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Hot legs - symptoms, causes and therapy
If the legs or feet feel hot, there is usually no serious illness. However, it can also be a sign of various inflammations. Those affected not only feel heat in the appropriate places, but often also a burning pain.
contents
- causes
- Thrombosis and inflammation
- treatment
- Harmless causes
- The Burning Feet syndrome
- diagnosis
- Hot legs due to vitamin B deficiency
- Raynaud's disease and Restless Legs syndrome
- reason unknown
Both feet or legs can be as affected as just one limb. The heat occurs suddenly, and as a rule, when the limb is in a state of rest, that often means in bed.
Physiotherapy can help with hot legs. Picture: goodluz - fotolia It is typical that a cooling of the places by winding, a cold shower, etc. Although the heat briefly reduces the heat, but immediately afterwards used again and the feeling of warmth lasts for hours.
The limbs are intensely red and often swell. There is also a tingling or numbness.
causes
Hot legs can cause a variety of diseases. The most common are the "Burning Feet Syndrome" and the "Restless Legs Syndrome". Also rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, polyneuropathies and inflamed vessels are associated with the typical symptoms. Rarer are problems with the metabolism and diseases of the spinal cord the cause.
Thrombosis and inflammation
Thrombosis, gout and inflammation of the tendon sheaths and veins also lead to feelings of heat and burning pain, as well as Raynaud's disease, Lyme borreliosis and erythomelagia.
An unspecific trigger is when the burning areas are perfused more intensively than usual. That in turn can have a variety of reasons. One of these are medicines that expand the vessels and thus promote blood circulation. They then do too much good.
treatment
If the symptoms are due to a drug that dilates the vessels, then the symptoms usually end when the patient drops the drug or even reduces the drug.
For diseases, the disease must always be treated first. Pain therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy relieve the pain.
Harmless causes
First, check to see if there is a harmless cause. A feeling of heat also arises because blood vessels are under pressure. This is due, for example, to clothes that are too tight, but in the case of "hot feet" they are mainly due to shoes or socks that are too narrow and whose retaining rubber cuts into the skin.
If you cross your legs for a long time while sitting, the blood builds up in the limbs, as the blood flow in the veins is obstructed. This can also lead to a feeling of heat in the legs.
Even an extreme change in temperature leads to circulatory disorders and the appearance of discomfort.
Not least, cigarettes and alcohol affect the blood vessels.
The Burning Feet syndrome
In Burning Feet syndrome, sufferers feel a burning pain in their feet - especially at night. The skin in the appropriate places dries up, the sweat breaks out, the muscles cramp and the patients suffer from sleep disorders.
Important for the diagnosis is: The feet are functioning normally, and patients can move as usual.
diagnosis
The doctor will make the diagnosis based on the symptoms, because the exact cause is unclear. Vitamin deficiency, especially the lack of vitamin B and too low a magnesium level is probably associated with the syndrome.
The affected areas are under-supplied with oxygen, because the circulation is disturbed. One possible cause is metabolic disorders or malnutrition, which also explains the vitamin deficiency.
Freedom of movement is an important sign to differentiate Burning Feet Syndrome from other diseases. Thus, a thrombosis in the leg veins also leads to burning pain in the feet - but the affected people can move the legs due to pain but only very limited.
Hot legs due to vitamin B deficiency
A lack of vitamin B12 causes the red blood cells do not work efficiently. Basic diseases are, for example, blood cancer or advanced alcoholism. The organism does not get enough oxygen anymore.
This vitamin deficiency-related anemia is the first to be tingling in the toes and fingers. These can also feel hot. In addition, sufferers feel flabby, suffer from headaches and have no appetite.
Vitamin B 12 is found in meat, fish, eggs and milk. Vitamin B-12 deficiency usually arises due to lack of a protein around stomach, the intrinsic factor. Without it, a person can not take vitamin B12, no matter how much it contains in their diet.
Anemia of vitamin B12 deficiency can be distinguished from the advanced symptoms of other anemia: those affected suffer from disorders of the peripheral nervous system, balance disorders during walking and dementia. If the deficiency is not corrected early, these disorders can become chronic.
The pain often comes while walking. Image: borphloy - fotolia The problem of many patients is that alcohol intoxication and alcoholism also cause dementia and balance disorders, even without vitamin B 12 deficiency.
A lack of vitamin B5 is manifested as numbness, tingling or burning in the fingers, toes, hands and feet. These symptoms can occur spontaneously as they disappear.
The best sources of vitamin B 5 are brewing yeast, avocado, legumes, lentils, egg yolks, broccoli, tomatoes, beef, turkey, duck, chicken, sweet potatoes, sunflower seeds, wholegrain bread and salmon. When cooking, the vitamin is damaged.
Raynaud's disease and Restless Legs syndrome
Raynaud's disease is particularly evident at the tips of the fingers and toes, and in erythema, the blood suddenly shoots into the feet and hands, turning red and painful; The Restless Legs Syndrome not only causes heat in the leg, but the sufferers lose control of the leg muscles in the short term.
reason unknown
Because the cause of Burning Feet Syndrome is unknown, treatment focuses on controlling symptoms and vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Vitamins and minerals can be taken in the form of tablets or by infusion.
The pain is remedied by remedies that slow down convulsions and usually counteract epilepsy, as well as local anesthetics that block nerve regions at the "source of fire". (Dr. Utz Anhalt)
Specialist supervision: Barbara Schindewolf-Lensch (doctor)