26Dec2023

leg Cramps Treatment

Why Vein Ablation is Part of Any Leg Cramps Treatment Discussion

In a minimally invasive leg cramps treatment that uses radiofrequency, venous ablation targets abnormally enlarged veins and cauterizes (burns) them so they close. For patients with Superficial Venous Reflux (damaged or diseased vein valves) and spider veins, ablation surgery offers an alternative to vein stripping.

For starters, your arteries carry blood from the heart to your legs, and your veins return blood to the heart. The only way this happens is through healthy one-way valves, where blood returns from your legs and travels through them while being prevented from back-flowing. If your valves are damaged or inflamed and your veins are large, varicose veins can settle in — as well as daily pain and cramping.

During venous ablation, doctors use radiofrequency heat to seal off faulty vessels. In turn, this directs blood flow to healthier veins. Blood then circulates through these “deeper” veins back to your heart. Varicose veins disappear, swelling dramatically reduces, and skin color and tone improve. All of this through a virtually painless procedure.

This treatment can relieve symptoms like aching, swelling, skin irritation, discoloration, and leg cramps all day and night, as well as reduce the risk of ulcers and blood clots from venous disease. But how?

Why Leg Cramps Treatment Options Include Venous Ablation

Doctors treat venous ablation surgery like any other leg cramps treatment. Before surgery, they will clean and sterilize your leg. Then they’ll hang the appropriate surgical drapery. After they insert a catheter through a small incision into the abnormal vein, they feed in a radiofrequency electrode. They do this last part via ultrasound to fully visualize the vein.

By heating your blood vessel, the electrode seals off the incompetent vein, shrinking and closing it down. Typically, the procedure takes between 50 – 60 minutes, and patients usually have pre-surgery questions, including:

Does Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) hurt? Patients generally report little or no pain. Pain management specialists and expert vein doctors will numb the treatment area with a local or regional anesthetic.
Am I required to be anesthetized for the radiofrequency ablation? It’s possible to perform radiofrequency ablation under local, regional, or general anesthesia. The procedure is usually performed under local anesthesia, so hospital admission is not necessary.
What’s the duration of the procedure? In most cases, radiofrequency ablation takes up to 50 – 60 minutes. Pre- and post-treatment procedures may require patients to spend an additional 1 – 2 hours at the clinic.

In the growing world of vein expertise that focuses on patients suffering from leg cramps all day and night, an increasing number of minimally invasive treatments have been explored and applied for several years now, including Endovenous Thermal Ablation (EVTA), Radiofrequency Ablation, Foam Sclerotherapy guided by ultrasound, and other procedures. Outcomes of these minimally invasive treatments are generally satisfactory for most patients. Boasting a very short recovery period and minimal complications, ablation remains an effective method for treating damaged, diseased, and varicose veins.

Benefits of Radiofrequency Ablation and What to Be Aware Of

In comparison to standard procedures within the medical surgery arena (let alone vein and heart surgeries), choosing vein ablation as a viable leg cramps treatment solution is not invasive when stacked against so many other options out there. Major surgical incisions are not required; it only requires a small incision in the skin, and even this doesn’t need to be stitched.

There are fewer complications and pain associated with vein ablation compared to traditional vein stripping techniques. Since only a few millimeters of skin are opened during catheter placement, there are virtually no scars. What’s even better is, about one year after your treatment, most veins are effectively invisible. Nearly all patients report symptom relief and can resume normal daily activities almost immediately.

Just know that infection can occur during any procedure that penetrates the skin, although it’s highly unlikely any infection will set in — and if one does, it’s unlikely it will require antibiotic treatment.

When it comes to catheters, they are placed inside blood vessels under certain conditions that carry certain risks. Blood vessel damage, bruising, and bleeding at the puncture site are among those risks, which means a compression stocking may alleviate post-procedure bruising or tenderness. Nerve damage caused by thermal heat has been reported in some cases, although this condition is rare and usually is resolved within a few days.

