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  HomeWellness and Pain  |  Articles by: wellnesspain
A horizontal close-up of a woman receiving massage therapy on her leg as part of her charley horse treatment plan
Author wellnesspain Categories Leg Pain

Treat Your Nightly Calf Pain with Charley Horse Treatment

While many factors can contribute to a Charley Horse, it’s unclear what causes it — and it takes education to pinpoint the right Charley Horse treatment for your personal situation.

A variety of reasons may contribute, including dehydration, a lack of electrolytes, muscle fatigue, overstretching a muscle, cold weather, and certain medications. In addition to not stretching enough, exercising in high temperatures, eating too little magnesium or potassium, and having a spinal cord injury, you can also trigger a Charley Horse.

With the right treatment, you can safely relieve your back of leg cramps at night using minimally invasive approaches. First, you need to understand what’s happening in your calf muscles, and what makes up those areas of your leg.

 

Charley Horse Treatment: The Inside of Your Calf is Key

Calf muscles are located behind the shinbone on the back of the lower leg, which is where most Charley Horse treatment pain-management specialists and health care experts will focus on. In reality, it consists of three muscles.

As your muscles work together to help you walk, run, jump, stand on your toes, and flex your foot, calf muscles in particular contain the following arteries and veins:

  • The posterior tibial artery. This is a branch of the popliteal artery. As it runs down the leg, it supplies blood to the foot and calf muscles.
  • The peroneal artery. This is another branch of the popliteal artery. This vein provides blood to the calf muscles and foot at the back of the leg.
  • The posterior tibial vein. This vein drains blood from the calf muscles and the foot up the back of the leg.
  • The peroneal vein. This is another vein that drains blood from the calf muscles and the foot and runs up the back of the leg.

Calf muscles receive blood and nutrients from these veins, and waste products are removed from the muscles through these vessels. The calf muscles also have a number of smaller arteries and veins in addition to these main arteries and veins. Individual muscle fibers receive blood from these smaller arteries and veins. This is why your back of leg cramps at night deserve proper care and attention.

 

Veins, Vessels, and Capillaries

Muscles receive nutrients from blood via capillaries. An artery and vein are connected by capillaries. Since they are so small, only one blood cell can pass through them at a time. Muscle cells absorb nutrients and oxygen from the blood as it flows through the capillaries. Blood also contains waste products from muscle cells.

Concentration gradients drive the diffusion of nutrients and waste products. Different concentrations of a substance can be found between two areas in a gradient. The blood contains more nutrients and oxygen than muscle cells, so they diffuse into the cells from the blood. Muscle cells concentrate waste products more than blood cells, so they diffuse from the cells into the blood. With this visual in mind, you start getting a picture of why suffering through calf and foot cramps at night is serious business.

Capillary surface area also affects this entire process. Blood and muscle cells can diffuse nutrients and waste products more easily when capillaries have a greater surface area. In order to function properly, muscles need a lot of nutrients and oxygen. Capillaries are highly concentrated in muscles in order to cater to this demand. Among the body’s tissues, muscles have the most capillaries.

It’s why muscle cramps while sleeping shouldn’t be ignored — no matter how endurable (or not) they may be.

 

Zoom In on the Right Treatment for Your Suffering

Acupuncture, massage therapy, vein ablation, or IV hydration are all Charley Horse treatment options.

Massage therapy increases blood flow to the affected muscle, which helps relax the muscle and reduce pain. When not broken up by massage therapy, scar tissue and adhesions can also contribute to a Charley Horse. With a deep tissue massage, stretching can also help relax the affected muscle and reduce pain. Firm pressure breaks up scar tissue and adhesions. Myofascial massages release the fascia that surrounds your muscles with gentle pressure. This contrasts trigger point therapy. Oftentimes, a patient’s back of leg cramps at night won’t stand a chance against massage therapy.

A noninvasive treatment for varicose veins is vein ablation. After a specialist inserts a thin catheter into the affected vein, they seal the vein using either heat, radiofrequency, or chemicals. On an outpatient basis, doctors typically take an hour to fully perform this procedure.

Your Charley Horse caused by varicose veins has other solutions as well. Laser ablation has proven itself as a tried-and-true method. Laser ablation can help cure your frequent calf cramps at night. Similarly, laser ablation heats and closes affected veins. A laser ablation or radiofrequency ablation can be effective in treating varicose veins. The type of ablation that is best for you depends on the size and location of your varicose veins, as well as your preferences.

Last but not least, IV hydration does not directly eliminate a Charley Horse, but it can reduce its pain and discomfort by increasing fluid and electrolyte levels. To prevent muscle contractions, fluids can be injected into muscles and joints in order to lubricate them. Potassium and magnesium are essential electrolytes for muscle function. Muscles can contract when dehydrated or electrolyte-depleted.

 

How Cramps and Strains Relate to Charley Horse Treatment

The gastrocnemius and soleus muscles make up the calf muscle — and any Charley Horse treatment specialist will tell you it’s a prime location where they’ll focus on. These two muscles are commonly referred to as one large muscle with two sections because they attach to the Achilles tendon above your heel.

The plantaris is a small muscle that runs along the lower leg between the gastrocnemius and soleus. These three muscles are known as the triceps surae. However, not everyone has a plantaris muscle. Only a small proportion of people have these two large muscles.

When you stand, your calf muscle supports your foot and enables you to move your lower leg. When you walk or run, it propels you forward. Jumping, rotating your ankle, flexing your foot, and locking your knee are also possible. This is why you’ll need to seek immediate attention for your back of leg cramps at night.

 

Conditions and Injuries

Injuries to the calf muscles are among the most common in athletes. The risk of this type of injury increases for people who play sports that require sprinting and quick footwork. The likelihood of getting leg cramps increases as you age. Approximately three-quarters of people over the age of 50 suffer from leg cramps at some point in their lives.

Lower extremity muscles and calf and foot cramps at night are commonly affected by the following conditions:

  • Cramps in your legs. It can be very painful to experience muscle cramps and spasms in the calves. There are times of the day and nights when leg cramps occur. Several factors can cause them, including pregnancy, dehydration, some medications, and certain health conditions.
  • Strain in your muscles. Strains most commonly cause injuries to the calf. When you inadvertently stretch a muscle too far you also tear its fibers. Strenuous exercise or overuse can also cause this condition. Sports like soccer, basketball, football, and volleyball that require quick stops and starts and jumping are also prone to this injury.
  • A condition known as “compartment syndrome.” As a result of pressure building within a muscle, compartment syndrome can be a serious, life-threatening condition. Blood flow and oxygen levels are decreased due to the pressure. Strenuous exercise or trauma can result in the injury.
  • The “tennis leg.” This type of muscle strain injury affects the gastrocnemius muscle. People often refer to it as “tennis leg” because of how the muscle extends the leg and flexes the foot. However, it can happen in any sport. When tennis players “push off” suddenly into motion, their leg is placed in this position.

 

Non-Exercise Tips and Tricks Charley Horse Treatment

No matter what your level of activity (even lying in bed), there are ways to improve circulation in your legs so you won’t have to go in for Charley Horse treatment. These include walking, ankle pumping, knee bends, leg lifts, heel and toe raises, and ankle rotations. But there’s more, too: Calf stretching, leg stands, heel lifts, squats, using an exercise ball, compression stockings, and even yoga.

You can prevent your swelling and back of leg cramps at night by elevating those legs while you sleep. You should elevate your legs above your heart level. Pillows with wedge shapes make this easier. Elevating your legs in bed with pillows or folded blankets can also help circulation.

For better circulation, elevate your legs with a footstool or hassock if you’re sitting up. Also, an under-the-desk cycling device could be a good investment for those who sit a lot or spend a lot of time watching TV. You should shop around online for elliptical cycles from many different brands and types. Sitting and pedaling increases circulation in your legs, exercises your muscles, and burns calories.

 

Some Other Options

Herbs and vitamins may increase blood flow overall. Make sure you speak with a health care provider before taking any supplements for improving blood circulation. Certain medications may interact negatively with some supplements. Tackling your painful problem of muscle cramps while sleeping could take multiple angles, treatments, and options.

If you smoke, try to quit.  Make sure you stay hydrated. Maintain a balanced diet. Even try a warm bath when needed.

Acupuncture is especially used to treat Charley Horses. Acupuncture is beneficial for people who suffer from chronic back or thigh cramps at night, according to some studies. There isn’t a clear understanding of how acupuncture relieves this problem. When stimulated, acupuncture points relax muscles and reduce pain. By improving blood flow to the affected area, acupuncture therapy may also relieve inflammation and pain.

Find the treatment that’s right for you — immediately.

 

Wellness and Pain Can Help

A range of Charley Horse treatment options are available at Wellness and Pain. We offer conservative treatments, routine visits, and minimally invasive quick-recovery procedures. We can keep you free of problems by providing lifestyle education and home care advice to help you avoid and manage issues, quickly relieving the inhibiting lifestyle conditions when complications arise.

At Wellness and Pain, we personalize patient care plans based on each patient’s condition and unique circumstances to relieve pain, improve mobility and mental space, and improve your overall health.

A colored visualization of a gentleman experiencing a thigh cramp at night and in bed.
Author wellnesspain Categories Leg Pain

Your Thigh Cramp and the World of Nocturnal Leg Pain

When a thigh cramp or leg pain occurs during sleep, it can happen suddenly and painfully — which isn’t unusual with diabetes, neuropathy, and obesity. Muscle cramps can affect any part of your leg, though calf and thigh cramps are the most common.

However, other issues can also contribute to the pain and suffering.

 

Your Thigh Cramp and the World of Nocturnal Pain

Many adults across the United States report having ongoing nocturnal leg cramps, and especially a thigh cramp, according to studies. It causes severe insomnia and is usually impacted by recurrent, painful tightening in the calf muscles.  While a precise reason is unknown, it’s likely muscle fatigue, nerve dysfunction, and blood vessel impairment cause your back of leg cramps at night — not necessarily electrolyte imbalance.

