Tips to Get Rid of Leg Pain
Leg pain can be caused by injury, muscle cramps, or other common causes such as infections, inflammations, nerve damage, and blood clots. It’s normally accompanied by discomfort in the lower leg, upper leg, or knee.
The pain may be severe if caused by an injury or infection, or minor if caused by surgery or a cast. The latter will often wear off with some little care or rest. Chronic or major leg pain can last for more than three months. It may require special treatment such as physical therapy, steroid injections, or drugs.
The first thing you need to do before treating your leg pain is knowing what’s causing it. Acute cases may be solved by home remedies such as compression, anti-inflammatory drugs, hot and cold therapy, and rest. The same home remedies can be used to boost treatments designed for chronic leg pain.
Below are some tips to get rid of leg pain:
- Exercise
Regular exercise is of great benefit to people suffering from both chronic and minor leg pain. Stronger leg muscles help to provide adequate support for the body. They also help to protect the joints and bones that make up your legs. Physical activity also adds to your bone density, hence, reducing chances of you ever experiencing a broken leg. Experts recommend doing low-impact exercises to reduce leg pain and strengthen your legs. Also, it helps release endorphins from your brain. These improve your mood, help to relieve pain and reduce depression, anxiety, and stress. Seek approval from a doctor to ensure that the exercise you do is safe.
- Wear the right shoe
Shoes that don’t fit well or are of low quality can create and worsen leg pain. As you exercise to keep your legs healthy and strong, ensure that you’re using the right shoes. You can consult a physical therapist, reputable salesperson, or a physician to get a recommendation for good shoes. Extremely tight shoes can cause bunions, neuroma, and ingrown toenails. Where there’s no enough shock absorbency or arch support, conditions such as heel spurs, stress, fractures, neuroma, and planta fasciitis may arise. Consider using orthotic inserts to provide enough cushioning for your legs.
- Low-impact swimming
Our bodies are built to be more buoyant in water. This makes swimming effective for improving the joints in our legs. Water provides adequate resistance for leg muscles. Swimming and other water activities are great for those that suffer from sciatica leg pain. They release the pressure that leads to pain in the nerves. Walking in water and water aerobics also helps to strengthen leg muscles and alleviate leg pain.
- Avoid foods that worsen inflammation
Leg pain that occurs due to osteoarthritis can be worsened by joint inflammation. There are certain foods that increase leg pain in patients and they include: processed and fried foods, refined carbohydrates, sugars, tobacco, alcohol, corn oil, preservatives, salt, and saturated fats. Consider replacing these foods with fresh vegetables and fruits. Eat more orange and dark green vegetables such as squash, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, and broccoli. These have nutrients that help reduce the symptoms of osteoarthritis. Other great sources include whole wheat pasta, oatmeal, brown rice, popcorn, chicken, seafood, and beans. Foods rich in calcium, yoghurt, nonfat and low-fat milk are also a great starting point.
- Take potassium or magnesium supplements
As many as 60% of adults experience leg muscle cramps. These can be caused by nutritional deficiencies or over-exertion. Sometimes, they can affect the quality of your sleep. Consider adding supplements rich in potassium or magnesium to your diet. Potassium-rich foods include sweet potatoes, halibut, beans, broccoli, and squash. Magnesium-rich foods include kale, fish, avocados, fish, and nuts. These are great remedies for leg muscle cramps and help to alleviate future cases of leg pain.
- Stretch
A few controlled and safe stretches can help reduce leg pain. This is especially if you suffer from achy and tired legs. Such stretches include hip flexors, hamstring, quadriceps and calf stretches. By stretching your leg muscles, you prevent them from staying in the cramped or contracted position they were. Hold a stretching position for a minute or until the legs feel better. If the pain resumes, repeat the exercise until it’s gone. Home doctors that come to you can help determine the best stretching positions for you.
- Try Yoga
Just like swimming, yoga is very beneficial when it comes to relieving leg pain. Many people do yoga to increase their sense of being aware of their environment and staying fit. It normally entails a series of choreographed movements that help to strengthen and stretch your muscles. It’s very important that you do all the poses the right way to prevent injury or unnecessary pain. Consider joining a class to get started with the basics. This will be the first step to getting strong and healthy legs.
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