If you have vein inflammation post-surgery, your typical over-the-counter pain medication will usually do the trick in bringing down the swelling. Enduring these minor inconveniences is the small price you pay to cure what’s really hurting you: Leg cramps all day and night.

Leg Cramps Treatment: Pre-Surgery vs. Post-Procedure Instructions

At least 24 hours before your venous ablation procedure, you should increase your fluid intake, perhaps drinking at least a couple glasses of water during the morning of your leg cramps treatment surgery. Only a light breakfast is recommended.

Dress comfortably and loosely, since the area being examined will require removal of all clothing and jewelry. You may even be required to wear a gown. Make sure you arrange for someone to drive you to and from the procedure. Well before your ablation, you’ll be asked to schedule your follow-up ultrasound within 2 – 5 days after.

Your pre-surgery ultrasound time will be confirmed before the procedure; however, don’t be surprised if there’s a change in your overall arrival time.

As soon as you complete the procedure and immediate post-surgery checkup, you can resume normal activities. However, you should probably avoid long periods of sitting or standing. Also, you hold off on performing any strength activities or heavy lifting. First, you should see a pain management specialist for a follow-up appointment. Your puncture sites may leak clear or color-tinted fluid following your ablation, but there’s no need to worry — this is extremely rare.

For 2 – 4 weeks, you may wear compression stockings (after wearing a compression bandage for 48 – 72 hours post-surgery). You’ll also be taking a pain reliever, as directed by your doctor. It won’t take long for your leg cramps all day and night to cease — maybe just a few days. It all depends on your personal situation and healthy recovery outlook.

Additionally, depending on your circumstance, a follow-up ultrasound may be recommended approximately six months after the procedure.

How is Venous Ablation Different from Vein Stripping?

Men and women both seek ablation surgery for different reasons. Despite this, this common leg cramps treatment treats common characteristics that women report especially well. Characteristics like pain, achiness, and heaviness. It doesn’t necessarily treat the symptoms men report as well. Symptoms like swollen feet and ankles, inflammation, and itching.

While this procedure is beneficial for both men and women, it’s also interesting that some women experience fewer complications than their male counterparts on average. Fortunately, venous ablation is minimally invasive for the majority of patients.

So how does it compare to vein stripping? Doctors typically perform vein stripping while you’re under general anesthetic. Most consider it much more invasive than modern alternatives for removing varicose, spider, and damaged veins. In fact, most vascular specialists no longer recommend it because it affects the health of veins. On top of that, it’s painful.

The recovery process from vein stripping takes as long as three weeks, and scarring is possible. Stripping surgeries are usually associated with anesthesia-induced allergic reactions, infections at the incision site, more bleeding, blood clotting, more scarring or bruising, and sometimes an injury to your nerves.

Overall, whenever any procedure is performed, there are risks involved and outcomes cannot be guaranteed. It’s important to discuss these risks with your doctor before proceeding in any direction. Your surgeon will answer any questions you may have, including tips to deal with leg cramps all day and night before you even enter surgery.

Wellness and Pain Can Help

A range of leg cramps 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. Our goals are to improve mobility and mental space and improve your overall health.

A visualization of a young woman experiencing leg muscle cramps in her calf.

21Dec2023

wellnesspain Leg Pain

Leg Muscle Cramps

What’s the Connection Between Leg Muscle Cramps and Peripheral Neuropathy?

Leg muscle cramps — or involuntary contractions of your legs and feet at night — are also known as nocturnal leg cramps, and they can cause serious pain, sleep disruption patterns, and health issues. Several factors, including Peripheral Neuropathy, can contribute to these cramps, although the exact cause is unknown.

The most common causes of muscle cramps while sleeping include muscle fatigue, overuse, dehydration, nerve compression, medications, and underlying medical conditions. In addition to overuse, strenuous exercise, standing or walking for long periods, and not stretching regularly can cause muscle fatigue. At the same time, dehydration can cause electrolyte imbalances in potassium, calcium, and magnesium.