The causes of nocturnal leg cramps include vascular disease, spinal canal stenosis, cirrhosis, hemodialysis, pregnancy, and other conditions. Doctors and institutions associate some medications with leg cramps. This list includes intravenous iron sucrose, conjugated estrogens, raloxifene, naproxen, and teriparatide. In addition, you can differentiate restless legs syndrome, claudication, myositis, and peripheral neuropathy from nocturnal leg cramps with a history of physical examination.

Back of thigh cramps at night are difficult to treat, as well as leg cramps (also known as “charlie horses”). There is uncertainty about the etiology, appropriate diagnostic evaluation, and the best treatment. There are many children and adults who experience nocturnal leg cramps. The prevalence of these conditions increases with age, and they are slightly more common in women. The symptoms of leg cramps are bothersome enough to prompt patients to seek medical attention 20 percent of the time.

 

The Symptoms

An average leg cramp lasts nine minutes and is painful and incapacitating. Recurrences and residual pain may follow the acute episode for hours. Secondary insomnia is typically associated with leg cramps that occur at night. It is most common to experience cramps in the posterior calf muscles, but thigh or foot cramps are also common. There are several types of leg cramps, including spasms, tightening, twinges, strains, tetany, swellings, or seizures. It is possible for cramps to be isometric or to cause limb movements, for example, extreme plantar flexion of the foot.

In spite of this, leg cramps offer family physicians an opportunity to diagnose and treat conditions such as venous insufficiency, peripheral vascular disease, and peripheral neuropathy. The difference between restless legs syndrome, leg cramps, and your thigh cramp can be difficult to distinguish, which is why the best treatment for leg cramps at night starts with a simple appointment with a pain management specialist.

 

The Science Behind Venous Insufficiency and Cramping

Blood returns to the heart through deep and superficial veins in your lower extremities, which is key to understanding the bodily science surrounding your thigh cramp. Several valves within the veins are responsible for maintaining normal venous flow patterns.

An obstruction in a vein (such as chronic thrombosis) or an incompetent valve can cause venous insufficiency. The valves in your body help blood flow in the right direction (towards your heart). It becomes impossible for a valve to close properly if it becomes damaged. Flowing upward toward the heart becomes difficult as gravity takes over. As a result, it flows backward, a condition known as venous reflux.

It’s possible to develop varicose veins when the venous valves in superficial veins become incompetent. Pain, swelling, skin changes and eventual tissue breakdown may result from chronic venous insufficiency in the deep or superficial venous system. Your back of leg cramps at night can become a common occurrence each time you lay down to sleep.

Pain management specialists can detect obstructions in the deep and superficial veins through special scanning. Specialists can also use ultrasound to determine the direction of blood flow in each segment of the evaluated veins. Often, they perform the evaluation while you’re upright. This tests the function of each valve as well.

It’s usually not necessary to evaluate the function of the lower extremity veins. However, it’s important to obtain a complete lower-extremity venous duplex scan when considering surgical treatment, sclerotherapy, or saphenous venous ablation. Both lower extremities may be included during a comprehensive check-up to explore why you’re suffering from bad calf cramps at night.

 

Contributing Factors: Valve Damage and Your Thigh Cramp

Valves in your leg veins can be damaged for many reasons, including blood clots, varicose veins, pregnancy, injury, and various medical conditions — bringing on a severe thigh cramp as you sleep.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) causes damage to the vein’s valves when blood clots form. Varicose veins also don’t help, as you may develop venous insufficiency due to these twisted, enlarged veins. Even a leg injury can damage your vein’s valves.

What’s more concerning: A pregnant woman’s veins may suffer damage due to the extra pressure during pregnancy. Her bad leg cramps at night during pregnancy are usually directly attributable to the extra weight and pressure.

Congestive heart failure could also be a common factor in your back of leg cramps at night. It happens when the heart does not pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. Fluid can build up in the tissues, including the legs and feet, causing edema. Venous insufficiency can be caused by congestive heart failure in two ways: Increased pressure in the veins and reduced blood flow to the legs. Most patients are also suffering from venous insufficiency.

 

Other Medical Conditions

High blood pressure caused by chronic kidney disease can also damage your veins’ valves, causing chronic kidney disease. Blood becomes anemic when it lacks enough red blood cells to carry oxygen to tissues. Changes in blood chemistry can also cause chronic kidney disease, causing veins to become more vulnerable.

Your life can also get super complicated when you have diabetes. In addition to damaging blood vessels, high blood sugar can also damage veins. Veins can become weaker and have a harder time pumping blood back to the heart as a result. As a result of diabetes, you can also develop neuropathy, which damages your nerves and affects your control of leg muscles, causing them to weaken as a result. Peripheral artery disease, which results in the narrowing or blocking of arteries, is also associated with diabetes.

Obesity can also complicate diabetes. When you’re obese, the extra weight exerts pressure on your leg’s veins. This makes it more difficult for the heart to circulate blood fully. All these problems have directed many patients to find the best treatment for leg cramps at night.

 

Understanding the Internal Anatomy of Your Thigh

There are four main blood vessels in your thigh that you should consider when suffering from a thigh cramp: the femoral artery, femoral vein, popliteal artery, and popliteal vein. Thigh and lower leg blood flow is supplied by the femoral artery. Upon entering the thigh, it exits behind the knee at the popliteal fossa.

Located along the femoral artery, the femoral vein drains blood from the thigh and lower leg into the abdomen via the inguinal ligament. In addition, the popliteal artery provides blood to the knee joint and lower leg. Behind the knee, it enters the popliteal fossa and exits at the calf.

We can’t forget the popliteal vein. Blood is drained from the knee joint and lower leg through this continuation of the femoral vein. Located at the head of the popliteal artery, it terminates at the calf where it enters the popliteal fossa.

Smaller blood vessels in the thigh also supply muscles and other tissues with blood. Combined, all these vessels supply blood and nutrients to muscles and tissue as well as remove waste products. Your back of leg cramps at night are all connected to this highly complex and unique area of the body.

 

Thigh Cramp Symptoms, Questions, and Best Treatment

As you endure your thigh cramp nearly every night in bed, you may feel dull aching, heaviness, or cramping in both your thighs and legs. Too much time spent on your legs will cause them to swell up. You may experience itching or tingling in your legs. If you stand, your pain will be worse, and if you raise your legs, it will be better.

Symptoms stemming from back of leg cramps at night are no fun. Looking past your thighs, there may be redness in your legs and ankles. Around your ankles, you may notice changes in the color of your skin. Varicose veins may be visible on the surface of your legs. Skin on your legs and ankles may thicken and harden.

 

Some Options

How can you treat venous insufficiency? Compression stockings will help you reduce swelling in your legs, according to your pain management specialist. Sitting or standing for long periods of time is probably not a good idea. The blood in your veins will return to your heart even if you move your legs slightly.

In the same way, walking helps. Varicose veins may require surgery or other treatments if you have tried everything and still have leg pain, skin ulcers, or sores caused by poor blood flow. Anticoagulant or blood-thinning medicines may be prescribed by your doctor if blood clots are causing you problems.

When lying down, your pain management specialist may also suggest elevating your legs above your heart. Exercise can also improve your circulation, and swelling and venous insufficiency can be treated with weight loss as well.

Insufficiency of the vessels can cause bad calf cramps at night. The good news is, there is a cure. In addition to vein ablation, massage therapy, acupuncture therapy, or intravenous hydration, the best treatment for leg cramps at night starts with treating the underlying vessel disease. This will prevent cramps and aching legs from happening.

 

Wellness and Pain Can Help

A range of options for treating a thigh cramp are available at Wellness and Pain. We offer conservative treatments, routine visits, and minimally invasive quick-recovery procedures. We can keep you free of problems by providing lifestyle education and home care advice to help you avoid and manage issues, quickly relieving the inhibiting lifestyle conditions when complications arise.

At Wellness and Pain, we personalize patient care plans based on each patient’s condition and unique circumstances to relieve pain, improve mobility and mental space, and improve your overall health.

A close-up of painful legs at night causing a woman to curl her toes in bed and under a blanket.
Author wellnesspain Categories Leg Pain

Painful Legs at Night

The Real Story Behind Painful Legs at Night — and Your Solution

People with knee, spine, hip pain, and painful legs at night may experience it for several reasons while resting in the evening. Various factors can contribute to this condition, including osteoarthritis, sciatica, restless legs syndrome (RLS), pregnancy, and certain types of injuries or health problems that are interrelated to lower back pain management issues.

It can also occur as a result of venous insufficiency, nerve problems, muscle tension, bone, joint, tissue problems, or even basic daily stress and injury issues. According to one study, 20.9 percent of U.S. adults (51.6 million people) experienced chronic pain in 2021, and 6.9 percent (17.1 million people) experienced high-impact chronic pain causing substantial limitations in daily life.

The results of another survey show that many Americans think traditional health care providers are inadequate to manage their patients’ pain. Pain sufferers often feel stigmatized and unsupported.

If you suffer from aching legs and knees at night, you shouldn’t ignore these symptoms — especially if you are experiencing pain. Any discomfort you experience should be treated immediately.

 

Aging, Disorders, and Conditions Cause Painful Legs at Night

As the cartilage in your joints wear down, osteoarthritis or a host of other health conditions can start to creep in — inflicting painful legs at night. As a result, hips, knees, and your spine may experience pain, causing you to search for a lower back pain management solution.

Stiffness and inflammation are not uncommon either. When you lie down at night, your joints are less supported, which can worsen the pain, especially if it happens to be coming from osteoarthritis.

As a result of nerve irritation or compression, sciatica occurs in the lower back and down the back of the leg. A painful, numb, and tingling sensation can occur in the legs, hips, and buttocks due to this condition. Sleeping can actually worsen sciatic pain. Certain sleeping positions are more likely to compress the affected nerves.

There’s also a neurological disorder known as “restless legs syndrome” (RLS) that causes uncontrollable movements of the legs, particularly at night. An uncomfortable sensation in the legs, such as crawling, tingling, or aching, is often associated with RLS. Sleeping can be difficult due to these sensations at night.

For females, during pregnancy your legs, knees, spines, and hips can also be painful at night. Pregnancy is often associated with increased weight gain and hormonal changes. It’s also possible to experience pain at night from an injury to the legs, knees, spine, or hips. Lying down increases the likelihood that the injured tissues will swell and become inflamed.

