Aching Legs
Aching legs or leg pain is a common problem amongst people. It is mostly seen in middle ages to elderly people, but it can also cause problems for younger people who are in their 20s & 30s. The pain in the legs may occur in the bone joints, in the muscles or both in the joints & muscles together. Many areas in the leg can pain. The can be foot pain, knee pain, hip pain, shin splints etc, Causes of these aching problems in legs also varies from one to the other.
Causes of Aching Legs:
Aching legs may occur due to cramps in the muscles of the leg. The cramps are also called Charley Horse. Those cramps can happen due to:
• Dehydration in the body.
• Presence of low amounts of minerals like potassium, magnesium, sodium & calcium.
• Certain medicines like statins can cause aching legs by lowering the cholesterol level & thus causing some sort of injury.
• Too much exercise may also cause aching legs by straining the muscles.
Aching legs can also be caused due to some sort of injury in the legs. If you have torn or strained muscle or a fractured bone or inflamed tendons (tendinitis) or shin splints, your legs will pain & cause you trouble. Other reasons for aching legs may include:
• Legs may pain from deep vain thrombosis where the blood clots inside the veins from prolonged bed rest.
• Osteomyelitis & cellulitis may also be the cause of aching legs. Osteomyelitis happens when there is an infection of the bone & cellulitis refers to soft tissues.
• Diseases like arthritis & gout cause aching legs.
• Alcoholism could also be a reason for aching legs.
• If any sort of damage is caused in the nerves, then it may cause aching legs.
• Atherosclerosis may be a reason for aching legs. It blocks blood flow to the arteries & causes the leg muscles to ache.
Apart from these reasons there are other reasons which can cause aching legs. They are:
• Malignant bone tumors.
• Aching legs caused by slip disc in the back.
• Lack of blood flow to the hip may cause the legs to grow & pain. This phenomenon is called Legg-Calve-Perthes disease.
Aching Legs Prevention Measures:
To prevent legs from paining it is necessary to lead a disciplined & healthy lifestyle.
• Any form of intake of tobacco whether by smoking or otherwise may cause damage to the nerves. This should be avoided.
• The consumption of alcohol should be limited.
• If you have diabetes, then it is important to keep your blood sugar levels in check.
• Avoid intake of high cholesterol & high fat foods.
• If you exercise then remember to warm up well before starting your exercise. It helps in preventing damage to the muscles.
• To prevent your muscles from dehydrating and aching legs, it is important that you drink plenty of waters throughout the day especially during hard & strenuous physical activities.