Even certain heart, blood pressure, and cholesterol medications — such as statins, diuretics, and beta-blockers — can cause leg cramps. There are also underlying health conditions that can cause issues as well, such as kidney disease, diabetes, pregnancy, and thyroid problems.

Peripheral Neuropathy, however, can cause nerve compression and muscle spasms, especially at nighttime when you’re sleeping. Calf, foot, thigh, or toe pain can occur suddenly, followed by tightness or stiffness in the affected muscle.

How Peripheral Neuropathy and Leg Muscle Cramps are Connected

If you’re having Peripheral Neuropathy issues, nerve damage outside your brain and spinal cord can lead to leg muscle cramps, which entails damage to motor neurons, hyper-excitability of your nerves, Impaired Proprioception, and electrolyte imbalances.

When neurons — which transmit signals from the brain to the muscles — are damaged and send erratic signals, it results in involuntary muscle contractions. A common example is Motor Neurone Disease (MND), a rare disorder that gradually damages the nervous system. A damaged nerve may become hypersensitive to stimuli, such as changes in temperature or pressure, causing spontaneous muscle firing and spasms (called hyper-excitability and also sometimes known as Peripheral Nerve Hyper-excitability Syndrome).

Impaired Proprioception is a condition where your body can’t perceive its position in space. Peripheral Neuropathy can impair this “space” sense, resulting in spasms, since muscles cannot relax and contract as they should. On top of this, a lack of electrolytes can also be a problem. Electrolyte imbalances cause muscle cramps and spasms in patients with Peripheral Neuropathy, especially when they also suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes or kidney disease.

While all of these factors can lead to muscle weakness and atrophy — making muscles more susceptible to fatigue — poor circulation can also contribute to muscle cramps while sleeping in patients suffering from Peripheral Neuropathy. As a result, muscles become even more prone to spasms, due to decreased blood flow.

Causes and Symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy

Peripheral Neuropathy is caused by a variety of factors, not the least of which is diabetes, which are both oftentimes directly or indirectly connected to leg muscle cramps. High blood sugar levels can damage nerves over time, resulting in Peripheral Neuropathy in up to 70 percent of all diabetics in the United States.

Alcohol abuse and vitamin deficiencies are also contributing factors to Peripheral Neuropathy. Vitamins B1, B6, B12, and E are essential for your body to conduct basic nerve functions. In addition to damaging nerves directly, alcohol interferes with the absorption of vitamins important for nerve health.

Don’t disregard autoimmune diseases, infections, or injuries either. Autoimmune diseases like Guillain-Barre Syndrome (the immune system harms the nerves), Lupus, and Rheumatoid Arthritis can cause neuropathy. Viral infections such as Shingles and Epstein-Barr can also cause nerve damage. Not to mention, physical trauma like a car accident, a bad fall, or some other physical altercation can cause nerve damage as well.

Exposure to toxins (lead, arsenic, and mercury) and chemotherapy drugs can also cause Peripheral Neuropathy — as a side effect. Additionally, numbness, tingling, or muscle weakness can be inflicted by a range of inherited disorders, including Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (a defect that causes abnormalities in nerves within your limbs).

While there might be other causes besides the ones listed above that lead to muscle cramps while sleeping, it’s important to visit a pain management specialist or doctor if you’re experiencing symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy. Stay focused on determining the underlying cause so you can receive appropriate treatment.

Poor Blood Circulation, Leg Muscle Cramps, Factors, and Risks

Peripheral Neuropathy, poor blood circulation, and leg muscle cramps are all closely related through cause-and-effect factors and shared risks. First, a lack of oxygen and nutrients can damage and impair nerve function when blood flow to your nerves is restricted, with pain, numbness and tingling being some of the symptoms.

In addition to malnutrition and low oxygen, poor blood circulation can also be a direct cause of Peripheral Neuropathy. Damaged nerves can disrupt the signals controlling blood vessels, leading to reduced blood flow and circulation to certain areas. Nerve damage can get more aggravated, worsening your symptoms.