 

Some Conditions Often Overlooked

Infectious diseases or aging conditions such as Lyme disease, arthritis, fibromyalgia, blood circulation problems, and medication side effects — as well as nerve disorders such as multiple sclerosis and peripheral neuropathy — can also be the cause of issues if you notice your legs hurt at night or your evenings are void of beneficial spinal pain management for back and hip problems.

A person’s worst nightmare is experiencing pain at night, whether they’re resting, sleeping, or just sitting or lying down. There’s a possibility that you may suffer from a cramp or an unfortunate injury to your muscles, bones, or nerves. Legs, knees, spines, and hips may hurt for many reasons, including trauma and underlying conditions. The symptoms of one condition can also overlap with those of another.

Whether pain occurs steadily, sporadically, or gradually in the lower extremities depends upon the individual. During certain activities or even while resting, it can suddenly strike. It may be the whole leg or only a small area that is being affected. Lower leg pain can be accompanied by a range of sensitivities, such as dull, sharp, achy or stabbing sensations, as well as numbness and burning.

 

Neurological, Musculoskeletal, and Vascular Issues

For some patients, nervous, musculoskeletal, and vascular issues are the most common problems contributing to painful legs at night. Restless leg syndrome, neuropathy, and sciatica are among the conditions that cause neurological pain. Nervous pain can affect your arms and legs even when you rest.

Your knee can pop or crack when it suffers from musculoskeletal pain. As it progresses, arthritis can damage your joints. Musculoskeletal pain can result from bad falls, which injure muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Musculoskeletal issues include stress fractures, compartment syndrome, and cramps.

Thrombosis, vasculitis, varicose veins, varicose eczema, or skin discoloration can also cause vascular pain in adults. Blood is supplied by your heart to muscles and organs in your body. Your legs, knees, spine, and hips require healthy valves in blood vessels to maintain blood flow. During the stretching process, a vessel’s valves become inefficient. Your vessels become clogged with deoxygenated blood, cells, and waste, causing symptoms to appear. This is one particular reason why lower back pain management remains key to solving some of these health and nighttime sleeping obstacles.

 

But Most of all, Vascular Issues

Poor vein circulation may also cause aching legs and knees at night. This can result in mild to severe symptoms. A lack of circulation in the veins can result in swelling, cramping, and soreness. When veins cannot transport blood and oxygen to the lower extremities, muscles and bones may suffer from lower extremity pain. In addition to being swollen and bulging, varicose veins are also painful and uncomfortable.

Various diseases of the arteries and veins affect the body’s circulatory system. With the help of your heart, your veins and arteries pump blood throughout your body. Arteries and veins transport blood to the extremities. Specifically, veins transport oxygen-depleted blood back to the heart.

The first sign of vascular disease is usually limb pain, but each person experiences it differently. There is a wide range of severity when it comes to limb pain. No matter how active or inactive you are, you can feel pain at any time. The first time you feel pain, it’s easy to ignore it and hope it’ll go away on its own. However, you should never ignore pain in your legs.

 

PAD, DVT, and CVI Can Contribute to Painful Legs at Night

In the lower extremities, plaque buildup can also cause painful legs at night. This is especially true when you exert your muscles repeatedly. This inflicts a great pain on your larger muscles from arterial problems. Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) is common in the following circumstances:

 

PAD

As a result of fatty deposits accumulating inside the arteries, PAD hardens the arteries in the legs. Fat deposits narrow and stiffen the arteries, reducing the flow of oxygenated blood to muscles and soft tissues. There’s a tendency for limbs to suffer from poor circulation. It’s possible to improve circulation and reduce or eliminate symptoms by treating the underlying disease (arteriosclerosis in many cases). When walking, intermittent claudication appears, which disappears when lying down. The disease progresses very slowly. You may even need to seek medical attention if you experience severe pain in your lower extremities while at rest or sleeping. If your legs hurt at night, don’t delay.

 

DVT

Blocking blood completely or partially, venous blood clots can also cause lower extremity pain. An injury to deep veins in the legs can cause deep vein thrombosis (DVT). When a vein becomes clogged, it causes pain, tenderness, swelling, redness, warmth, and aches and stiffness in the lower body. It’s important to note, however, that some people may experience entire lower body aches, while others may not experience any symptoms at all. It can be caused by major surgery, cancer, inactivity, pregnancy, trauma, hormone replacement therapy, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, obesity, and inherited blood diseases.

 

CVI and a Solution for Painful Legs at Night

When leg veins fail, blood pools in the legs and adds pressure to the vein walls. This inflames the lower extremities and causes pain. This failure of legs veins causes chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). Thrombosis and blood clots can damage blood valves or cause them to fail due to heredity. An affected leg may experience mild pain, swelling, and heaviness due to gravity. In spite of the fact that there is no danger of losing your limb, an inside ankle ulcer can be painful. As a result of these factors, CVI can be characterized and understood. As well as CVI, varicose veins can develop. Varicose veins cause pain, burning, and heaviness.

Finding a lower back pain management solution and the best treatment for hip pain at night is usually one of the best courses of action you can take. Additionally, obtaining a pain management specialist’s recommendations for spinal pain management is important. Your options should be comprehensive and inclusive of as many choices and possibilities that may (or may not) help you in finding success.

 

Don’t Ignore the Pain: Seek Treatment Options

Painful legs at night can be remedied with a variety of treatment options. Medical massage therapy, acupuncture, radiofrequency vein ablation, hip and knee injections, arthroscopy, platelet-rich plasma injections, anesthetic injections, and other injections can all be provided by the right health specialist through conservative treatments, minimally invasive procedures, or surgery.

It may be necessary to develop a customized care plan for each patient, based on their unique circumstances and condition. Doctors usually aim this type of plan at reducing pain, improving range of motion, and preventing injuries. They may prescribe treatments in combination based on the severity of your condition. Oftentimes, a lower back pain management plan that’s right for you is a great place to start your discussion with a pain management specialist.

A patient’s care plan is usually tailored to their unique circumstances and conditions, as well as their input. Treatment objectives always include pain relief, range of motion improvement, and injury prevention. Depending on the severity of the condition and type of intensity from your aching legs and knees at night, your doctor may recommend a combination of treatments.

Doctors perform diagnoses and treatments via minimally invasive and highly effective techniques. This effort reduces the risk of side effects and complications. Whether you suffer from mild pain or chronic pain that makes life miserable, you don’t have to live with pain.

If you are hurting and looking for an effective pain management solution, it can seem impossible to feel good. But it’s not impossible. Your quality of life can be restored by a skilled and experienced pain management doctor.

 

Wellness and Pain Can Help

A range of options for treating painful legs at night are available at Wellness and Pain. We offer conservative treatments, routine visits, and minimally invasive quick-recovery procedures. We can keep you free of problems by providing lifestyle education and home care advice to help you avoid and manage issues, quickly relieving the inhibiting lifestyle conditions when complications arise.

At Wellness and pain, we personalize patient care plans based on each patient’s condition. We consider unique circumstances to relieve pain, improve mobility and mental space, and improve your overall health.

Close-up of an adult female receiving acupuncture treatment for leg pain after running.
Author wellnesspain Categories Leg Pain

Treatment for Leg Pain After Running

Acupuncture Treatment for Leg Pain After Running

While runners often complain about thigh, leg, foot and heel pain, many don’t realize there is a unique treatment for leg pain after running. Many factors can contribute to the pain, including overuse, improper footwear, and underlying medical conditions.

Running through pain leads to serious conditions for many runners, even when they’re injured and need rest. It’s best to treat it as soon as possible to minimize long-term damage and speed up the healing process, especially when your back of heel hurts after running.

Even chronic pain can be treated with acupuncture therapies. Each patient’s condition is unique, but there are many reasons for the nagging running pains that won’t go away. Root causes often have deeper causes than we realize.

 

Issues Leading to Treatment for Leg Pain After Running

A number of issues can cause thigh pain, including IT band syndrome, which can lead to exploring treatment for leg pain after running. Located on the outside of the thigh, the iliotibial band (IT band) consists of a thick band of tissue. Inflammation of the IT band causes it to rub against the bone of the thigh.

You can also suffer from hamstring strain if your back of leg hurts after running. In the back of the thigh, there’s a group of three muscles called the “hamstrings.” Torn or overstretched muscles in the hamstrings cause hamstring strains. Back pain can occur near the buttocks, behind the thigh.

The quadriceps on the front side of your leg can get hit with deep thigh pain after running. Located along the front of the thigh, the quadriceps muscles are a group of four muscles. An injury to the quadriceps results from overstretching or tearing one of these muscles. Near the kneecap, this can cause pain at the front of the thigh.

In terms of your overall leg, shin splints are pains along the inside of your shinbone. Shinbone inflammation is caused by inflammation of the tendons and muscles attached to the bone. An overuse injury can also cause a stress fracture – a small crack in a bone. Runners are more likely to suffer stress fractures in their legs.

“Compartment syndrome” causes pain and numbness inside muscle compartments in runners. Though rare, runners must seek surgical intervention to correct this condition.

A pinched spinal nerve can also cause leg and thigh pain, as can spinal stenosis, injury or trauma, tendonitis, or deep vein thrombosis (blood clots in your deeper veins, usually in your legs).

 

Foot and Heel Pain: How it’s All Connected

A common complaint among runners is foot and heel pain, with the following being some of the most common causes before runners eventually seek out treatment for leg pain after running:

  • Foot pain caused by Plantar Fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the thick band of tissue along the bottom of the foot. This condition most commonly causes a runner’s heel pain.
  • Tendinitis of the Achilles tendon. The Achilles tendon connects calf muscle and heel bone.
  • Spurs on the heels. Bony growths catch muscle and tendons, causing your back of heel to hurt after running. Treatment isn’t always necessary, but spurs can be awfully painful over time.

