and oxygen, which is carried with blood. It can be saved only if the person immediately turns to the ambulance. Otherwise, the leg in 4-5 hours will have to be amputated.
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Diagnosis with heavy legs
With heaviness in the legs, at least two things must be done. The first is to reduce swelling and inflammation (for this purpose, diuretic and anti-inflammatory drugs are drunk) and to help the blood to circulate properly through the veins - to saturate it with nutrients at the expense of vitamin complexes.
If this is not done in the initial stages of the disease, then the leg will have to be treated much longer and more difficult. Unfortunately, almost always a person does not seek medical help in a timely manner, and in 90% of cases of heaviness in the legs, the moment to prevent the disease is missed. So do not hesitate to contact your doctor in the very first days, as you will be disturbed by the following symptoms:
- Heaviness in the legs
- Sweating, cold sweat
- Pain in the legs
- Goosebumps on the skin
- Cramps, especially night
- Numbness of the lower limbs
Precautionary measures
Feel free to consult your doctor before you want to use any means to relieve heaviness in the legs. They can hurt if you have comorbidities, and creams contain substances unacceptable for these diseases.
You will also need to study the internal organs, in particular, ultrasound (ultrasound diagnosis). Laboratory tests of blood and urine, as well as ultrasound scanning of the veins and leg arteries will be needed.
These examinations will help identify possible changes in the structure of blood vessels, veins and other tissues. It is necessary to understand what the degree of narrowing of the lumen of blood vessels, whether the arteries are blocked. If there are such areas, the doctor will identify them and tell you what treatment methods can be applied.
Angioscanning
This scanning method will allow you to see the condition of the veins - both deep and superficial along their entire length. Doctors call it "visualize veins." Doctors will be able to determine the degree of clogged vein with a thrombus, if there is one. Are there any complications - will also help determine the angiography.
A complication in the form of flotation thrombosis is a serious consequence of phlebitis. There is a danger that a blood clot can break off the artery wall and infect the pulmonary artery, blocking it. This term sounds like an embolus.
Endocrine Research
These organs, in particular, the thyroid gland, are responsible for how calcium is regulated in the body, how much of it remains in the blood, and how much it goes into muscles and bones. If there is not enough calcium in the body, its role is played by the teeth, nails, hair, which begin to crumble, fall out and disintegrate. Then a person develops osteoporosis, cramps in the calf muscles or other parts of the legs, muscles and joints can be very sore.
[12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20], [21], [22], [23]
Ultrasound of the genitals
In women, a study of organs located in the pelvis is carried out - these are the ovaries, the uterus. In men, an ultrasound of the prostate gland. These studies will help determine if a person has diseases of the genitourinary system that cause heaviness and pain in the legs, because the bones of the pelvis and the bones of the legs are connected.
If there are problems with the bones or joints of the pelvis, they are deformed or carry too much load, they can squeeze the large vessels of the legs. Then the blood circulation in the squeezed vessels is broken, the legs become heavy and sore. In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Blood test for the detection of inflammation
There are blood tests that can detect inflammation in the veins or small vessels of the legs, as well as in the arteries. This will make it possible to identify in the early stages and start treating phlebitis (inflammation in the veins) or arteritis (inflammation of the arteries) in time. If these diseases are detected in the early stages, it will be much easier to cope with them than if the process has become chronic and acute.
What to do with venous stasis?
To prevent it, a person must help the muscles to contract, and the veins - to unload. We are not allowed to do this by a sedentary lifestyle or “living on your feet”, as well as tight narrow shoes, artificial socks, and a high heel. And, of course, increased weight, which, when walking, puts pressure on the legs and does not give them rest. The legs may also suffer from cardiovascular diseases.
A long time passes before the blood reaches them from the heart. And if the heart does not cope with its functions, for example, in heart failure, then the legs suffer first. So heaviness in the legs can be a symptom of heart disease. The sooner it is diagnosed, the easier it will be to treat. Therefore, with heaviness in the legs and even minor pain in the heart, it is necessary to consult a doctor.
Treatment of "heavy legs"
To choose the optimal treatment for the legs, you need to know all the associated diseases. For example, if the heaviness in the legs provokes diabetes mellitus, it is necessary during the treatment to exclude products and medicines that can provoke its exacerbation. If the heaviness in the legs provokes a bad heart, you need to find a treatment that would not harm our main blood pumping unit.
In other words - individual treatment is selected. Plays a role in the selection of treatment and age characteristics, and related conditions. If a person has hypertension, then when treating the legs, it is necessary to exclude drugs that increase pressure.
Regime of the day in the treatment of heaviness in the legs
In addition to the selection of medications, it is very important what kind of lifestyle the patient leads when he is relieved of such a symptom as heavy legs.
It is necessary to avoid overloads - both physical and moral. The load on the legs will cause an increased risk that they will hurt even more and more.
You can not often sit in the pose "leg to leg" to avoid squeezing the veins. Do not choose low chairs and armchairs to avoid incorrect posture when sitting.
It is very bad for the legs and veins in them when a person uses hormonal contraceptive drugs - they can intensify inflammatory processes in the veins, especially if a person takes medicines without a doctor's recommendation and does not take into account the dose and ratio of hormones.
If a person suffers from sore feet, it is better not to give them heat loads in the form of a long sitting on the beach in the heat, be very careful about the sauna and the bath. It is also necessary to avoid freezing.
It is important to wear the right shoes - leather or natural fabric, so that the foot can breathe. It is also worth giving up heels above 4 cm. If a woman goes to a party - she needs to bring changeless shoes without a heel so that she can change it to the one she came in with a high heel. Shoes should be with a wide enough toe and steady.
Massage also may not always be useful, especially if it is a deep anti-cellulite massage and if it was performed on the legs. An incorrectly performed massage can slow down the blood flow in the veins, transfer the veins or arteries, deprive them of oxygen, injure them, provoke thrombophlebitis. Therefore, it is impossible to trust a non-specialist massage, especially a foot massage in the area under the knees - the veins here are the most vulnerable and close to the skin surface.
You need to control your diet, to enter into it fresh vegetables and fruits, in order to saturate the blood with useful substances. This is an excellent prevention of diseases associated with blockages of the veins and arteries in the legs.
Be sure to monitor weight
If the weight is higher than normal, it can provoke an increased load on the legs, causing their diseases as a result of slow blood flow, stagnation of blood and blood clots in the arteries.
Every evening, you need to unload the legs, raising them above the level of the heart by 15-20 cm. To do this, you can put a pillow under your feet or rest them on the walls. A quarter of an hour in this position - and the legs will get tired much less, and look better. It reduces the load on the veins, which will not bulge out from under the thin skin.
Since of all the organs the legs have the biggest load - the legs have to carry the whole body on themselves - you need to take care of them and seek medical help in time if you feel a seemingly harmless symptom - heaviness in the legs.