You can find some of the most common shared-risk factors in the above sections of this article. These are in addition to diabetes, autoimmune diseases, vascular diseases (such as Atherosclerosis or Peripheral Artery Disease), and vitamin deficiencies. As a result, Peripheral Neuropathy and poor blood circulation may worsen each other’s symptoms. They intertwine with these other shared risks. Having poor blood circulation, for example, can make it difficult for the body to deliver nutrients and oxygen to your nerves.

On the other hand, damaged nerves can disrupt the signals that control your blood vessels, causing further reductions in blood flow and even more muscle cramps while sleeping.

Peripheral Neuropathy Treatment and Underlying Causes

Your body can stimulate nerve regeneration and resolve Peripheral Neuropathy when underlying causes are corrected, nipping your leg muscle cramps in the bud. Maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding toxic exposures, eating a balanced diet, and correcting vitamin deficiencies can enhance nerve health and strength.

Exercising can also help, improving muscle strength, increasing blood flow to nerve endings, and limiting muscle atrophy. Diabetics and others with impaired pain perception can benefit from self-care skills to alleviate symptoms and induce nerve regeneration. Neuropathy can be reduced and further nerve damage avoided by strictly controlling your blood glucose levels.

When it comes to neuropathy and muscle cramps:

Drink plenty of water. Keep hydrated throughout the day by drinking liquids and fluids. After exercise, it’s important to drink water and other liquids to replenish your fluids.
Stretch before bedtime. You should stretch before going to sleep at night.
Engage in light exercise. You may prevent muscle cramps while sleeping by riding a stationary bike for a few minutes before bedtime.
Make sure your shoes are right for you. Leg cramps may be prevented by wearing shoes with proper support.
Let the covers hang loose. At the foot of the bed, loosen or untuck your bedsheets.
Get enough electrolytes. If you are deficient in electrolytes, speak with your doctor or pain management specialist about taking supplements.
Take a warm bath or shower. Relaxing your muscles and improving circulation can be achieved by taking a warm bath or shower before bed.
Massage yourself. Massage your calves and feet gently to relieve tension and improve blood flow.
Find an effective sleep position. A pillow inserted under your calf — and slightly flexed feet — may help you sleep better.

A pain management specialist can determine the underlying cause of your muscle cramps. Don’t let them continue ruining your life.

Wellness and Pain Can Help

A range of options for treating leg muscle cramps 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.

An x-ray view of a young woman's leg showing the muscles involved in calf cramps and pain.

14Dec2023

wellnesspain Leg Pain

Calf Cramps

Calf Cramps vs. Spasms: The Intertwined Relationship

There’s a difference between calf cramps and calf spasms when it comes to what sparks them, their duration, and your level of pain.

Calf cramps are more intense, prolonged contractions, and their duration can range from a few minutes to several hours. Muscle overuse or dehydration can cause calf cramps, and those enduring them can suffer from severe and debilitating pain.

However, an involuntary contraction of your calf muscles can cause a spasm. Inflammation of the nerves or muscle fatigue is often the cause of spasm symptoms. In fact, it’s possible for calf spasms to be painful, yet oftentimes mild and short-lived.

Whether it’s a cramp or spasm, studies have been published over the years on both conditions, and experts have specifically reported an association between nighttime leg cramps and sleep disruption. In general, 24 percent of patients have reported distressing pain when they go through constant leg cramps at night, with symptoms lasting nine minutes on average.

What’s Behind Calf Cramps in Muscles Versus a Spasm?

Anyone suffering from calf cramps knows that painful muscle spasms can also be connected to each nighttime cramping episode. Let’s start with a basic understanding of what’s actually happening in your body.

Your blood and circulatory system transport hydration and nutrients. They carry oxygen, vitamins, and water, as well as antibodies where they need to go. Blood moving into your muscles also accounts for the chemical interaction that allows your muscles to contract.

Blood flows faster through your veins when you exercise, because vessels widen and your heart rate increases. When you stop exercising, blood-flow slows down, vessels stop widening, and toxins begin to accumulate. You eventually end up with a painful muscle cramp from the build-up of toxins in your body in a scenario like this. Muscle cramps are more likely to occur when your workout intensity changes, with individuals in great physical condition usually only having leg cramps very briefly.