A 2023 Foot Pain Trends Report uncovered some illuminating and concerning findings for anyone suffering from foot or heel pain, including:

  • Over 95 percent of Americans say foot pain impacts their day-to-day lives, with 8 in 10 reporting that their foot hurts from running.
  • Back, knee, and hip problems are also reported by 33 percent of those who experience regular foot pain.
  • The average monthly cost of treating foot pain for adults is $228.
  • 88 percent of respondents said that they purchased shoes in order to reduce foot pain.

In this report, survey data is based on 6,030 American adults who reported foot pain within the last 12 months (January – December 2022).

 

At-Home Prevention and Treatment for Leg Pain After Running

Depending on the underlying cause, the thigh, leg, foot, and heel pains will require different overall treatment for leg pain after running. To relieve pain and promote healing, consider the following:

  • Get some rest. Running and other activities that aggravate the pain should be avoided.
  • Ice it. Several times a day, apply ice to the affected area for 20 minutes at a time.
  • A compression process. Reduce swelling by wrapping the affected area in an elastic bandage, also known as “compression” (or “using a compress”).
  • Sitting or lying down, elevate the affected area above the heart.
  • Pain relievers available over-the-counter. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen, can reduce inflammation and pain.

If your back of heel hurts after running, you can incorporate several activities into your weekly lifestyle. This is also true if your back of leg hurts after running, or you have deep thigh pain after running — such as:

  • Wearing proper footwear. Fitted and supportive running shoes are essential.
  • Gradually increasing your mileage. Try not to take on too much at once. Give your body time to adapt by gradually increasing your mileage and intensity.
  • Listening to your body. Whenever you feel pain, stop running and take a break.
  • Cross-training. Injuries caused by overuse can be reduced by cross-training with other activities, such as swimming or biking.
  • Stretching regularly. You can reduce your risk of injury by stretching your hamstrings, quadriceps, and calf muscles.

 

Consider Acupuncture Therapy Treatment

Utilizing acupuncture therapy as treatment for leg pain after running can be more effective and less invasive than physical therapy, injections or even surgery — a major fact oftentimes overlooked by runners. Additionally, many health problems in general can be remedied by acupuncture therapy.

Acupuncture is used to treat everything from chronic pain to when your back of heel hurts after running. Other health problems that pain management specialists use acupuncture to treat include arthritis, back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, knee pain, headaches, migraines, sports injuries, jaw pain, sinus congestion, facial pain, neuropathy, and menstrual cramps

In acupuncture therapy, a specialist inserts thin needles into the skin at specific points on the body to treat specific conditions. Each point represents a different organ, emotion, or sense. Treatment plans incorporating acupuncture can reach these areas in a unique way that other treatments cannot.

Acupuncture does more that just relieve pain. It can also treat anxiety, depression, insomnia, headaches, migraines, nausea, menstrual cramps, fertility issues, smoking cessation, and weight loss.

 

Here’s how it Works

Needles cause your body to react, rebalance, or release natural chemicals, including endorphins, your body’s natural painkillers and neurotransmitters. Stimulation of the central nervous system releases norepinephrine and enkephalin into the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. The release of these chemicals promotes physical and emotional wellbeing. Acupuncture therapy can even treat runner’s knee, which is the quintessential ailment for amateur, intermediate, and professional runners alike.

Acupuncture treatment isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach for when your back of leg hurts after running, you have deep thigh pain after running, or your foot hurts from running. Some patients feel a dull ache or a mild pricking, while others feel nothing at all. A tingling or buzzing sensation, a feeling of warmth or heaviness may be experienced by others. Following insertion of the needle, acupuncturists sometimes twirl or move it. It’s possible to experience a slight increase in sensation from time to time.

The most effective way to increase strength, mobility, and leg function is to combine knee and hip exercises, with many pain management specialists and doctors recommending a dual-approach strategy that includes knee braces, manipulation therapy, and even electromechanical therapies such as ultrasound or TENS muscle stimulators.

Acupuncture therapy comes in many different types, each with its own philosophy and approach. The most common type of acupuncture treatment is traditional Chinese acupuncture. In addition to improving health and wellbeing, acupuncture can unblock and balance qi.

 

Wellness and Pain Can Help

A range of options regarding treatment for leg pain after running are available at Wellness and Pain. We offer conservative treatments, routine visits, and minimally invasive quick-recovery procedures. We can keep you free of problems by providing lifestyle education and home care advice to help you avoid and manage issues, quickly relieving the inhibiting lifestyle conditions when complications arise.

At Wellness and Pain, we personalize patient care plans based on each patient’s condition and unique circumstances to relieve pain, improve mobility and mental space, and improve your overall health.

Learn more about acupuncture treatment for leg pain after running or pain in general.

Charlie horses causing a woman to sit mid-run and massage her calf and lower leg in the street.
Author wellnesspain Categories Leg Pain

Charlie Horses

Charlie Horses: Risks, Prevention, and the Right Treatment

Charlie Horses is a common name for muscle spasms, where they can feel like your muscles have tightened up and locked down from involuntary contractions.

Even lying down or sleeping can trigger back of leg cramps at night. It’s painful and can happen suddenly. Calves and quadriceps are the most commonly affected muscles by these types of intense leg cramps, although they can occur in any muscle. In addition to the feet, arms, and abdomen, they can also occur in the hands.

It’s not clear what causes a Charlie Horse, but several factors can contribute to them, including dehydration, a lack of electrolytes (including potassium and magnesium), muscle fatigue, stretching a muscle too far, cold weather, taking certain medications (such as diuretics), and some medical conditions (diabetes, kidney disease, etc.). You can also trigger a Charlie Horse by not stretching enough, exercising in high temperatures, not getting enough magnesium or potassium in your diet, and having a spinal cord injury.

One fact is for sure: The best treatment for leg cramps at night is in reach.

 

Your Risks, Health, and Relationship to Charlie Horses

A pain management specialist or doctor is not needed unless you have Charlie Horses with weakness, numbness, vomiting, diarrhea, or severe sweating (which can cause dehydration). Physical exams and questions about your medical history will be done by your pain management specialist or doctor.

Those with diabetes or thyroid, liver, or nerve disorders tend to suffer from Charlie Horse activity more frequently, as do older adults, athletes, pregnant women, overweight or obese people. There are also several medical and health risk factors leading to back of leg cramps at night, according to a study at the National Library of Medicine, published in 2021:

  • Being diabetic.Type 1 diabetics experience muscle cramps around 60 percent of the time. About 80 percent of people with Type 2 diabetes have this condition.
  • Chronic renal failure.Muscle cramps in the legs are especially common in individuals with chronic renal failure.
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).There is a 95 percent chance that people with ALS will experience muscle cramps.
  • Having a baby.Pregnant women are more likely to experience muscle cramps at night, especially if they are pregnant.
  • Over 60 years old.Over 60 percent of Americans suffer from nocturnal leg cramps.

Nonetheless, there’s a smart way to treat your bad calf cramps at night.

 

Treatment and Prevention: The Best Paths Forward

Areas on your lower extremity that are impacted by Charlie Horses can benefit from simple stretching. Put your weight on the affected leg and bend your knee slightly if you have a Charlie Horse in your calf or back of your thigh (hamstring). Put your foot up against your head while seated or lying down.

Hold onto a chair and bend the knee of the affected leg if you have a cramp in the front of your thigh (quadriceps). Pull your foot upwards toward your buttocks. When you lie down, lift your foot, bend your ankle, and point your toes toward your shin to get relief. It loosens the tightness by causing the injured muscles to move in the opposite direction of the contracted muscles.

The muscles can also be relaxed with a massage, epsom salt bath, or heating pad. Ice packs or over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen or naproxen may also be helpful.

Try relaxing your foot muscle when it tightens up to treat foot cramps. Additionally, ibuprofen can be taken over-the-counter to ease any remaining pain.

In most cases, muscle spasms resolve themselves on their own. Heat applied to your cramp — especially back of thigh cramps at night — can help ease the pain, as well as ice after the heat.

The best treatment for a Charlie Horse, however, is prevention. By drinking plenty of water, stretching before and after exercise, and avoiding cramps at night, you can prevent them. Wear comfortable, supportive shoes, eat magnesium, potassium, and calcium-rich foods, and adjust your exercises as needed. See what the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons recommends for calf stretches, hamstring stretches, and quadriceps stretches.

 

Additional Cures for Charlie Horses and Night Cramps

Those suffering from Charlie Horses can also benefit from vein ablation, massage therapy, acupuncture, or IV hydration.

Using vein ablation, varicose veins can be treated in a non-invasive manner. Heat, radiofrequency, or chemicals are used to close the vein after a thin catheter is inserted into it. About an hour is usually required for the procedure to be performed outpatient.

A vein can be ablated using laser or radiofrequency energy, helping cure back of leg cramps at night. Laser ablation uses a laser to heat the vein, causing it to close. Varicose veins can be effectively treated with laser ablation and radiofrequency ablation. It depends on the size and location of your varicose veins, as well as your preferences, as to what type of ablation is best for you.

The benefits of massage therapy include the increase in blood flow to the affected muscle, which helps to relax the muscle and reduce pain. Scar tissue and adhesions can also contribute to a Charlie Horse when they are not broken up by massage therapy. Stretching the affected muscle can also help relax it and reduce pain with a deep tissue massage. Firm pressure is used to break up scar tissue and adhesions. In contrast to trigger point massage, myofascial release massage uses gentle pressure to release tension in the fascia, which surrounds your muscles.

 

Acupuncture Therapy and IV Hydration

A Charlie Horse can also be treated with acupuncture therapy. According to some studies, acupuncture reduces the frequency and severity of a Charlie Horse in people with chronic bad calf cramps at night. It’s not fully known how acupuncture relieves the problem. Acupuncture points have been found to relax muscles and reduce pain when stimulated. Inflammation and pain may also be relieved by acupuncture therapy by improving blood flow to the affected area.

Lastly, IV hydration does not directly eliminate a Charlie Horse, but it can reduce its pain and discomfort by increasing fluid and electrolyte levels. Muscle contractions can be prevented by fluids lubricating the muscles and joints. A muscle’s function relies on electrolytes like potassium and magnesium. In dehydration or electrolyte depletion, muscles can contract.

