Lutheran Sunset Ministries

Inspired retirement living options in Bosque County, Texas

  • About Us
    • Our Location
    • Our History and Heritage
    • Our Future
    • Mission & Values
  • Our Residences
    • Retirement Living
      • Retirement Living Floor Plans
    • Assisted Living
      • Assisted Living Floor Plans
    • Long-Term Care
      • Rehab/Therapy
    • Memory Support
  • Other Programs
    • Hospice
    • Companion Services
    • Volunteerism
      • Pot O’ Gold Thrift Store
  • News
    • Sunset Senior Guide Blog
    • Newsletter & Blog Sign-up
    • Read Our Newsletter
    • Sunset Lifelong Learning
  • Contact
    • Spirit of Giving
    • Campus Map
  • Careers
  • COVID-19 Information
You are here: Home / news / What’s Causing Your Leg Pain, Burning and Numbness?

What’s Causing Your Leg Pain, Burning and Numbness?

March 8, 2015 by lutheransunset Leave a Comment

Facebooktwitterpinterestmailby feather

UntitledLeg discomfort can knock you off your feet for a variety of reasons — but it should never be ignored.

By Winnie Yu for Next Avenue

Aching calves, burning legs, numbness in the feet — pain and discomfort in the lower extremities is a common complaint that sends many of us to our doctors seeking relief.

But unless the cause is something obvious, like a fall, pinpointing the source may require some medical detective work. Trying to tough it out, though, will not get you any closer to the answers.

“Leg pain that comes on acutely with a bang, is severe and doesn’t resolve within minutes probably needs to be seen right away,” as it could be a sign of a more serious condition, says Dr. Benjamin Wedro, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin and an emergency physician at Gundersen Medical Center in Lacrosse, Wis. “There’s no trophy for suffering.”

Here are some of the potential causes of leg and foot pain:

Blood Vessel Distress

Pain that occurs when walking or exercising may be the result of claudication or decreased blood supply to the legs. This condition is most often a symptom of peripheral arterial disease, or PAD, a narrowing of the arteries that deliver blood to your limbs, typically caused by the buildup of plaque or fatty deposits. Smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and obesity are major risk factors for PAD.

“The leg pain from PAD tends to occur when you’re active,” says John Fesperman, a family nurse practitioner at Duke Primary Care in North Carolina. “When you’re active, muscles need more blood. The lack of adequate blood triggers pain, which is known as intermittent claudication. Once you stop moving, the pain usually disappears.”

Deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, a blood clot in a deep vein that develops after extended periods of inactivity, can also cause major leg pain. Long flights or car rides make it difficult for the leg to return blood back to the heart. If that blood return slows or stops, it can create a clot within the vein. And if part of a clot breaks off and travels to the lungs, it can cause a pulmonary embolism, a serious and potentially fatal blockage of blood flow to the lungs.

DVT usually occurs in only one leg, Wedro says, causing it to swell and turn a bluish hue. “The onset of pain is gradual and tends to occur over a course of hours,” he says.

Peripheral Neuropathy

In some people, leg and foot (and sometimes arm and hand) pain can be the result of neuropathy, a disorder of the peripheral motor, sensory and autonomic nerves that connect the spinal cord to our muscles, skin and internal organs. Neuropathy can cause numbness, tingling and a heavy sensation. “It usually starts in the feet and may cause a burning sensation in the legs,” Fesperman says. In some cases, people may lose their ability to feel sensation in their legs, which can put them at risk for injury and infection.

Neuropathy can be brought on by many factors, including infection, toxins and the effects of alcoholism, but diabetes is the most common cause. According to the Neuropathy Association, approximately 60 to 70 percent of people with diabetes will at some point develop peripheral neuropathy. It can also affect people who have pre-diabetes and may not be experiencing any other diabetic symptoms.

Electrolyte Imbalance

Healthy muscle function depends on nerves being supported by a well-balanced mix of electrolytes — minerals like sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium that have an electric charge. Electrolytes transmit signals that support nerve, heart and muscle function, and affect the amount of water in your body as well.

But certain medications; dehydration; and conditions like diarrhea and kidney disease can alter your electrolyte balance. When electrolyte levels become too low, it can cause leg pain. For example, when sodium, which attracts water to cells, is depleted, cells straining to compensate for the lack of fluid can bring on painful cramps.

Diuretics prescribed to control blood pressure are the most common culprits, Fesperman says, because they can deplete electrolytes in the blood. “Potassium and calcium mediate muscle contraction,” he says. “An imbalance in either or both can cause muscle cramping.”

By reducing blood flow, dehydration can cause electrolyte imbalance, and cramps, as well. Likewise, if you drink too much water, you can flush out too many electrolytes.