Muscle cramps can occur in many parts of the body, including the feet, hands, arms, and legs. Occasionally, chronic neck and back pain is caused by frequent muscle spasms in the neck, mid-back, and lower back. Constant leg cramps at night usually occur right in the middle of your seven-to-nine-hour sleep period, often waking you up.

There are many cases of nighttime leg cramps, also known as Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). Most adults will experience nocturnal leg cramps at some point in their lives.

What Do Multiple Cramps in the Same Muscle Mean?

A strained or damaged muscle that’s near the cramped area may be the cause of your calf cramps. This is especially true if it occurs frequently in the same muscle. To repair damaged soft tissues such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments, the body grows scar tissue and adhesions. These bind torn tissue back together as quickly as possible.

Due to its non-elasticity, scar tissue will usually lead to a loss of range of motion. You may experience scar tissue for weeks, months, or even years, depending on how active you are. It’s important to see a physician or pain management specialist if you experience ongoing muscle spasms that cause daily stiffness and tightness. This — combined with scar tissue build-up and adhesions — can sometimes lead to even more pain, which is a very debilitating lifestyle. Eventually, scar tissue can stiffen your muscles, entrap nerves, and restrict movement, thereby reducing soft tissue elasticity and blood circulation.

While constant leg cramps at night are an issue for many, muscle spasms are usually associated, which are characterized by a tightening or stiffening of the muscle. For women, it’s good to know that menstruation and pregnancy are the most common causes (and most benign) of muscle spasms.

In addition to poor circulation in the legs, alcoholism and cardiovascular diseases can cause muscle spasms. Spinal issues like arthritic changes and spinal cord injuries can cause muscle spasms too. So can hormonal issues, underactive thyroids, low red blood cell count, and nerve dysfunction. Not to mention a myriad of other conditions like kidney failure and low mineral levels (Namely potassium or calcium). Numerous medications can also lead to muscle spasms, as well as prevalent diseases of the nervous system.

Anatomy of a Calf Muscle and Your Calf Cramps

Walking, running, and jumping are all activities that require healthy calf muscles so you don’t end up with calf cramps. Many athletics and sports hobbies also need healthy muscles, so it’s important for overall performance — whether daily at work, outside, at home, or having fun.

First, consider the back side of your lower leg. It’s a sturdy, powerful engine that propels you forward. There are two main muscles in the calf, as well as a few support muscles that work together. Calf muscles consist of two different types (gastrocnemius and soleus), which amount to two powerhouses combined to make up the Triceps Surae — your strongest muscle group in the lower leg.

This bulge at the back of your lower leg is commonly referred to as your chief calf muscle, with a single tendon connecting to your ankle. A broad, flat muscle lies beneath the gastrocnemius and plays a key role in downward flexible movement of your foot. Your Achilles Tendon originates from the shin bone and calf bone, joining to your gastrocnemius.

It gets even more complex — and amazing. Between your calf muscles and heel bone, the Achilles Tendon is the largest and strongest in your entire body. When walking, running, or jumping, it transmits the muscle’s force for a flexible range of motion. To support this structure, a thick layer of fascia surrounds your calf muscles, providing them with stability. Nerves and blood vessels travel through the fascia, carrying nutrients and controlling muscle movement.

Calves are remarkable muscles that power our everyday movements and athletic endeavors. Due to their intricate anatomy — consisting of powerful muscles, supportive tendons, and protective fascia — they are able to move efficiently and provide stability.

Here’s a helpful reminder. Next time you flex your foot or step forward, take note of this remarkable muscle group’s strength and coordination. Remember it when you suffer from constant leg cramps at night.

Your Calves are More Than Surface Deep

It’s important to remember that valves in your blood veins deteriorate as you age, resulting in less blood flow to your heart and potential “heaviness” or calf cramps in your legs. This problem is exacerbated for some individuals by consuming an unhealthy diet and living an unhealthy lifestyle. Improper blood circulation causes swelling — and that’s not good.