 

Origin and Meaning: Describing Leg Cramps

A Charlie Horse — and the plural “Charlie Horses” — is believed to have originated in the United States in the late 1800s, although its origin is unclear. Several theories exist about the origin of the term. It’s believed that the term originated from the name of a baseball player named Charley Radbourne.

In the 1880s, Radbourne pitched for the Boston Beaneaters. During games, he was known to get daytime leg cramps, which can lead to back of leg cramps at night. Newspaper reporters used the term “Charlie Horse” to describe Radbourne’s leg cramp one day.

It may also be derived from the name of a horse that pulled groundskeepers’ carts in baseball parks. It was common for these horses to get leg cramps from being overworked and tired. In reference to the horses, these cramps became known as a “Charlie Horse.”

The term may have been derived from a horsefly that bites horses, according to another theory. As a result of their ability to cause leg cramps in horses, a horsefly of this sort is called a “Charlie Horse.”

It’s now common to refer to back of thigh cramps at night as a “Charlie Horse,” no matter what the origins of the term are. As well as in informal settings, it’s used in medical settings as well. A leg cramp can also be called a muscle cramp, a muscle spasm, a calf cramp, a shin splint, a night cramp, and a writer’s cramp.

 

Wellness and Pain Can Help

A range of options for treating Charlie Horses are available at Wellness and Pain. We offer conservative treatments, routine visits, and minimally invasive quick-recovery procedures. We can keep you free of problems by providing lifestyle education and home care advice to help you avoid and manage issues, quickly relieving the inhibiting lifestyle conditions when complications arise.

At Wellness and Pain, we personalize patient care plans based on each patient’s condition and unique circumstances to relieve pain, improve mobility and mental space, and improve your overall health.

Keep reading to learn more of what you can do about leg cramps and charley horses.

Leg cramps at night causing a woman dressed in pajamas to wake up and massage her leg in bed.
Author wellnesspain Categories Leg Pain

Leg Cramps at Night

Don’t Let Leg Cramps at Night Keep You Up

Leg cramps at night can occur at any age, but they are most common among older adults, women, pregnant women, dehydrated individuals, and those with certain medical conditions such as nerve damage and muscle fatigue.

The most common cause of bad calf cramps at night is aging. Nearly every adult over age 50 experiences a leg cramp at least once every two months, and one-third of people over 60 will suffer one every two months.

Night leg cramps can be caused by a variety of factors, but there is no one definitive cause.

 

Dehydration and Leg Cramps at Night

Leg cramps at night are almost guaranteed as a result of dehydration. The muscles may be more susceptible to cramping as a result. Dehydration can also cause an imbalance in sodium levels in the blood, which can also cause muscle cramps.

During dehydration, your body pulls water from your muscles. The muscles can become more susceptible to cramping as a result. Dehydration can also cause electrolyte imbalances.

In order for muscles to function properly, electrolytes such as potassium and magnesium are needed. Muscle cramps while sleeping can occur when these electrolytes are out of balance.

Blood can also become thicker when dehydrated. Bad calf cramps at night can also occur as a result of this reduced blood flow to the muscles. It is important to stay hydrated if you are experiencing night leg cramps, and you should also stay hydrated throughout the day, especially with water. Coconut water or sports drinks may help replace the electrolytes your body needs.

 

The Enigma Behind Low Levels of Electrolytes

An electrolyte is a mineral that conducts electricity — and its function and level is highly correlated to leg cramps at night. In addition to contraction and relaxation of muscles, they perform a variety of other functions in the body. It is possible to get muscle cramps when electrolytes are low in the body.

An electrolyte’s role in muscle function can be summarized as follows:

  • The movement of fluids in and out of cells is regulated by potassium. Muscle contraction and relaxation can also be controlled by it.
  • Muscle contraction and relaxation are also facilitated by magnesium. As well as regulating nerve function, it also helps to improve blood flow.
  • In order for muscles to contract, calcium is necessary. As well as strengthening the bones, it helps to keep muscles healthy.

As you can see, muscles may be unable to contract and relax properly if electrolytes levels in the body are low, with cramping resulting. In this case, treatment for nighttime leg cramps should be explored. Muscles can also be more sensitive to pain when electrolytes are low. Cramping can become more painful as a result.

Muscle fatigue can also be caused by low electrolyte levels and may result in muscle cramps while sleeping.

 

Leg Cramps at Night from Nerve Damage

Nerve damage that interferes with signals sent to your muscles can cause leg cramps at night. Because they’re damaged, they cannot send the correct signals.

Nerve damage can prevent nerves from sending the signal to relax muscles. Muscles can contract involuntarily due to this, resulting in cramps. Muscles can also become more sensitive to pain when they suffer nerve damage. Intense cramps can result from this.

Nerve damage can also cause chronic muscle fatigue. Consequently, bad calf cramps at night are more likely to occur.

Even worse: Diabetes, peripheral artery disease (PAD), spinal stenosis, and sciatica are some of the conditions that can cause nerve damage and leg cramps at night. Cramping can result from diabetes damage to the nerves in the feet and legs. As a result of PAD, the arteries in the legs narrow, which in turn reduces blood flow to the muscles and causes cramps. Spinal Stenosis (When the spinal canal narrows) can compress nerves. This effect can also lead to cramps.

We wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t mention sciatica. It causes pain that radiates down the leg from the lower back, caused by pressure on the sciatic nerve, which can also cause cramping.

 

A Deeper Analysis of Muscle Fatigue and Cramping

Muscle fatigue can cause leg cramps at night. This makes the muscles more prone to a slew of other conditions. And unfortunately, they can last all night, in the worst of cases. Fatigue also makes muscles less able to contract and relax. There is a possibility this will result in a muscle cramp as well.

In fact, muscle fatigue increases your chances of experiencing tightness or cramping. Nerve pressure can cause bad calf cramps at night.

Muscle fatigue also increases the likelihood of knotting and muscle cramps while sleeping. It’s also possible for these knots to exert pressure on the nerves, resulting in cramps. As a result of fatigue, muscles are less likely to relax as easily when stretched.

 

Stretching the Muscle for Leg Cramps at Night

Stretching can often prevent leg cramps at night. As a result of stretching, the muscles loosen up and become more flexible, which prevents them from becoming tight or cramping. However, that’s not the entire story.

Stretching muscles can also worsen muscle cramps. In this case, stretching can make it more difficult for the muscle to relax, due to its already contracted state. The best thing you can do if you have a leg cramp is to relax your muscles. You can use a gentle massage or heat to relax the affected muscle. If the muscle is not too painful, you can stretch it.

You should consider exploring treatment for nighttime leg cramps if the cramp is severe or does not go away after a few minutes. Having cramps could be a sign of an underlying medical condition.

Nonetheless, the following tips will help you prevent bad calf cramps at night:

  • Make sure you stay hydrated. Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day, especially water. Dehydration can cause muscle cramps.
  • Make sure you eat a balanced diet. Eat a balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Electrolytes are important for muscle function, so these foods are good sources.
  • Regularly stretch your legs. It’s beneficial to stretch the muscles in order to loosen them and make them more flexible. Doing this can prevent muscle cramps.
  • Don’t sit or stand for long periods of time. Leg muscles can become cramped after sitting or standing for a long time.
  • Make sure you wear comfortable shoes. A tight pair of shoes can cause cramps in your legs, as they tend to put pressure on the muscles.

 

Try These Too!

In addition to these above remedies for muscle cramps while sleeping, you can also try:

  • Not drinking alcohol and caffeine before bed. These substances can cause dehydration and cramping.
  • Gently stretching the muscle. You can also apply heat or gently massage the muscle.

 

Talk to a Specialist About Leg Cramps at Night

Talk to your doctor about ways to reduce your risk of leg cramps at night — especially if you’re taking medications that can cause them. You may experience leg cramps if you are taking certain medications, such as diuretics or statins.

Underlying medical conditions, such as vessel insufficiency, may be the cause of your cramps. This is especially true if you suffer from frequent or severe leg cramps. An expert in pain management usually only needs a brief consultation and diagnosis before performing vessel ablation, sclerotherapy, or another minimally invasive procedure.

The best course of action is to see your doctor if you suffer from bad calf cramps at night on a regular basis or if they become severe enough to make walking or standing difficult. Your doctor will most likely ask questions about your medical history, medications, and recent changes in your activity level. As well as asking about your diet, they might also ask how much fluid you consume daily.

Seek emergency medical attention if a leg cramp lasts more than 10 minutes or is unbearably painful. Additionally, it could be poisonous or infectious if the cramping occurs after touching substances. Leg cramps are usually not a cause for concern and occur occasionally. Exercise or long periods of sitting may cause them. Pregnancy and aging may also increase them.

Gentle stretching and massaging of the muscle can relieve the pain from muscle cramps while sleeping. You should consult a doctor if you experience leg cramps regularly or if the cramp lasts for a long time. You shouldn’t hesitate to seek treatment for nighttime leg cramps. The condition could be a sign of an underlying health condition.

 

Wellness and Pain Can Help

A range of options for treating leg cramps at night are available at Wellness and Pain. We offer conservative treatments, routine visits, and minimally invasive quick-recovery procedures. We can keep you free of problems by providing lifestyle education and home care advice to help you avoid and manage issues, quickly relieving the inhibiting lifestyle conditions when complications arise.

At Wellness and Pain, we personalize patient care plans based on each patient’s condition and unique circumstances to relieve pain, improve mobility and mental space, and improve your overall health.

Keep reading to learn more of what you can do about leg cramps and charley horses.

An x-ray visualization of someone who needs knee injections for pain, as they're holding their knee in pain.
Author wellnesspain Categories Knee Pain

Do Knee Injections for Pain Really Work?

We can expect joint pain to increase as we age, whether through competitive sports or just aging — which is why knee injections for pain remain such a hot topic these days. It’s time to look for an alternative to over-the-counter pain relievers when joint pain interferes with your life.

However, another option is searching for the best non-surgical treatment for knee pain.

 

What are Knee Injections for Pain?

You can receive knee injections for pain directly into your joints or ligaments and tendons surrounding them. Inflammation can be reduced, pain can be managed, and supporting structures may be healed by these treatments.

