Leg Pain After Exercise: What Does It Mean?
There’s soreness, there’s injury, and then there’s pain due to an underlying health problem. This blog dissects the common causes of post-exercise leg pain to help you know when and where to get help.
4 Essential Tips to Relieve Leg Pain
If your heart is your body's engine, your blood vessels are the turbines that power it. Your cardiovascular system pumps a whopping 2,000 gallons of blood daily — and the vessels in your legs are among the hardest workers.
They have to pump blood against the force of gravity, helped only by your calf muscles and valves that open and shut with each heartbeat.
If you develop a condition like peripheral arterial disease, chronic venous insufficiency, or varicose veins that impact the blood vessels in your leg, the result can be painful.
That also means that leg pain usually indicates a more serious, underlying condition — so our team at Advanced Vascular Solutions takes it very seriously.
Here’s a closer look at how you can take action and get a handle on leg pain (and your vascular health) today.
1. Move it to lose it
A sedentary lifestyle is essentially a death sentence for your legs and the veins in them. Your legs need as much help as possible to stimulate healthy blood flow. So, even though it feels like the last thing you want to do, we recommend you start moving regularly.
You don’t have to sign up for a marathon or join an expensive gym. A brisk walk, water aerobics, bicycling, and even housework — if done often enough — can go a long way in relieving leg pain and improving cardiovascular health.
If you’re not sure where to begin, start in our office. We know your health history and needs and can create an exercise program tailored to you.
2. To lose is to gain
As you move more, you’re more likely to lose excess weight (a common risk factor for many causes of leg pain). The less weight your legs carry, the less pressure there is on your cardiovascular system, which ultimately means less pain for you.
The best way to lose weight steadily is to combine exercise with diet changes. We recommend eating a diet rich in:
- Fresh, whole vegetables and fruits
- Fiber
- Vitamin E
- Omega-3
- Vitamin B3
You should also prioritize hydration and drink plenty of water.
Foods to avoid when you have leg pain include anything that irritates your cardiovascular system and/or increases fluid retention. This includes sodium, sugar, caffeine, unhealthy fats, alcohol, and fried, fast, or processed foods.
3. Try compression stockings
Compression stockings are an excellent tool for regulating circulation in your legs. They work by applying gentle compression on your legs to support weak and damaged valves as your blood pumps through your veins.
There are many different types of compression stockings, and many of them are flesh-colored to keep them discreet. If you're unsure which is best, we can direct you toward our favorite brands.
We also recommend avoiding certain types of clothing, like skinny jeans, that apply excessive pressure to your legs. Even high-heeled, ill-fitting shoes can wreak havoc, so we encourage you to wear supportive, comfortable shoes as much as possible.
4. Get help as soon as possible
Many causes of leg pain won’t get better with the wait-and-see approach. That’s why we should always be your first call. We offer a wide range of services and treatments to address specific causes of leg pain.
Depending on your needs, your treatment plan may include medication, sclerotherapy for small spider veins, radiofrequency ablation, VenaSeal™ Closure System, and/or angioplasty or bypass surgery.
We begin with the most conservative approach possible and adjust your treatment plan when and if necessary.
Leg pain doesn’t have to define your life any longer. Come see our team of vascular specialists at the first pang and get started with treatment right away. Request a consultation online or over the phone today. We serve patients in the Melbourne and Sebastian, Florida, area.
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