Back Problems

Conditions that affect your back often lead to pain in the legs as well. Spinal stenosis, in which the spinal canal gradually narrows, pressuring the nerves, usually affects people over 50 and can be caused by arthritis, scoliosis or spinal injury. The pressure can impinge on nerve roots as they leave the spinal cord to form the sciatic nerve, the body’s largest. The irritated nerves can cause significant pain.

Sciatica, a painful inflammation of the sciatic nerve, is typically experienced on one side of the body, and can travel from your lower back down your leg to your feet or even toes. Sciatica is difficult to diagnose and sometimes goes away on its own. It can be brought on by spinal stenosis.

“Sciatic and spinal conditions may come on gradually over time but may also have an acute onset,” Wedro says. “Over time, what had been tolerable becomes an acute issue. Sciatic nerve inflammation caused by changes in the back, such as arthritis, muscle spasm or injury, may radiate into the buttocks and down the leg.”

If the leg pain is accompanied by the loss of bladder or bowel control or numbness near the anus or vagina, seek emergency care immediately. You may have cauda equina syndrome, a rare disorder affecting the nerve roots at the lower end of the spine. Without immediate treatment, the spinal cord can shut down and you may develop permanent paralysis.

Arthritis

There are many types of arthritis. Osteoarthritis, the most common form, breaks down the cartilage in your joints, causing a buildup of painful bone spurs, cartilage loss, inflammation or soreness. Rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease, attacks the lining of the joints, also causing inflammation and pain.

Although arthritis is a joint disease, the pain it causes can be felt in the surrounding leg and foot muscles. “Any joint under stress can cause pain,” Wedro says. “The pain is within the joints. But the muscles around it try to protect it and you can go into spasms and get secondary muscle pain.”

Getting Treatment for Leg Pain

The appropriate treatment for leg pain depends on the underlying cause. Diabetics may need to improve their blood glucose control to prevent diabetic neuropathy, while arthritis sufferers may need medication or surgery.

“All treatments aim for long-term control of symptoms,” Wedro says. “There may not be one cocktail that works for everybody. It all depends on what has caused the leg pain. It will be trial and error for you and your doctor to find the treatment that works.”

The bottom line? Take all leg and foot discomfort seriously. “Pain means part of the body isn’t working right,” Wedro says. “The problem might be a disaster that is life- or limb-threatening, or it may be an inconvenience that might resolve with a little time and care. But if you have pain, see your doctor. Never dismiss it.”

Copyright© 2014 Next Avenue, a division of Twin Cities Public Television, Inc.

Facebooktwitterpinterestmailby feather

Filed Under: news Tagged With: Health, Leg Discomfort, Lifestyle, Lutheran Sunset Ministries, Wellness

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

  • Answering the Call
  • It’s All in the Hands
  • Do Longevity Supplements Work and Are They Safe?
  • Lessons From the Resilience of Older Adults in 2020
  • Alex Trebek: In His Own Words

Recent Comments

  • Joyce Symank on Lessons From the Resilience of Older Adults in 2020
  • Joyce Symank on Loving our Loved Ones from Afar
  • Charlotte Carpentr on Loving our Loved Ones from Afar
  • Joyce Symank on Life in Assisted Living
  • Joyce Symank on Life in Assisted Living

Archives

  • July 2022
  • December 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • July 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • September 2018
  • July 2018
  • May 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • May 2014

Categories

  • news
  • slider
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Celebrating 65 years of ministry and service to the seniors of Clifton and Bosque County, Lutheran Sunset Ministries offers inspired retirement living options at every life stage. Our 32-acre campus is designed as an intimate setting of neighborhoods that accommodate residents at various levels of care. In addition to quality health and wellness opportunities, Lutheran Sunset Ministries provides an enriched lifestyle through innovative programs, interdisciplinary activities, and a focus on physical, intellectual, social and spiritual growth.

Providing the only full continuum of care available in Bosque County—including independent living, assisted living, long-term care, rehabilitation and therapy, memory support, hospice services and companion services—Lutheran Sunset Ministries is a cornerstone of the region. With a state-of-the-art healthcare building, an increase in services and amenities, and a rededication to providing services that allow people to live full and enriched lives, Lutheran Sunset Ministries has created a quality of life unparalleled in the region.

Call us at 254.675.8637 to learn more about becoming a resident at Lutheran Sunset Ministries.

 


The Spirit of Sunset

Hear from residents why they love living in a community of culture, faith and natural beauty.

Newsletter & Blog Sign Up

  • Donate
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Resources
  • FAQ
  • Frequently Used Terms
  • Our Residences
  • Other Programs
  • Contact
  • Testimonials
  • COVID-19 Information

Corporate Office
P.O. Box 71
413 Sunset Avenue
Clifton, Texas 76634
Phone: 254-675-8637
Fax: 254-675-3044
Corporate Compliance Hotline:
254-675-4725

Lutheran Sunset Ministries is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Notice of Non-Discrimination
Section 1557 Grievance Procedure

Copyright © 2023 Lutheran Sunset Ministries · Login