Rather than being viewed as a standalone best treatment for knee joint pain, injections should be considered a means to an end. In order to achieve results, you must also do physical or occupational therapy.

It doesn’t matter if you have pain in one joint due to an injury or just wear-and-tear, or if you have osteoarthritis in multiple joints. You can receive injections for joints throughout your body, including your knees, hips, shoulders, ankles, sacroiliac joints, and facet joints. The economic burden of osteoarthritis in U.S. adults is estimated at $188 billion, with 27 million adults suffering from it in at least one joint.

 

When Injections are the Best Option

You should begin knee injections for pain by getting adequate rest, exercising regularly, and eating well. A pain management specialist or doctor will consider injections if every attempt has been made to maximize your health through other avenues and you are still experiencing pain.

Joint injections should be discussed with your doctor in an honest and thoughtful manner. The cost of this treatment is usually not covered by insurance. Due to the fact that some of these injections are still experimental and not FDA-approved, insurance coverage may not be available. You should talk to your doctor about your options before paying out of pocket.

Are you exploring other options, especially those covered by insurance? Do you think surgery would be better for you? In terms of recovery, what are your expectations? All of these questions are relevant when you’re searching for the best non-surgical treatment for knee pain.

 

Five Types and What You Should Know

The type of knee injections for pain your doctor recommends will depend on your needs. Corticosteroids and autologous cells are among the injectables available.

 

An injection of cortisone

As a first-line treatment, you will probably receive a cortisone shot or steroid injection — which happens to be the best way to relieve knee pain for so many patients out there. Inflammation and pain are quickly reduced by cortisone shots in many patients, but they do come with some precautions. You may experience side effects from steroids throughout your body over time, due to their toxic effects on cartilage in your joints. They might be useful for quick fixes. Another plan needs to be developed on a long-term, repeated basis. It is common for insurance companies to cover cortisone shots. Depending on the severity of the injury, relief may last for a long time. You will only feel the effects of steroids for about three months if you have chronic, long-term pain.

 

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections and cell therapy

Injections of PRP involve taking your blood, isolating and concentrating the platelets, and injecting billions of platelets into your joint, ligament, or tendon. Cell therapies are injectables that use your own cells and tissues, such as bone marrow or fat. Your joint, ligament, or tendon is carefully injected with the cells after they have been collected, cleansed, and injected. In many patients, cell therapies have reduced chronic inflammation, and research suggests that they may stimulate a healing response over time.

 

Injections of knee gel

The fluid inside your joints is made up of hyaluronic acid, a thick substance similar to hyaluronic acid in gel injections. Gel injections may be covered by some insurance plans, but only in the knee (or sometimes in the shoulder). If you have mild to moderate arthritis, knee gel injections work well for most knee pain. There is usually a six-to-twelve-month period of effect. Gel injections are often used if you have tried other treatments like medication, exercise, or steroid injections without success — and still remains a best treatment for knee joint pain for many.

 

Getting a prolotherapy injection

The aim of prolotherapy injections is to relieve joint, ligament, and tendon pain using concentrated sugar water (dextrose). The injections may reduce the pain associated with osteoarthritis and chronic injuries of the tendons and ligaments, such as ankle sprains. They are rarely covered by insurance. Especially for knee arthritis and tennis elbow, prolotherapy has some strong research evidence.

 

A newer category of injectables

orthobiologics is made from your own blood or tissue. Orthobiologics has not been proven to restore missing tissue, and such products are not FDA-approved for treating arthritis or other joint disorders, but some studies suggest that it may promote healing in tissue. This treatment targets arthritic joints and chronic tendon problems pretty much anywhere on your body, and is not usually covered by insurance.

You may have arthritis in your ankles, hips, knees, shoulders, elbows, and wrists. It does not matter if it’s a tennis elbow, a hamstring injury, an Achilles injury, or tendinopathy of your hip — pain management specialists are able to handle it all. Especially in cases of sacroiliac (SI) joint pain, orthobiologic injections can be helpful. Spinal intervertebral joints connect your pelvis with your lower spine. A sprained SI joint ligament can be very responsive to regenerative injection treatment, as the ligaments that link over your bones can easily be sprained.

 

Knee Injections for Pain and The Cortisone Experience

It’s rare to experience an allergic reaction when you receive knee injections for pain. However, as with any treatment, there can be side effects, such as flushing and headaches with cortisone injections. Injection sites can also develop fat necrosis (divots in the skin) and hypopigmentation (pale skin).

Blood sugar levels can also temporarily rise. This usually lasts for a week or so.

The experts are careful about how often they inject because repeated injections can injure tendons. It is recommended to space them out over a period of three months. Pain management specialists and doctors usually won’t inject more than three times around a tendon.

Infection is another possible risk. The skin should be clean before you give the injection, and you should use a good sterile technique. A surgical site infection is more likely to occur if you have surgery on that area too soon after an injection, since the steroid suppresses the immune system. An injection of cortisone into a joint within two months of surgery is not recommended by most total joint surgeons.

 

The Cortisone Experience

There are fewer risks associated with cortisone injections than with oral steroids. The latter can increase weight, cause osteoporosis, and cause diabetes if used long term. Weight gain is not caused by cortisone injections, which do not cause systemic problems.

Since injections are usually the best non-surgical treatment for knee pain for many patients, it’s possible to receive them every month, depending on the condition being treated and the location where they are administered. It may be recommended that you only receive a few injections within one year if you have other conditions.

Athletic trainers and orthopaedic sports specialists should always be consulted before injecting professional athletes during their season. Yet, the need for constant injections may not be necessary for weekend warriors, knitters, or pianists. Your best way to relieve knee pain all depends on what your pain management specialist or doctor says.

 

Takeaways and Practices to Remember

Generally, the difference between these types of knee injections for pain is their duration. With a steroid, you’ll feel better in a month. Patients who receive platelet-rich plasma or prolotherapy may find they feel better for months or years afterward.

It is important to trust your doctor when it comes to joint injections, since false advertising and hype are prevalent. For your specific diagnosis, ask your doctor how long you might experience pain relief. Make sure you ask your doctor or clinic about their safety protocols before receiving the best non-surgical treatment for knee pain.

Last but not least, make sure you’re a true participant, both before and after the injection. Prepare yourself physically and mentally. Your procedure and rehab should be as effective as possible if you’re investing in yourself properly.

 

Wellness and Pain Can Help

A range of options for knee injections for pain are available at Wellness and Pain. We offer conservative treatments, routine visits, and minimally invasive quick-recovery procedures. We can keep you free of problems by providing lifestyle education and home care advice to help you avoid and manage issues, quickly relieving the inhibiting lifestyle conditions when complications arise.

At Wellness and Pain, we personalize patient care plans based on each patient’s condition and unique circumstances to relieve pain, improve mobility and mental space, and improve your overall health.

 

A visualization of sciatic pain as a man holds his lower back while standing from his desk.
Author wellnesspain Categories Sciatica

Sciatic Pain & Your Spine: How Acupuncture Can Help

An inflamed, compressed, or irritated sciatic nerve root causes sciatica, also known as sciatic pain. There is pain radiating down the legs and into the buttocks caused by the sciatic nerve. Spinal stenosis, a herniated disc, or bone spurs are the most common causes of this condition.

 

Several Types of Sciatic Pain

Symptoms of sciatic pain differ depending on whether one or both legs are affected and how long they last. There are four types of sciatica: Acute, chronic, alternating, and bilateral.

Both sides of the sciatic nerve originate from the lower spine and travel through the pelvis and buttocks. Afterwards, the nerve passes along the back of each upper leg before splitting into branches that reach the knee and at the feet. While the pain starts in nerve roots located on either side of the lower spine, it then spreads through the nerve that runs along each leg from the buttock to the foot.

An uncomfortable and common condition, sciatica is also known as sciatic nerve pain. Approximately 40 percent of the general population is affected at any given time. A type of pain that can profoundly affect daily life, sciatica can be very annoying. This is why acupuncture and back pain are so frequently researched these days, due to a strong healing correlation.

 

The Sciatic Nerve

A nerve originates from the L4 vertebra, the L5 vertebra (top of spine), and the sacrum, which is the triangle-shaped bone just below the vertebrae. Afterward, the sciatic nerve splits and runs through each thigh. There can be shooting pains down the sciatic nerve when any of these nerves are irritated.

  • Acute sciatica. In sciatica, an acute onset is defined as a recent onset with a pain duration of four to eight weeks or less. Oftentimes, it responds to at-home treatment and does not require medical attention.
  • Chronic sciatica. The pain associated with chronic sciatica lasts more than eight weeks and is persistent. It is possible that at-home treatments will not provide relief. Choosing the best treatment should be determined by a healthcare professional.
  • Bilateral sciatica. Both legs are affected by bilateral sciatica at the same time. A disc or vertebral degeneration may cause this extremely rare condition.
  • Alternating sciatica. Sciatica that alternates between both legs is known as “alternate sciatica.” Despite being rare, sacroiliac joint degeneration may cause this type of sciatica.

However, before focusing too much on sciatic pain in your legs, know that the underlying issue stems from your spine. This is one reason acupuncture for chronic back pain has become such a popular treatment for so many patients today.

 

The Source of Your Sciatic Nerve Problems

In light of the fact that the sciatic nerve originates in the L4 and L5 vertebrae, along with the sacrum, this can lead to a variety of symptoms and types of sciatic pain. When sciatica originates in the L4 nerve root, the pain usually travels down the outer part of the thigh, around the knee, and down the inner aspect of the leg. As well as on the inside of the leg, it can also occur on the outside.

L5 pain is likely to radiate down the side of the leg and the back of the thigh if it is coming from the nerve root. Big toe pain can extend all the way to the top of the foot.

According to many doctors who study acupuncture and back pain, the sacral nerve may be the source of your sciatic nerve pain. An individual usually feels pain along the back of their leg and on the outside of their foot.

There are several things that can cause sciatica, such as a herniated disc, bone spurs, collapsed vertebrae, infection, tumor, mass in the pelvis, or cysts which pinch the lumbar nerves. Acupuncture treatment for back pain is usually one of the best treatments available.