The most common cause of “venous insufficiency” is in older adults and those who don’t take their diet as seriously as they should. In most cases, this condition links itself to your heart and circulatory system. As such, shortness of breath, chest pain, and abnormal heart rhythms can accompany your leg swelling. Inflammation also finds other parts of your body. Your leg swelling just might be signaling a more serious problem.

Doctors often associate some of these symptoms with more serious circulatory conditions, such as Superficial Venous Insufficiency (SVI), Deep Venous Insufficiency (DVI), Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), varicose veins (twisted and enlarged veins), and edema (swelling caused by trapped fluids). In addition, infections, injuries, and arthritis can also cause swelling in your legs.

A little puffiness won’t cause any problems if it goes away within a day or two. However, if your constant leg cramps at night won’t stop, an experienced pain management specialist should be consulted if the pain persists — especially if only one leg is affected (rather than both) or if other bodily symptoms are present.

Wellness and Pain Can Help

A range of options for treating calf cramps 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.

A young woman in bed, grabbing her calf because of pain caused by leg cramps while sleeping.

7Dec2023

wellnesspain Leg Pain

Leg Cramps While Sleeping

Combatting Leg Cramps While Sleeping: Pillows, Mattresses, & More

There are more than a few tricks you can try if your position in bed is causing tense leg cramps while sleeping. For starters, you can use pillows to relax your feet and legs. You can also use them to prevent your toes from tensing by raising your feet. You can even consider raising your legs with a wedge pillow.

Sleeping on your side can keep your spine aligned and body relaxed with a knee pillow between your legs. Many people suffering from pain use orthopedic leg pillows to improve their sleeping experiences. Knee pillows also present themselves as a useful tool, especially for side sleepers. For those suffering from frequent night leg cramps, experts recommend sleeping on their backs with a pillow underneath their knees.

Those who sleep on their stomachs should scoot down a few inches until their feet hang off the bed. By doing this, you’ll keep your body relaxed and less likely to tense or cramp. There are times when your body or leg position may be the cause of leg cramps. In fact, calf cramps every night can be particularly problematic when you sleep with your feet pointed downwards.

Poor sleep posture is one of the underlying causes of a disturbing night’s sleep. Just as having a good sitting posture during the day is important, having a healthy sleeping posture at night is also important, helping you alleviate leg cramps and pain while sleeping.

Leg Cramps While Sleeping and the Advantages of Leg Pillows

The number of adults reporting leg cramps while sleeping across the nation is increasing. Since having your legs and hips twisted while sleeping can aggravate these cramps, you may want to consider the circulatory benefits of placing a soft pillow between your legs to keep them loose.

Without adequate support, sleeping on your side can bend or twist your spine, with joints becoming strained if you stay like that all night. A pillow between your legs helps you sleep on your side properly and enjoy:

Increased blood circulation. Your vena cava, the central vein transporting blood to your heart, will be fully opened when you place a pillow between your legs.
By keeping your knees stacked up, pressure is relieved. As a result, your hips and pelvis are aligned and discomfort is relieved in your lower extremities. This prevents your hip from twisting and pulling your spine out of alignment, keeping calf cramps every night at bay.
Sleep apnea sufferers and nearly anybody else may benefit from side sleeping. Sleeping in this position stabilizes your airways and reduces the likelihood of you obstructing them. By keeping the spine aligned, you reduce the risks of sleep apnea, as well as neck and back pain.

On a side note, these options are also great for those suffering from lower back pain or leg pain, particularly sciatica. In any case, you should consult a doctor or pain management specialist for sleeping, circulatory, and pain problems. However, pillows between your legs in bed — and knee cushions between your knees — offer healthy benefits for those trying to cope every night.

How to Correctly Use a Wedge Pillow, and Why It Helps

An orthopedic wedge pillow can improve your sleep quality. Millions of patients have touted their nighttime success in beating back leg cramps while sleeping. It has a triangular shape and a tapered incline. Your upper body or legs can be lifted 6 – 12 inches, which can raise the body or legs between 30 and 45 degrees.

