Heavy Legs - What Can I Do?

Definition - what is meant by heavy legs?

The feeling of tired, heavy, sore, and often swollen legs is familiar to many. It can be harmless, and heavy legs are often associated with minor or major venous problems. Heavy legs are a personal perception that is often accompanied by additional symptoms / symptoms. People often say that the legs will fill up like lead, which pulls them down.

Treatment / therapy

Treatment of the heaviness in the legs depends on the cause of the discomfort. If the veins are weak, compression stockings and dehydrating medication, so-called water tablets, can help. If spider veins or varicose veins are cosmetically stressful, they can be removed with the help of sclerotherapy or vein stripping.
Tips for over-acidification and sore muscles are heat applications such as saunas and careful stretching. In the case of weak veins, however, the application of heat is contraindicated! If there is a PAD, medical drugs such as ASA, clopidogrel or Marcumar are often necessary. You should also do regular walking exercise yourself to stimulate the production of new blood vessels.Surgical measures may be necessary in the case of pronounced PAOD. Physiotherapy can often help with heavy legs and back pain.
If the cause is at the spinal cord level, a neurologist must be consulted to decide on an appropriate therapy. There are different treatment strategies for different causes of heavy legs. It is therefore important to find the right cause as part of a thorough diagnosis and to treat it specifically.

Can Magnesium Help?

A lack of magnesium in the blood (hypomagnesaemia) can lead to circulatory disorders, numbness and tingling in the arms and legs, muscle cramps and many other complaints. Often there are muscle cramps in the legs, especially in the thighs or carts. If a lack of magnesium is responsible for the heaviness of the legs and possibly other symptoms, magnesium can definitely help alleviate the symptoms.

Duration / forecast

In the case of weak veins, the course and prognosis are largely dependent on the severity of the condition. If you start early treatment and targeted prevention, you can often stop the progression or at least slow it down considerably. This can also significantly reduce the risk of the dangerous complication of venous thrombosis. In the case of PAD and other cardiovascular diseases, it is important to treat early and stop risk factors such as smoking in order to prevent the disease from worsening.
If a feeling of heaviness arises during or after an extensive exercise session, the pain only lasts a few hours to days. If heavy legs occur in the context of aching limbs with a cold, these subside within a few days and, if necessary, can be relieved with painkillers. The duration and prognosis of heavy legs depend on the cause of the heaviness. With the start of early therapy and avoidance of risk factors such as smoking, the prognosis can be very good even for more serious illnesses.

Concomitant symptoms

If a weak vein is the cause of the heavy legs, there are certain symptoms that often accompany the heavy legs. These include swollen ankles, itching and tingling in the legs, and sharp pain in the legs. Spider veins and varicose veins are clear signs of weakened veins that may require treatment. If there are heavy legs and tingling sensations, the cause may be at the spinal cord level or in the arterial system. If a circulatory disorder is arterial, a tingling sensation in the legs and the feeling of tired, heavy legs can occur. Tingling as an accompanying symptom can also indicate a deep vein thrombosis and is therefore urgently in need of clarification. In addition, heavy legs can be described in the context of aching limbs, for example in the case of a flu-like infection or migraines. Accompanying symptoms can be cough, fever, runny nose and sore throat, but also headache and body aches throughout the body.

Read more about this under: Venous weakness

Heavy legs with pain

Heavy legs are often associated with pain in people with weak veins. The pain often occurs after prolonged walking and standing. Occasionally, phlebitis can develop with pronounced venous weakness, some of which is associated with massive pain.

Heavy legs with tingling sensations

If the legs swell, feel heavy, and tingle, this is a common indication of circulatory problems in the arteries and veins of the legs or damage to nerves in the spinal canal. Peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAD) is common and is characterized by poor blood flow to the arms and legs. This circulatory disorder can manifest itself as a tingling sensation and a feeling of heaviness. With venous disorders, heavy legs can appear along with tingling and even cause pain. Deep vein thrombosis can also cause tingling in the legs. When a blood clot forms and causes thrombosis in the deep veins, it obstructs blood flow to the heart, causing pain and tingling in the legs. If left untreated, a leg vein thrombosis can escalate and trigger a life-threatening pulmonary embolism and must therefore be clarified and treated by a doctor. A tingling sensation in the legs can also indicate serious damage to the spine. If a nerve is constricted in the course or at the exit from the spine, sensory disturbances such as tingling or numbness can occur.

