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Pain in the leg sometimes an indication of a serious illness
Leg pain should be taken seriously. Heavy, tingling or swollen legs can be the result of dangerous illnesses. Causes may include circulatory disorders of the arteries and veins or a narrowing of the spinal canal.
Leg pain can have various causes
Many people have a number of nonspecific pains in their legs: they suddenly become warm and heavy, feel tight or pull. While this can often be quite harmless, in some cases the symptoms indicate dangerous illnesses. Because the legs are connected to multiple joints and are crossed by numerous nerves, muscles and blood vessels, the causes can be very diverse. Prof. Hermann Josef Steinkamp from the angioclinic vascular center in Berlin, explained in a message from the news agency dpa: "For example, the arteries on the legs are much longer compared to those on the heart and neck, so that more deposits can begin here." Overview of possible causes:
Leg pain: These can be the causes. Picture: ArTo - fotolia Circulatory disorders as a trigger
One of these is peripheral vascular disease (PAOD), sometimes referred to as chronic arterial occlusive disease (AVC). This includes a disease in which sufferers suffer from chronic circulatory disorders in the extremities. Most of the legs are affected. In the advanced stage PAVK is colloquially also referred to as smoker's leg.
Steinkamp explained: "In peripheral arterial disease (PAD), the pelvic, thigh and lower leg arteries narrow because of deposits, so that the leg muscles are poorly supplied with blood and receive less oxygen." Especially when walking, the arterial narrowing is noticed by those affected. "Often, after less than 200 meters, they get so much cramps in the buttocks, thighs or calves that they can not keep moving." In many cases, a balloon catheter is used to allow the blood to flow unhindered. For very solid deposits, however, the wire threatens not to get through. In the past, only the amputation remained. Today, however, such closures can be vaporized with high-energy laser light, explained Steinkamp.
Abrasion of the spine in old age
In addition to back pain, tingling and a feeling of numbness in the legs also occur in spinal canal stenosis. But here are no circulatory disorders the cause, but among other things, the progressive wear of the spine with increasing age. The orthopedist Nicolas Gumpert from Frankfurt am Main said according to dpa: "The spinal cord canal in the area of the lumbar spine narrows, so that the spinal nerves come under pressure. The flow of nerve information is disturbed, which then manifests itself in leg pain. "Spinal stenosis is usually treated first with medication and physiotherapy. Sometimes an intervention is necessary. Experts repeatedly point out that one should weigh well spinal canal stenosis operations, since already conservative measures usually lead to success.
Thrombosis can be life threatening
Last but not least, the veins can also lead to leg discomfort. In the form of a deep vein thrombosis (DVT). "A blood clot obstructs the blood backflow from the foot over the knee and the groin to the heart," explained Norbert Frings of the Capio Moselle-Eifel-Clinic for venous diseases in Bad Bertrich. The leg swells mostly, becomes heavy and unusually warm. "The clot can initially remain without symptoms," said the doctor. This is treacherous, since an undetected thrombosis can quickly lead to mortal danger: If the DVT is not treated threatens a pulmonary embolism.
"A piece of the clot can dissolve and be flushed into a vessel of the lungs, so that acute heart failure threatens," said Frings loud dpa. It is usually treated with drugs that inhibit blood clotting. Those affected will also usually get compression stockings, quitting smoking and losing weight. And also to regular exercise, but not during an acute DVT. (Ad)