Pain in muscles when walking

As soon as Homo sapiens straightened up and started walking, obviously, from that moment on, there was a pain in the muscles when walking. Statistics say that during a life (average duration of 65-70 years) a person commits about 500 million step-by-step movements and practically passes the distance from the planet earth to its constant companion - the Moon, that is approximately 400 thousand kilometers. Since 200 different types of muscle tissue participate in the process of movement, it is quite natural that some of them are overextended and can get sick.

Simplified walking can be divided into two main movements - the movement of the foot and its support, while the main load falls on such muscles: 

• Musculus quadriceps femoris is the quadriceps femoris muscle.
• Musculus biceps femoris - biceps femoris.
• Musculus tibialis anterior - anterior tibial muscle.
• Musculus rectus abdominis is the rectus abdominis muscle.
• Musculus peroneus longus - a thinned muscle (peroneus).
• The triceps muscle of the leg is essentially two muscles: gastrocnemius - gastrocnemius and soleus - soleus.
• Musculus semitendinosus is a semitendinous muscle.
• Musculus tensor fasciae latae is a broad fascia tensor (pelvic muscle).
• Musculus gluteus maximus is a large gluteus muscle.
• Musculus gluteus medius is the medial gluteus muscle.
• Musculus erector spinae is the muscle that straightens the spine (the strongest and longest dorsal muscle).

In addition, muscle pain when walking can occur in the square muscle of the lower back, in the muscles responsible for the rotation of the foot. Painful symptom can be caused by both physiological objective factors, and diseases of blood vessels, musculoskeletal system, spine and even internal organs.

[1], [2], [3]

Causes of muscle pain in walking

Factors and causes of pain in the muscles - myalgia, which appears in motion, when walking primarily due to the type and condition of the muscles involved. Also, the walking symptom is affected by the walking method, because a person can move in a simple way, that is, go for a walk, be an athlete engaged in athletic walking or walking is part of his job (postmen, couriers, etc.).

First, you need to determine which muscles are most involved in this or that type of walking, taking into account the joint connection:

Muscles	Hip Joints	Knee joints	Ankle joints
The stage of leg transference	Musculus iliopsoas - iliopsoas muscle and rectus thigh, which is in the quadriceps muscle of the thigh, as well as the comb and sartorius muscles	The quadriceps muscle (quadriceps) of the thigh	The anterior tibialis muscle, the long extensor of the toes, and also the extensor of the big toe.
Stage of leg support	Gluteal muscles, a group of muscles of the hip, as well as the muscles responsible for the rotation of the leg in the hip joint.	Femoral muscles, popliteal muscle, calf and partially soleus muscle, thin and sartorius muscle.	The triceps muscles of the lower leg (calf and soleus), the long flexor of the thumb and other toes of the foot, the short fibular muscle, as well as the long fibular, plantar and posterior tibial muscles.

Accordingly, the first causes of muscle pain when walking concern joint diseases, pathologies of the musculoskeletal system:

• Osteoarthritis (gonarthrosis) of knee joints, most often secondary, associated with abnormalities of the shin structure (valgus, varus deformity). If osteoarthritis develops in the patellar region, between the femur, a person experiences pain while walking on the stairs, osteoarthritis in the area between the femur and the tibia is manifested as pain when walking for long distances, when rest this pain goes away. 
• Osteomyelitis, which is manifested by severe, acute pain when walking.
• Chondromalation of the patella, rather not a disease, but a state of irritation of the joint surface due to uncoordinated work or overload of the leg muscles.
• Damage to the tendon of the knee - tendonitis, when the pain is felt in the quadriceps muscle.
• Osteoarthritis of the joints of the big toes.
• Rupture of cartilage, damage to the meniscus, when swelling and swelling affect adjacent muscle tissue.
• Osteoporosis, when bone tissue is not capable of taking a load, it is compensated for by muscles and overstrained.
• Rheumatoid arthritis, which provokes the development of myositis - inflammation of the muscle tissue.
• Practically all kinds of osteochondrosis.