Read more on this topic at: Paralysis in the leg

causes

Excessive use of the legs or improper loading can be very simple reasons for heavy legs. After a long workout, lactic acid can build up and legs feel heavy and tired. Incorrect strain can be long periods of sitting, for example in an airplane, a monotonous movement pattern or the wrong footwear. Heavy legs can appear as a pain in the limbs with a flu-like infection or in connection with migraines. Often the feeling of heavy legs indicates a venous disorder. Warning signs of venous disorders include tingling, itching, stabbing pain, swollen ankles and visible changes in the veins such as spider veins and varicose veins.

Vein weakness often results from an obstructed blood flow. The venous valves, which prevent the blood from backing up in healthy people, can fail and no longer do their job. If the venous valves do not function properly, this impairs the outflow of blood and it builds up in the upstream vein sections. This puts pressure on the veins over the long term and the veins widen. In the superficial leg veins this can be seen as spider veins on the skin surface and in larger veins as clearly protruding, tortuous varicose veins. The venous weakness often causes swollen, tired legs, which are often painful. The pain usually increases in the evening and is particularly pronounced when it is warm, as the vessels then expand additionally.

Heavy legs from back pain

If heavy legs are caused by back pain, lumbar sciatica can be the reason, also known as root irritation syndrome. The back pain is transmitted to the leg by a nerve root irritation, and one suffers from back and leg pain. Back pain and the associated discomfort in the arms or legs can have serious causes and must always be clarified by a doctor.

Heavy legs from medication

There are medications that promote water retention as a side effect. Because of the force of gravity, you get stored in your feet and lower legs, and you get heavy legs. Medicines containing cortisone, which are used for rheumatic diseases, asthma or Crohn's disease, promote increased water retention in the tissue. Hormone preparations such as pills containing estrogen, which are frequently used, can also cause slight water retention in the tissue. A pronounced water retention is usually perceived as uncomfortable by those affected and can cause pain in the legs.

Read more on this topic at: Water in the legs

Heavy legs from the pill

In some women, taking the pill causes more water to be stored due to the estrogen content. The legs can swell and become heavy when sitting or standing for long periods of time. The most common and dangerous complication of taking the pill is thrombosis. In the case of a leg vein thrombosis caused by the pill, spontaneous or stress-dependent pain, overheating of the leg and warning veins, which are clearly visible on the surface of the skin, occur.

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Heavy legs after drinking alcohol

After an intoxication with alcohol, a hangover can follow the next day. Pain in the limbs is not uncommon and can be associated with heavy legs.

In alcoholics, alcohol-related polyneuropathy can develop, damage to the nerve endings. This can initially lead to a feeling of heaviness in the legs, possibly in combination with tingling and numbness, up to paralysis in severe cases.

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Heavy legs from smoking

Smoking is a major risk factor for hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis) and PAD (peripheral arterial disease). Both of these impede blood flow and cause a lack of oxygen in the tissue. One speaks of the smoker's leg - a feeling of heaviness in the legs that arises from the lack of blood circulation in PAOD caused by smoking. At first, those affected suffer from a feeling of heaviness, then from stress pain and at some point the leg hurts even at rest, until it eventually dies due to ulcers and inflammation. If one suffers from PAD and gives up smoking, the prognosis improves significantly.

Heavy legs with a flu / cold

Pain in the limbs is a common symptom of a cold (flu infection). The arms and legs often hurt two to three days after the onset of a cold, and those affected often describe the feeling of "heavy bones" or "heavy legs". Here the cause of the heavy legs is positive, it means that the body fights against the pathogens and forms messenger substances such as prostaglandins. These increase the sensitivity to pain in order to report the pain to the nervous system and to fight it.

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Heavy legs from varicose veins

Most Germans develop varicose veins in the course of their lives. Mostly these are harmless changes in the veins. Varicose veins are tortuous, sometimes widened into knots and occasionally cause discomfort. The cause of the varicose veins can be a weak connective tissue, which is congenital or develops over time. In most cases, however, varicose veins develop from unexplained causes (idiopathic). In addition to the cosmetically unpopular varicose veins, frequent accompanying symptoms are a feeling of heaviness in the legs, swollen ankles, itching and a feeling of pressure over the varices, and night cramps in the calves. The symptoms often worsen with long periods of sitting or standing, towards the evening and before the menstrual period in women.