 

Insights on Herniated Discs and Sciatic Pain

Sciatica and sciatic pain are most commonly caused by a herniated disc. Disc tears or cracks can pinch the sciatic nerve when they bulge into the spinal canal. Some people suffer from pain for a much longer period of time before resolving their symptoms.

In the spine, discs act as cushions between bones. Pain, weakness, or numbness can be caused when a disc is pushed out of place and tears into the outer layer of the spine.

Herniated discs can cause no symptoms, but sometimes their pain is so severe that surgery is needed. As part of this pain management protocol, doctors identify a patient’s specific needs (such as the source of their pain) through an assessment, and they then create a personalized set of exercises that target posture, sleep modifications, and other advice to improve alignment and pain. Acupuncture and back pain specialists have been studying these issues — along with appropriate treatment and protocol — for decades.

Even healthy people can develop disc protrusions. Nearly one-third of healthy 20-year-olds have disk protrusions, according to a famous study. A herniated disk affects almost every second person without low back pain as they age, and up to 43 percent at the age of 80. There are even more disk bulges at the age of 80, with 84 percent.

You should realize that even if your MRI scan does show a bulging or protruding disc, these findings are completely normal. An MRI scan alone cannot explain pain because it is a complex phenomenon. Acupuncture for chronic back pain can usually solve many of these sophisticated spine problems, depending on the patient.

 

Sciatica and Neurological Symptoms

Sciatic pain may be accompanied by neurological symptoms when the sciatic nerve is compressed. Symptoms that may come with this condition include:

  • Your thigh muscles are weak. The thighs may appear weak when brought together and the thigh muscles are affected.
  • You experience muscle weakness in your legs and feet. There may be weakness when bending the knee or pointing the foot upwards and/or downwards if the leg muscles are affected. Walking may be difficult due to these issues, resulting in foot drop. Walking on tiptoes or rising from a sitting position may also be difficult.
  • You feel numbness. The sciatic nerve may not allow nerve impulses to pass through, resulting in loss of sensation. In most cases, numbness affects the side of the calf, the heel, the sole, or the top of the foot.
  • You experience paresthesia. Due to improper nerve conduction, an abnormal sensation is felt on the skin. You may experience tingling, tightness, pins-and-needles, or crawling sensations in your thigh or leg back.

It’s more common when the sciatic nerve is compressed that neurological symptoms result in reduced function of the affected leg, a situation that acupuncture and back pain doctors can directly address.

 

Sciatic Pain Treatment for Suffering

Surgery for sciatic pain should be the last resort unless it’s urgent or an emergency. The problem may require a variety of surgical options, but biportal endoscopic spine surgery is usually the best option for relieving pressure on the nerves.

Sciatica surgery has often been found to provide relatively little pain relief compared to non-surgical options after just a few months. After a full year, most patients do not experience significant pain relief.

Considering the pain associated with sciatic nerve pain, finding effective relief is crucial. It is often worse to suffer from leg pain, also known as radiculopathy, than from back pain. The sensation is usually felt in one leg and can be unbearable. It is often compared to a toothache type of nerve pain.

Sciatic nerve pain can be relieved with several home remedies, exercises, and conservative approaches. The best thing you can do for your pain is to try all non-surgical modalities, unless your injury necessitates an emergency visit.

Sciatic nerve pain can be treated with anti-inflammatory medications, nutrition changes (as recommended by your doctor or nutritionist), and stretches and exercises performed with a physical therapist, including core and trunk stability exercises.

Acupuncture treatment for back pain can also be integrative — and if the pain happens to be very severe or debilitating, epidural injections may be an option.

 

Acupuncture Therapy Cures a Variety of Ailments

Often, acupuncture and back pain therapy can help with a lot of health problems, including sciatic pain. It’s usually used for chronic (long-term) pain like arthritis, back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, knee pain, headaches, migraines, sports injuries, jaw pain, sinus congestion and facial pain, neuropathy, and menstrual cramps.

Your body may need a number of treatments, depending on how severe your condition is. Most patients have an appointment once a week. Some people get treatment more often, while others get it less frequently. Our acupuncturists can recommend the right schedule for each patient.

The exact healing mechanism behind acupuncture therapy isn’t fully understood, but it’s thought to involve a combination of things. One of those things is the release of endorphins, which relieve pain. Stimulating the nervous system is another, which can also help regulate mood, pain, and other bodily functions. It also helps you relax and relieve stress.

Although acupuncture for chronic back pain treatment is generally safe, make sure you find a licensed acupuncturist in your state. It’s not uncommon for patients to endure side effects, especially since needles can cause mild pain or soreness. Certain patients can also experience bruising, dizziness, lightheadedness, and nausea.

A professional acupuncturist can help, as tailored and customized treatment plans are known to provide the best solutions. There are a variety of health problems acupuncture therapy can treat, and it’s usually very safe and effective.

 

Wellness and Pain Can Help

A range of options for sciatic pain are available at Wellness and Pain. We offer conservative treatments, routine visits, and minimally invasive quick-recovery procedures. We can keep you free of problems by providing lifestyle education and home care advice to help you avoid and manage issues, quickly relieving the inhibiting lifestyle conditions when complications arise.

At Wellness and Pain, we personalize patient care plans based on each patient’s condition and unique circumstances to relieve pain, improve mobility and mental space, and improve your overall health.

A woman massaging her bulging veins while sitting on the edge of her bed.
Author wellnesspain Categories Circulation

Bulging Veins: Treatment, Specifics, & Details

Consult a vein specialist as soon as you notice the pain from bulging veins or other venous issues. In addition to leg swelling, cramping, itching, and fatigue, they can also assess your vein symptoms.

As well as making recommendations on when to receive vein treatment, they can also offer advice. In order to achieve the best health outcomes, early intervention is usually recommended.

You can also receive minimally invasive, office-based vein treatments to alleviate symptoms and reduce health risks such as blood clots and ulcers — all by searching for and discovering the best doctor for varicose veins.

 

Before Treatment for Bulging Veins, Ask These Questions

Your vein specialist will conduct a physical examination, order imaging tests as necessary, and review your medical history before making personalized treatment recommendations for bulging veins.

Your center for varicose veins should be able to answer any questions you have about their personal medical background, the health of your veins, or any recommended treatments.

Here are some questions to ask your vein specialist:

  • During my recovery, what can I expect?
  • Is there a way to prevent vein problems in the future?
  • Treatments have many benefits, but what are they?
  • In what ways can I be treated?
  • Do you perform vein treatments for a long time?
  • What is the pain associated with vein treatment?

Chronic venous insufficiency specialists are here to answer all of your most pertinent questions.

 

Varicose and Bulging Veins vs. Spider Veins

Because veins are responsible for carrying blood that is low in oxygen to the heart and lungs, bulging veins are a health issue that needs to be addressed. Pools of blood can bulge these veins when this system fails.

Varicose veins are bulging veins that appear on the surface of the skin, and they are often accompanied by other symptoms such as aching, heavy, and tired limbs. The thighs and legs are the most common places to find them.

They can also be found deeper beneath your skin’s surface. Due to damaged valves in varicose veins, more blood is held at a higher pressure than normal. A swollen leg and tired, achy feeling are caused by this extra pressure.

A ruptured vein may cause an ulcer on the skin in rare cases. A blood backup can also cause blood clots and vein infections if varicose veins are left untreated. The numbness in some patients’ legs can prevent them from detecting leg injuries because of varicose veins. Searching for the best doctor for varicose veins should be your priority.

It’s possible that varicose veins are more common in some families, which means they are inherited. Varicose veins are caused by increased vein pressure. In addition to being overweight or obese, being older, being female, inactive, having leg injuries, smoking, or taking hormone replacement therapy, there are several other factors that may increase blood pressure.

 

Spider Veins

It is also common to see smaller veins on the surface of the skin that look like a spider’s web with many fine, short lines. Foot, ankle, calves, and thigh sprains are the most common, but they can also occur on the face.

It is possible for both types of veins to occur in men and women at any age, but women who are of childbearing age or older are more likely to suffer from them. A person’s risk of developing spider veins or varicose veins is also increased if they come from a family with these disorders. Various studies have examined whether varicose veins increase the risk of deep venous thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), or peripheral artery disease (PAD).

Varicose veins can be reduced or eradicated with a treatment plan designed by a doctor for veins in legs.

 

Selecting a Vein Specialist

The process of choosing a vein specialist can be intimidating for some patients, even though treatment for bulging veins can quickly reduce your suffering. Below are some suggestions on how to choose the best doctor for varicose veins, including what qualifications to look for in a vein specialist or doctor, along with why it is important to visit an accredited facility for treatment.

An expert in vein care may be able to provide you with excellent care. It is imperative that a specialist’s entire team is highly skilled, extremely experienced, and unfailingly compassionate. Together, you and your provider should strive to alleviate your pain and discomfort and improve your quality of life.

Choosing a professional center for varicose veins should be based on several factors. Additionally, they consider softer skills like trustworthiness and compassion, as well as medical expertise.

 

Training and Experience to Treat Bulging Veins

A varicose vein specialist specializes in diagnosing and treating bulging veins and related problems, including spider veins, varicose veins, venous stasis ulcers, and deep vein thrombosis. Although varicose veins and spider veins are rarely treated by vein surgery, vascular surgeons also treat venous conditions.

The treatment of vein disease is the specialty of a vein specialist. We might find it helpful to discuss what this entails in order to better understand what this means. Following medical school, students typically complete an internship followed by a residency. In order to practice medicine, they must pass a state licensing exam.

In addition to this, some doctors may choose to specialize in a very particular field, such as chronic venous insufficiency specialists — which requires additional medical training. Board certification involves demonstrating a mastery of advanced knowledge and skills. This is done through written, practical, and other criteria once a physician has completed medical school and postgraduate training. Physician specialists in the United States are certified by more than 24 boards.

Despite having received medical training, there is no doubt that real-life experience can hone doctors’ skills further. Ask a vein specialist how long they have provided vascular treatment and care. This will help you determine how much experience they have.

A doctor for veins in legs — one who has experience — usually believes in being fully transparent about their experience up front. To learn more about the unique backgrounds and qualifications of providers, you should be able to easily view their individual profiles.

