Leg Problems Archives - Mobility Center

The main purpose of your legs is to keep you upright and moving. Still, your legs can additionally act as an indicator of your general health. Even though some symptoms you may endure are particular to leg problems, others can indicate issues with your heart, kidneys, nervous system, or other of your organs. Below are just 4 leg problems people experience.

Symptom: Leg cramps
Possible cause: Dehydration

A cramp in your leg after a workout, particularly in the heat, could be a vital sign that your body needs fluids. To contract and relax ordinarily, muscles depend on water and electrolytes such as potassium and sodium. Too little fluids or electrolytes can hyper-sensitize the nerves that handle muscles in the legs, causing the
muscles to contract unusually, or twitch.

All your organs depend on fluids for functioning normally. Dehydration stops cells from correctly utilizing energy, transferring nutrients, and dividing. If it is not quickly rectified, it could become a life-threatening situation. For avoiding getting too low on fluids, drink plenty water or a sports drink containing electrolytes prior to, during, and following a workout.

Symptom: Calf pain during activity
Possible cause: Atherosclerosis

Pains in your legs that is caused by movement—together with a weak heartbeat in your legs and feet, pasty skin, and lesions on your legs and/ or feet that don’t heal properly—are indicators of peripheral artery disease, an obstruction in blood flow to your legs. The most potential cause is atherosclerosis, a narrowing and hardening of the arteries because of fat deposits and sticky cholesterol known as plaques.

When your legs are struggling with poor blood flow, your heart is likely, too. Peripheral artery disease shares jeopardy related problems with heart disease—specifically, high cholesterol, smoking, high blood pressure, and diabetes. It raises your risk of the development of heart disease and of experiencing a stroke or heart attack down the road.

To avoid significant complications, you should make changes to your lifestyle by losing excessive weight, being more active, implementing a heart-healthy diet, and stopping smoking. Occasionally surgery is needed to open or bypass an obstructed artery. Your healthcare practitioner may suggest blood thinners and medications that aid in opening up arteries.

Symptoms: Pain, numbness, burning, and tingling
Possible cause: Diabetes

These feelings in your feet or legs might be signs of diabetic neuropathy—nerve damage because of continuously high blood sugar. High blood sugar harms not only the small arteries that transmit oxygen and nutrients to your nerves, in addition to the nerves themselves, stopping them from transmitting the correct signals to your brain.

The key to hindering neuropathy, in addition to other diabetes problems such as heart disease, loss of vision, and damage to your kidneys, are to keep your blood sugar in check and alter other risk related issues. Stop smoking; also, reduce high blood pressure and cholesterol. Good blood sugar management requires a mixture of dietary modifications, physical activities, blood sugar management, and occasionally blood sugar-lowering medications.

Symptom: Leg swelling
Possible causes: Kidney, heart, or liver disease

A lot of things could cause swelling of the legs. At the minimal disturbing level, it might be the consequence of an injury, like a strain or sprain, or venous deficiency. Or it might point to a more serious issue, like:

a blood clot in the leg
kidney disease or kidney failure
heart failure
cirrhosis

Each of these ailments are distinct and requires you to work along with your healthcare practitioner for getting a diagnosis and beginning a treatment plan.

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