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Heavy legs after chemotherapy

So-called neuropathic complaints are feared complications of some chemotherapy drugs in cancer patients. Certain medications can cause numbness, tingling, and heaviness in the arms and legs. Pronounced nerve damage can even cause pain in the legs. In order to relieve the symptoms of such neuropathy with chemotherapy, you should speak to your doctor.

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Can this be hyperacidity?

Physical exertion (sport) can lead to over-acidification of the body, especially if a lot of protein-rich foods are eaten and mineral water is drunk with a lot of carbon dioxide. Signs of hyperacidity are weak, heavy legs that may even burn, as well as muscle and joint problems and fatigue.

Heavy legs when climbing stairs

If the legs become difficult when climbing stairs, this should be urgently clarified by a doctor. There are numerous different causes / diseases that can be behind it: the cardiovascular system, the nerves, the veins or the immune system. Exercise-related pain in the legs can indicate the presence of peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAD). If, in addition to the heaviness of the legs, there are swelling of the ankles, tingling or itching, the cause can also be venous or, for example, result from pinched nerves. Load-related pain in the legs should always be clarified by a doctor and treated if necessary.

After exercise / after running

When exercising (sport), the muscles need sufficient oxygen to generate energy. Unusual or intense stress can lead to a lack of oxygen in the muscles. Then the muscle works anaerobically, i.e. without oxygen. Lactic acid is produced as a by-product in this form of energy generation. A lot of lactic acid can build up during intense exercise and cause pain in the legs and a decrease in performance even during the workout, for example when running. The lactic acid can also stay in the tissue for some time after exercise and cause a feeling of heaviness in the legs. After the workout, gentle exercise helps to break down the acid and regeneration times for the muscles should be observed.

Can this be a reference to MS?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that is difficult to detect in its early stages because some early symptoms are very non-specific. What kind of symptoms appear first also depends on which nerves are affected by the chronic inflammation. Sensitivity disorders in the leg can be a hallmark of MS. This refers to complaints such as tingling in the legs, numbness and hypersensitivity to cold and warm skin.

diagnosis

In order to be able to correctly diagnose the feeling of heavy legs, the attending physician must first conduct a detailed anamnesis discussion about the nature of the heavy legs. This includes, for example, when the feeling occurs, for how long and whether it occurs in certain situations or depending on the situation. Accompanying symptoms such as tingling, pain or swollen ankles must be recorded. The medication that the person is taking must be examined carefully and a thorough physical examination must be performed. Then the doctor can request further examinations, request imaging, take blood values ​​and what is still necessary to make a diagnosis in the case.

Heavy legs during pregnancy

Many women complain of heavy, sore legs during pregnancy. During pregnancy, the woman's hormonal balance changes and this leads, among other things, to the fact that the blood vessels are much more flexible than usual. In addition, the amount of blood and thus the blood flow increases. This means that during pregnancy, more blood flows through the vessels and the veins expand more. The enlarged veins often mean that the venous valves do not close properly, which can lead to back pressure. This creates pain and heavy legs. This is why you should put your legs up more often during pregnancy to relieve the blood vessels. It helps to avoid long periods of sitting and standing and, if this is not possible, at least occasional movement of the legs.
Exercise is generally effective against heavy legs during pregnancy. Cycling, swimming, pregnancy exercises and walks are particularly good options. You can also wear compression stockings to prevent heavy legs and varicose veins. In addition to the increased expansion of the vessels, the veins are additionally stressed during pregnancy due to weight gain. In addition to heavy legs, pregnant women can suddenly develop varicose veins. Then compression stockings and regular visits to the gynecologist help.

Read more on this topic at: Varicose veins in pregnancy

Heavy legs - a sign of pregnancy?

Heavy legs and swollen feet are usually not seen until the third month of pregnancy and are therefore more likely to be later signs of pregnancy. Previous signs of pregnancy include increased body temperature, nausea, tiredness, dizziness, and a late or missed period.

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