Here’s where a wedge pillow is particularly beneficial:

Back sleeping and leg articulation. A wedge pillow under the knees of back-sleepers can relieve pressure on your lower back, helping muscles fully relax. Sleeping with your legs raised increases blood circulation, preventing swelling in your legs and feet (and inhibiting varicose veins from forming). Improved circulation also promotes healing and recovery for those with heart disease and other serious medical conditions.
Side sleeping with an elevated position. A wedge pillow maintains the spine in a neutral position when side sleeping, preventing tension from building in back muscles. A memory foam wedge with a medium-firm feel will also cradle your shoulders. This prevents any pressure points and brings relief from calf cramps every night.
Reclining in an upright position. Wedge pillows can be placed flat on a mattress if you enjoy reading in bed. If you have a headboard or wall behind your bed, the pillow’s flat side should rest against it. This pillow position allows you to recline upright without putting pressure on your neck or upper back.
Sleeping on your back. When lying on your back, snoring and sleep apnea symptoms can worsen. Those with sleep apnea may experience breathing stops and starts because of relaxed tissue in their throats. With a wedge pillow under your upper body (and the pillow’s thinnest area resting near the middle of your back), your airway will open when reclining, making breathing easier and preventing obstructions caused by lazy-tongue.

Using the Right Mattress to Battle Leg Cramps While Sleeping

You might also experience leg cramps while sleeping if you sleep on a poor-quality mattress. A comfortable, pricier mattress is sometimes essential to a good night’s sleep for many patients, which means it’s key to fighting back cramping and pain.

Hybrid mattresses and memory foam mattresses relieve pressure and provide optimal support for your muscles and joints, especially because of their contour-adapting capabilities. These mattresses — sometimes called “cloud mattresses” — have a plush feel. Cloud mattresses vary significantly between brands. Be sure to find a guide that helps you ensure the mattress you want checks all the right boxes. Support, comfort, and cooling are all equally important before you buy a new bed, and cloud mattresses differ from other types of mattresses.

On the firmness scale, cloud mattresses retain their softness through a layered memory foam, which means latex or traditional spring mattresses are not available in the cloud mattress category. Firmer mattresses come with a lot of buoyancy, which offers a “bouncy” sensation — but there is little to no bounce in a cloud mattress. Memory foam cloud mattresses tend to perform better when it comes to comfort and support than other types of mattresses.

Several brands offer cloud mattresses. Other types of mattress foam typically can’t match the plushness of memory foam. Overall, they offer unique motion isolation, superior cooling, and quality support to give you the best night’s sleep for avoiding calf cramps every night and other lower-extremity pain.

Exercise, Footwear, Hydration, and Hot-Cold Therapy

Leg cramps while sleeping can result in aching and tightening sensations, which can lead to poor rest, affecting your overall quality of life. It’s a disorder affecting more than half of all U.S. adults at some point in their lives.

Your pain management specialist or doctor may be able to identify a cause for leg cramps based on your medical history and help you develop a treatment plan to alleviate this nighttime problem:

Leg cramps can be prevented by exercising your legs before bed. Take a few minutes to stretch or pedal on an exercise bike. Also, sleep in loose, light, and untucked bedding. Tucked-in bedding that is heavy can put extra pressure on your legs.
Use comfortable, supportive footwear throughout the day and drink plenty of water. Keeping your feet and legs healthy requires proper hydration and good footwear.
Using your hands to massage the affected area can help you ease the cramp. The cramping muscle can also be relaxed by stretching and straightening your leg, as well as walking on your heels for a few minutes.
Heat or cold therapy can also be used. Warm towels or heating pads can ease sore muscles, as can warm baths or cold ice massages.

Suffering from calf cramps every night can also be indicative of a more serious health problem. Consider consulting a pain management specialist if your cramps are unbearably painful or disruptive to your normal routine.

Wellness and Pain Can Help

A range of options for treating leg cramps while sleeping 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.