 

Accreditation, Facilities, and Practice

Before providing quality care for bulging veins, medical facilities must receive accreditation. Hospitals and imaging facilities that perform vascular testing undergo evaluation. Then, they receive accreditation for a period of time.

Without modern state-of-the-art equipment, even the best doctor for varicose veins would find it difficult to provide leading-edge vein treatment. It’s important doctors consider the latest techniques and technologies. This way patients can receive treatments that are as minimally invasive and as comfortable as possible.

Real-time ultrasound imaging should guide some minimally invasive office-based vein treatments, including endovenous laser treatment.

 

Find a Caring Doctor for Bulging Veins

Location is an important factor to consider when choosing a specialist to treat your bulging veins. Most likely, you will require several appointments. These include an initial consultation, the actual treatment, and follow-up care if necessary. It is convenient for many patients to choose a provider with a network of treatment facilities.

When making health-related decisions, trusting your doctor and the center for varicose veins that the doctor works at is crucial. You should be able to discuss a range of treatment options and receive specific recommendations from the vein specialist you choose. Your doctor will consider a variety of factors when making recommendations. These factors include your health history, medical imaging, lifestyle, and other related factors.

The expertise of vein specialists with extensive medical training and treatment experience has already been demonstrated. A vein specialist can evaluate your vein health, provide personalized treatment recommendations, and provide ongoing care to prevent additional problems. Consider seeking a second opinion if you are uncomfortable with a recommended treatment.

For your unique situation, you’ll need chronic venous insufficiency specialists who can work individually with you. It is impossible to find a vein treatment that is right for everyone. A quality doctor will evaluate your symptoms, discuss your options, and determine the best fit for your needs. Besides caring about you as a patient, they also care about you as a person.

 

Wellness and Pain Can Help

A range of options for bulging veins are available at Wellness and Pain. We offer conservative treatments, routine visits, and minimally invasive quick-recovery procedures. We can keep you free of problems by providing lifestyle education and home care advice to help you avoid and manage issues, quickly relieving the inhibiting lifestyle conditions when complications arise.

At Wellness and Pain, we personalize patient care plans based on each patient’s condition and unique circumstances to relieve pain, improve mobility and mental space, and improve your overall health.

A man treating swollen feet by sitting on his bed and massaging his feet and toes.
Author wellnesspain Categories Foot Pain

Treating Swollen Feet: Underlying Issues

A variety of issues can cause swelling in your lower extremities on occasion, forcing you to look for a solution for treating swollen feet. If it’s hot outside, you may have even experienced swollen feet and ankles after a long day of walking or standing.

However, being on your feet for too long may not be the only cause of feet swelling, ankle swelling, or leg swelling — called “edema.” Ankle swelling after sitting all day is also a possibility for many patients, in this camp.

 

Treating Swollen Feet from Venous Insufficiency

Blood builds up in your legs when your veins aren’t functioning properly, causing venous insufficiency and making many victims search high and low for answers to treating swollen feet. Gravity exerts the entire weight of the blood volume in our bodies on the veins in our legs, as humans stand on two feet.

As a result of our veins’ valves, the force of gravity is counteracted in our veins in order to maintain a low blood pressure and allow blood to return to our hearts. We can develop incompetent vein valves over time, allowing blood to flow backwards when they are no longer working properly — imposing painful ankle swelling at the end of the day.

There are a variety of symptoms associated with venous insufficiency, including swelling, varicose veins, leg pain or cramping, red, weepy, hard skin (called “lipodermatosclerosis”), or slow-healing wounds or ulcers.

It may be necessary to modify your lifestyle, such as losing weight and moving around a lot to keep your blood flowing. The use of compression therapy – including socks, stockings, athletic sleeves, wraps, or complex pneumatic machines – can also be helpful. In all cases, the key is that they apply pressure in a graduated manner so that ankle pressure is greater than knee pressure. There are also surgical treatments available.

 

Some Common Conditions

Common conditions such as varicose veins can lead to chronic venous insufficiency. Another possibility is when something damages the valves inside the veins, such as deep vein thrombosis. With time, the veins become weaker, making it harder for the heart to pump blood. There is a possibility that tiny valves in the veins will fail. The resulting blood pooling causes pain, swelling, and other circulation problems in the lower extremities.

Varicose veins do not always lead to chronic venous insufficiency. Women, people with high blood pressure, people with a family history of chronic venous insufficiency, people who have deep vein thrombosis in their legs, and people who spend a lot of time standing or sitting tend to suffer from this condition. If your ankles swelling after standing all day feels real and looks real, it probably is real — and the pain you’re suffering from can testify to this unfortunate fact.

 

Don’t Rule out Blood Clots and DVT

Having a blood clot in your veins can prevent your blood from flowing normally, also causing you to look into treating swollen feet. Deep vein thrombosis occurs when a blood clot forms deep inside the veins in the legs.

Additionally to swelling, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) causes pain and tenderness over the vein, as well as redness of the skin. As a result of DVT, blood cannot drain efficiently from the leg, and pressure builds up in the veins, forcing fluid into the surrounding tissue. By plastering the valves open, DVTs can cause long-term issues with blood flow, even after the initial clot dissolves, besides obstructing blood flow.

An embolism can become life-threatening if a DVT breaks loose and travels to the lungs. Medications can break up clots before they cause further damage, so see your doctor as soon as possible if swelling with redness or pain happens. The painful phenomenon of your ankle swelling after sitting all day can occur repeatedly because of blood clots or DVT.

 

Lifestyle Factors and Treating Swollen Feet

In addition to medical conditions, leg swelling can sometimes be prevented by treating swollen feet with lifestyle modifications. A salt-free diet, for example, can reduce the risk of fluid retention.

Keeping your blood flowing can also be achieved by reducing the amount of time you sit. Sedentary behavior should be avoided at all costs. Remember to move frequently during long plane or car rides, as well as during your workday.

 

Other Possibilities to Get Checked

Symptoms of chronic liver disease include fluid accumulation in the legs and abdomen, yellowed skin (jaundice), redness on the palms of the hands, and pale stool. In all of these, you’ll typically want to look into treating swollen feet. Additional diagnoses and help.

In a similar fashion, kidney disease can be accompanied by swelling in the lower extremities, fatigue, frequent urination, and difficulty concentrating. Talk to your doctor if you’re experiencing these symptoms.

Your legs, ankles or feet may also experience a backup of blood. In addition to chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing, fatigue or a fast heartbeat, heart disease can also lead to other symptoms. If you experience any of these, contact your physician. Seek emergency medical attention if symptoms are severe. The condition of ankles swelling after standing all day affects all sorts of individuals. It can be caused by a variety of issues.

However, during pregnancy, most women experience ankle and foot swelling. Blood flows to the heart from the abdomen, which is the final destination of the blood before it reaches the uterus, when another human is in the uterus. As a result of this compression, the vascular system can become swollen, since hormonal changes during pregnancy affect the vascular system.

When blood pressure is dangerously high during pregnancy, preeclampsia can cause excessive swelling. Also, contact your doctor if you experience severe headaches, blurred vision, abdominal pain, or incontinence.

 

Vessel Ablation for Treating Swollen Feet

For a broad portion of the patient population who want to properly fix their painful situation, treating swollen feet comes down to vessel ablation. Vessel ablation is a minimally invasive procedure that seals or closes veins using heat or laser energy. This procedure can treated varicose veins, spider veins, and venous insufficiency.

The two main types of vein ablation are radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and laser ablation. Doctors use a small probe to destroy unhealthy veins using radiofrequency ablation (RFA). In the presence of radiofrequency energy, the probe heats up the vein and collapses it. A laser beam heats up and collapses the vein with laser ablation.

Patients receive the majority of vessel ablation procedures on an outpatient basis. Doctors typically perform the procedure simply under local anesthesia, but they may also use general anesthesia. It is possible for the patient to experience pain, bruising, and swelling after the procedure. The symptoms usually disappear on their own within a few days. They are nothing compared to the pain endured with ankle swelling after sitting all day.

Vessel ablation helps treat varicose and spider veins. In turn, this helps to treat venous insufficiency. Minimally invasive procedures are less risky than surgery. They may be a good option for those who are not good surgical candidates or who wish to avoid surgery.

Furthermore, it’s an easy procedure that can be completed on the same day. This means you can go straight home and relax. A few days after surgery, most people can resume normal activities. Results usually last for a long time.

 

Get the Right Treatment You Need

Treating swollen feet should be a priority if you are experiencing any of the issues above. However, there are proactive changes you can make as well. The pain may persist until you see a doctor, because swelling (also called “edema”) is a sign of deeper underlying problems, like heart failure, deep vein thrombosis, kidney disease, or liver cirrhosis.

Identifying the cause of ankle swelling, as well as in your feet, is extremely important. Over the long run, swollen feet can even lead to heart failure. Healthy lifestyle adjustments include:

  • Maintaining or increasing physical activity levels. It is important to seek the advice of a physician if you want to create and adhere to a healthy exercise routine. Excess body weight and high blood pressure may also be addressed by exercising, as well as the heart.
  • Stress should be managed where possible. Meditation, therapy, and journaling are some methods for managing stress. Emotional crises can worsen heart failure symptoms for people with the disease.
  • Dietary salt reduction. Processed foods, such as potato chips and prepared meals, contain high amounts of sodium. It is important not to eliminate all sodium from the diet, since the body needs some sodium to function. The recommended sodium intake per day is less than 2,300 milligrams.
  • Don’t drink or smoke. People who smoke, or want to quit, should limit or avoid alcohol consumption.

 

Wellness and Pain Can Help

A range of options for treating swollen feet are available at Wellness and Pain. We offer conservative treatments, routine visits, and minimally invasive quick-recovery procedures. We can keep you free of problems by providing lifestyle education and care advice to help you avoid and manage issues. This is to quickly relieving the inhibiting lifestyle conditions when complications arise.

We personalize patient care plans based on each patient’s condition and unique circumstances. We can relieve pain, improve mobility and mental space, and improve your overall health.

As mentioned earlier, we have some easy procedures you can try today!

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