In addition, the causes of the pain symptom in the muscles during walking can be due to such diseases: 

• Infringement of nerve endings of the spinal cord with radiculopathy, especially in the lumbosacral spine.
• Inflammation of the sciatic nerve, sciatica, a disease affecting the pain symptom of the muscles of the thigh, lower leg, and feet.
• Lumbago, infringement of the femoral nerve, provoking atony of the hip muscles, prolapse of the knee reflex.
• Atherosclerotic vascular pathologies.
• Venous congestion, varicose veins. Venous intermittent claudication due to obstruction (occlusion) of the pelvic veins, provoking spilled pain during walking and cramps in the calf muscles.
• Vasogenic intermittent claudication (ischemia of muscle tissue).
• Fibromyalgia, more often in women.
• Myositis is an inflammation of the muscle tissue of various etiologies.
• Polyneuropathy.
• Myxedema.
• Diabetes.
• Lymphedema.
• Flat feet.
• Metabolic disorders, micronutrient deficiencies.
• Violation of the water-salt balance.

Surprisingly, pain in walking can be experienced not only by those who are constantly on the move, just these people have muscles more developed and trained. The most common pain symptoms in motion are felt by the following groups of people: 

• Everyone who is behind the wheel for a long time - drivers.
• People who work is associated with increased stress on the lower back.
• Persons whose activities are associated with a prolonged static position of the body, especially standing work.
• Lovers of garden and garden works.
• Persons with high body weight, obese.

[4], [5], [6]

Symptoms of muscle pain when walking

Muscles during walking can get sick both permanently and periodically, and the nature of pain is also varied.

Symptoms of pain in the muscles during walking depend on such factors: 

• The age of a person, elderly people experience more intense pain for quite understandable reasons - age-related deformity of the spine, musculoskeletal system gives an additional load on the muscles.
• Body weight.
• Duration of walking.
• Shoes that can cause a lot of discomfort and be an independent cause of pain.
• Kind of walking - sports, tourism (obstacles), household.
• Preparation of muscles, their condition (trained or atrophied muscles).
• Concomitant diseases and conditions.

Sensations, signs, symptoms of pain in muscles during walking can be as follows: 

• Vascular diseases are most often manifested by aching, drawing pain, a person describes the condition - as "heavy" legs. Walking does not cause much discomfort, if the distance traveled is small, prolonged movement causes a person to stop, rest their legs, muscles. 
• Diseases of the spine sometimes in principle do not allow a person to move, walking with radiculitis or lumbago causes shooting, acute pain. 
• Osteoarthrosis of the knee provokes hypertension of the muscles of the thigh and calf muscles, with tendinitis, the muscles of the lower leg and thigh ache, especially when climbing up.
• Atherosclerosis of the vessels can cause a sensation of tingling, burning in the muscles, venous insufficiency is felt as a rushing pain in the muscles, provokes a convulsive syndrome in the calves of the legs. 
• The pathology of the coccyx can be accompanied by pain in the abdominal muscles, in the hips and muscles of the perineum, the pain increases in motion, with walking. 
• The heel spur, first of all, provokes pain in the heel itself, but also feels like a pain symptom in the thigh area due to chronic pressure on the tibial nerve, the pain also develops in the ankle.
• Polyneuropathy is felt as a drawing, aching pain in the muscles, burning, tingling, especially when walking.

It should be noted that the pain can be felt not only in the muscles of the legs, thighs, sometimes when walking with the muscles of the neck muscles hurt with wrong posture, curvature of the spine, the muscles of the hands may ache under myositis or fibromyalgia, and even the muscles of the chest in pathologies of the broncho-pulmonary system and compensatory tension of the sternum muscles.

As a rule, all the pain signs in the muscles abate at rest, as soon as a person gives an opportunity to resume blood circulation and nutrition in the muscle tissue.

