When not enough blood is getting to your feet, this lack of circulation can cause pain in your leg muscles. People often help to alleviate this pain by hanging their legs over the side of the bed or standing up, which sends blood pumping back through the feet (thank you gravity). This pain can affect one or both sides and is generally in the calves. You can also experience this pain with activity, and pain is relieved almost immediately by cessation of activity.
Unfortunately, an increased risk of peripheral arterial disease is commonly associated with the following:
- Smokers
- Diabetics
- Cardiovascular disease
- High cholesterol and high blood pressure
- Obesity
- Elderly
Our podiatrists at The Feet People can help diagnose the above circulation problems and recommend an action plan. However, we do also recommend seeing your general practitioner if you’re experiencing similar symptoms, especially if you’re showing signs of a blood clot.
Medical conditions
7. Nerve pain
You may experience nerve pain during the night as the pressure of sleeping in a particular position may aggravate or cause compression of a nerve. This pain may cause you to wake up with sharp, stabbing pain and/or numbness and tingling. This pain may not occur during your daily activities.
Nerve pain can occur in a ‘one off case’ or be attributed to various medical conditions such as neuropathies. Neuropathies cause damage to the nerves, resulting in altered sensations or increased sensitivity.
Often movement can help with your nerve pain. Performing gentle movements to encourage the muscles to warm up through improved circulation can be an effective way to ease your symptoms.
There are other treatment options available too, which our podiatrist or your doctor can help in finding the best option for you.
8. Pregnancy
It’s very common to have aching and tired legs during pregnancy. This occurs because of the increased blood volume and extra strain you’re placing on your body as you carry more weight that it is not use to carrying. Your uterus is also putting extra pressure on the veins responsible for carrying blood back from your lower body. This partially blocks the blood flow, keeping the fluid in your legs and feet, which causes them to become swollen and tired.
Gentle stretching and massage can help to relieve the tightness and fatigue felt through the legs and feet (maybe from a kind partner or friend!). If this is not effective, our podiatrists can also help with these issues by prescribing specific exercises, giving advice on footwear, educating about these common issues, and offering custom orthotics to offload the high pressure areas.
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