My legs suddenly hurt, what's going on?

Healthy legs are an important condition for people to stand and walk. There are a large number of blood vessels, nerves, and strong bones and muscles inside the legs that support the weight of the entire body. If you suddenly experience soreness in your legs, it may be due to inflammation of the joints, or infection with colds leading to rheumatic joints. These are all related to your daily living habits. Once you discover the problem, you should adjust your lifestyle in time to reduce the occurrence of symptoms.

What are the causes of leg pain?

1. Leg pain caused by inflammation

1.1. Inflammation: Inflammatory factors that cause leg pain include infectious inflammation of the bones, joints and soft tissues of the waist and legs caused by specific infectious sources.

1.2. Aseptic inflammation of soft tissue: Aseptic inflammation of soft tissue caused by trauma, strain, cold, dampness and muscle spasm, etc., the affected area is congested, edematous, exudated and has adhesion of fibrous tissue, thus leading to low back and leg pain.

1.3. Joint inflammation: Joint inflammation is also a major cause of leg pain, which includes rheumatoid arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The symptoms of the former are manifested as varying locations of joint pain, while the symptoms of the latter are mostly manifested as stiffness and inflexibility of leg movements.

2. Varicose veins cause leg pain

2.1. Incorrect posture. According to a survey, 10% of patients with varicose veins are engaged in occupations that require frequent walking; 30% are engaged in occupations that require frequent sitting; and 60% are engaged in standing and physical work, indicating that inactive standing can cause more serious damage to the veins in the lower limbs.

2.2. Pregnancy. At present, about 20% of pregnant women will develop varicose veins during pregnancy. The reason is that the change of estrogen level in women's bodies during pregnancy causes the venous smooth muscle to relax and promote valvular insufficiency. This phenomenon can be eliminated on its own in some patients after delivery, while some patients will find it difficult to recover without treatment, and the condition may even become more and more serious.

2.3. Structural defects of the vein wall. Long-term venous dilatation can cause the valves to atrophy due to disuse, or even gradually degenerate and disappear. If the valve defect precedes varicose veins, then while the valve is damaged, the venous wall will be affected, and venous congestion can also lead to varicose veins or dilatation.

3. Other reasons causing leg pain

3.1. Trauma: Traumatic leg pain includes two factors: acute trauma and cumulative injury. The pain caused by spinal fractures, dislocations, and small joint muscle injuries due to various direct violence, indirect violence, or pulling of muscles and ligaments is acute traumatic low back and leg pain.

3.2. Lumbar disc herniation: Leg pain should also be considered to be related to lumbar disc herniation. Among the symptoms of lumbar disc herniation, in addition to leg pain, there is also back pain. The reason is that the lumbar disc herniation compresses the nerves in the legs.

3.3. Vascular blockage: If in addition to leg pain, you also experience intermittent claudication and lack of strength in walking, it may be that your blood vessels are blocked, and you should consider seeing a peripheral vascular doctor.

Self-treatment methods for leg pain

1. Massage your lower limbs

First, grasp the base of the left thigh with both hands, and transfer the whole body strength through the shoulders and arms to the hands. Start massaging from the base of the thigh downwards to the heel, and then massage upwards from the foot to the base of the thigh. One down and one up counts as one time. Repeat 25 to 35 times. Then massage the right lower limb using the same method as before. Regular massage of the lower limbs can improve blood circulation in the lower limbs, has the effect of dredging the meridians, activating the collaterals, dispersing blood stasis and relieving pain, can prevent varicose veins in the lower limbs, muscle atrophy and cramps, and can relieve leg fatigue.

2. Rub your calves

Hold one calf tightly with your palms, rub it while rotating, rub each side about 20 times, and then rub the other calf in the same way. This method can enhance leg strength.

3. Massage the soles of your feet

After washing your feet, rub your hands to warm them up, and gently knead the relevant parts or acupoints. You can massage the entire foot or just a part of it, and massage the Yongquan point (sole of the foot) or Taichong point (behind the first and second toe joints) or Taixi point (the depression between the highest point of the inner ankle and the Achilles tendon) more often. It has preventive and therapeutic effects on dizziness, insomnia, anorexia, dull complexion, fatigue, hypertension, constipation, etc.

4. Hot compress therapy

Hot compress with sea salt has a history of thousands of years in China. The "Compendium of Materia Medica" states that salt has the functions of "detoxifying, cooling blood, moistening dryness, relieving pain, relieving itching, and relieving all kinds of wind-heat, phlegm and fluid obstruction diseases." It is loved by more and more people because of its good effect, low cost and no side effects. Hot compress with coarse salt can invigorate blood circulation, remove blood stasis, accelerate blood circulation, and enhance local resistance. The main effect of hot compress is to increase local skin temperature, relax muscles, and dilate skin capillaries, thereby improving local and even systemic blood circulation. In addition, studies have shown that warm stimulation can activate the phagocytic ability of the reticuloendothelial system, promote the metabolism of various substances in the body, and have a good therapeutic effect on various inflammatory reactions. It can also promote intestinal peristalsis, promote inflammation absorption, accelerate blood circulation, relieve tissue adhesion, and improve local nutrition. When your legs hurt, it’s a good idea to try the Polaroid Sea Salt Hot Compress Pack, which can dispel dampness and cold and quickly relieve pain!