Your legs’ primary job is to keep you upright and agile. However, your legs can also serve as a reflection of your general health. Although you might encounter some symptoms that are specifically related to a leg issue, other signs could point to the heart, brain system, kidney, or other organ problems.
Peripheral artery disease, an obstruction in blood flow to your legs, is indicated by activity-induced pain in your legs, weak pulses in your legs and feet, pale skin, and sores on your legs or feet that don’t heal well. Atherosclerosis, a hardening and constriction of the arteries brought on by fat and cholesterol plaques, is the most likely culprit.
The Connection Between Your Leg Pain And Hearts Health
Your heart is probably suffering from insufficient blood supply if your legs are. Risk factors for peripheral artery disease and heart disease include smoking, high cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure. It raises your risk of developing heart disease as well as future heart attacks and strokes.
You must alter your way of life by stopping smoking, lowering extra weight, being more active, eating a heart-healthy diet, and changing your diet in order to prevent significant consequences. A clogged artery occasionally needs to be opened or bypassed surgically. Your physician might advise vasodilators and blood thinners (medications that help open up blood vessels).
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Peripheral Artery Disease
When arterial wall fat and cholesterol combine to build plaque, blockages cause PAD result. Ultimately, the obstructions cause the artery to become smaller and reduce blood flow to the legs.
People with PAD frequently also have plaque and obstruction in other body parts. It may be an indication of PAD if you experience soreness, cramping, or aching in your leg muscles that worsens with activity, such as walking and subsides with rest.
The inability to walk owing to fatigued legs, pain in the legs and feet when you’re at rest, sores on the legs and feet that do not heal, changes in the colour of the feet, and poor hair or nail growth are other symptoms.
However, in some people, PAD has already gotten severe enough to produce “rest discomfort,” which is pain or numbness even when the person is sleeping. According to Stanley, this pain frequently causes patients to wake up. It typically affects the balls of the feet and may feel like a bandage has been placed around the foot. According to him, this level of symptoms is concerning since it denotes a more serious blockage without sufficient collateral veins.
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Chronic Venous Insufficiency
Another vein illness is chronic venous insufficiency, also known as varicose veins. It may result from DVT or varicose veins, trauma, impaired calf muscle pump function, vein compression, or other factors.
Leg swelling from chronic venous insufficiency can last for months or years. Other symptoms include skin abnormalities, such as skin pigmentation or ulcers or sores on the legs. Compression stockings or wraps, skin and wound care, topical ointments, and calf muscle strengthening exercises can all be used as treatments. Venous insufficiency may be helped by certain supplements.
Treatment options for varicose veins can include ambulatory phlebectomy, sclerotherapy, and thermal ablation.
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Deep Vein Thrombosis
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), a vein disease, is another cardiovascular condition that your legs can reveal. The blood channels that return oxygen-depleted blood from the muscles and limbs to the heart and lungs for recirculation are known as veins.
Blood clots can cause chronic damage to the leg veins when they form in the veins of the legs and, occasionally, the arms in DVT.
Pulmonary embolism, a disorder where a fragment of the clot travels to the heart and lungs, can occur (PE). PE has the potential to be fatal. DVT can make your leg hurt, swell, and make your calf and leg feel sore.
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Leg Cramps At Night
NLCs, or nocturnal leg cramps, are frequent and can be brought on by physical inactivity during the day, worn-out muscles, or specific medical issues. Although they might also emerge in the thighs or feet, the spasms primarily affect the calf muscles. NLCs could result in additional problems. It can interfere with sleep and interrupt a person’s sleep cycle, which can leave them feeling worn out or groggy the following day. Leg cramps may make it very difficult to fall asleep, which could eventually cause problems like insomnia.
Conclusion
The above-mentioned symptoms are something you must keep an eye out for. It is good not to be ignorant of one’s health. Sometimes people are not aware of the reasons they fall sick more often because they don’t notice the rather smaller issues which can lead to fatal consequences.
However, it’s worth speaking with your doctor if you experience persistent leg pain to make sure your leg pains do not spiral into serious heart ailments. The same dangers that harm your heart can harm your legs: PAD may develop as a result of diabetes, excessive levels of bad cholesterol, or high blood pressure.
Be diligent about taking your medication if you have been given a diagnosis for one of these diseases. You might need to speak with a vascular surgeon if lifestyle modifications and medications are unable to significantly reduce the severity of your leg pains.