Diagnosis of muscle pain in walking

In order to determine the root cause of a painful symptom that aggravates the movement, it is necessary to conduct a series of examinations, and for this, a person needs to turn to a doctor-therapist in time to redirect the patient to a phlebologist, rheumatologist, surgeon, agiosurgeon or neurologist.

Diagnosis of pain in muscles during walking involves such activities: 

• Collecting an anamnesis and clarifying the history of the development of a pain symptom - when it arose, under what circumstances is amplified, what is the nature of the pain.
• An exception or confirmation of the inflammatory factor, the etiology of pain.
• An exception or confirmation of the vertebrogenic cause of pain.
• Search for a possible cause, associated with compression-radicular syndrome, spinal pathology.
• Palpation of muscles.
• Perhaps the appointment of the joint X-ray, spine.
• Perhaps the appointment of angiography of blood vessels.

Diagnosis of pain in the muscles during walking is a rather difficult process, since the symptoms of muscle pain are not always specific, the most clearly differentiated convulsive pain in the gastrocnemius muscles and muscle pain associated with osteochondrosis. Typically, the first stage of identifying the etiology of the symptom is the method of elimination. The remaining diagnostic steps depend on the results of the first stage and the examination is already conducted by narrow specialists who have practical experience in the diagnosis of a specific specific direction - vascular, organic or locomotor, spinal.

[7], [8]

Treatment of muscle pain in walking

Treatment of pain in the muscles when walking, not associated with serious pathologies, is limited to compensatory rest, massage and, possibly, physiotherapy procedures. A more in-depth treatment can consist of the appointment of vitamin complexes, with an enhanced composition of B vitamins, which strengthen and restore the condition of muscle tissue. Forecast treatment in such cases is favorable and recovery comes after a week, rarely 10-14 days.

All other cases in which a pathological underlying cause is determined are subject to more serious therapy. Treatment of pain in the muscles when walking in general terms is as follows: 

• Restriction of pain-provoking motion, immobilization of joints, muscles.
• Treatment of the main identified disease.
• Symptomatic treatment of pain symptoms - the appointment of local anesthetics and ointments, depending on the nature of the pain (cooling or warming up).
• The purpose of anti-inflammatory drugs - tableted and external form. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Ibuprofen, Diclofenac) are prescribed taking into account the state of the digestive system and hematopoiesis system.
• The appointment of myelorelaxants - Midokalm, Baclofen, Sirdalud.
• Appointment of applications, compresses is possible.
• Rehabilitation procedures - medical gymnastics, correction complexes (post-isometric relaxation), acupuncture.

Prevention of pain in the muscles when walking

First of all, it should be remembered that in more trained people, whose muscles are used to a reasonable load, the pain symptoms when walking are very rare. Therefore, the prevention of pain in the muscles in motion, while walking, is to maintain a normal muscle tone, including the muscle corset in the abdominal region, back, and not just the legs.

To avoid pain in muscles with active movement, you should follow these recommendations: 

• In order not to develop a vascular pathology, often provoking pain in the legs, it is necessary to build a reasonable diet and limit fat, cholesterol in the menu.
• Prevention of pain in the muscles when walking - is the maintenance of normal weight in accordance with the recommended index - BMI.
• With a constant static load, you should periodically knead the muscles, change the pose.
• With joint or spinal disease, you need to reasonably calculate your strengths and resources for long distance trips, but first of all you need to treat the root cause, that is, the disease.
• To maintain health in principle, including the health of muscles, you need to regularly perform a set of exercises, engage in any kind of sport.
• If the pain in the muscles when walking has appeared once, do not write off it for chance, you need to pay attention to the symptom and try to identify and eliminate the cause, perhaps with the help of a doctor ..

With constant pain in the muscles, you need to undergo a comprehensive examination and follow all medical recommendations to avoid formidable complications, because some diseases can completely immobilize a person.