A woman walking through her living room and stopping to grab her leg because calf cramps at night awoke her.

28Nov2023

wellnesspain Leg Pain

Calf Cramps at Night

Immediate and Long-Term Relief for Your Calf Cramps at Night

Calf cramps at night can cause tight and knotted pain in your legs, and in some cases they last for several minutes. It may take days for your muscle to recover from a severe evening cramp without the right treatment.

Here’s a commonality: Leg cramps and Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) both occur at night. In contrast to painful muscle cramps, RLS causes long-term discomfort and a physical desire to intermittently move your legs nearly all night long.

Nearly one in two people over the age of 60 suffer from a limited to chronic variation of nocturnal leg cramps, an issue that can impact your quality of life significantly. There is often a link between these cramps and other cramps elsewhere in the body, as well as high blood pressure, diabetes, venous insufficiency, and peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

According to another study, 84 percent of patients with Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) experience RLS or nighttime leg cramps. Untreated cramping, especially when your leg is swollen, can cause further complications. Some of these complications include discoloration or changes in skin texture, ultimately causing ulceration and infection.

To fully understand what’s going on when one or more muscles tighten suddenly and unexpectedly, it’s helpful to break down the science behind your chronic calf cramps into visuals and digestible nuggets.

Conditions and Factors Behind Your Calf Cramps at Night

The culprit behind your calf cramps at night can vary. They can happen from exercising or hard work — especially in the heat — and there are also some medicines and illnesses that cause bad muscle cramps.

Cramping occurs mostly in leg muscles, especially in the calf — usually lasting long enough to warrant anything from careful observation to actual treatment (or something in between). The area might be sore for hours or days after the cramp subsides.

Muscle cramps are usually harmless, but other incidents might come from medical conditions such as insufficient blood flow, nerve compression, or a mineral deficiency, leading to chronic calf cramps. When exercising, a cramping pain in your legs and feet can be caused by narrowing of your arteries that supply blood to the legs. As soon as you stop exercising, the cramps usually disappear.

Pressure on the nerves of the spine can also cause cramping pain in the legs. Walking usually worsens the pain in this situation. However, by walking slightly bent forward you actually ease the pain at times. This method looks and feels similar to when you push a heavy shopping cart.

Besides being overweight and not staying active, other factors can cause calf cramps at night:

Sweating excessively. Playing sports often leads to muscle cramps for athletes who get tired and sweat a lot.
Being pregnant. Extra weight and blood flow that accompanies the supply of oxygen and nutrients to a baby can cause muscle cramps.
Your age. Age slowly decreases muscle mass. As a result, your muscles cannot work as hard as they used to. Sudden or harsh stimuli can stress them beyond what they’re capable of.
Health and medical problems. Diabetes, liver disease, and thyroid illness can also cause muscle cramps. Other health or medical conditions impact them as well.

For the Time Being, Elevate Your Legs While Sleeping

Calf cramps at night can often be treated with a simple leg elevation pillow. These specialized pillows make sleeping more comfortable, ease lower back pain or knee pain, and assist in post-surgery recovery if needed.

But how does this work? Circulation is improved by raising your legs above your body. By raising your legs, your heart can more efficiently draw up oxygen-depleted blood from your veins. Whenever you raise your legs, you help deliver oxygen to every cell and every tissue in your body.

Leg elevation pillows can help ease inflammation, lower extremity swelling, and the pain inflicted by leg ulcers and varicose veins, as well as reduce the likelihood of blood clots. By flattening the lumbar spine, the pillows can also help decrease back pain. Overall, swelling and pain are reduced.

A leg elevation pillow usually has a washable cover, dense memory foam, breathable material, and a posture-boosting shape that makes it popular. You won’t feel like you’re lying on a board all night because it’s firm, yet soft. Non-slip pillows are designed with cooling gel foam to prevent overheating.

Sleep can feel elusive for those suffering from chronic calf cramps, but this “wedge” can make all the difference.

Besides using the pillow, you can stretch your calf and foot muscles before bed to prevent cramps. Also, moving around enough during every daily activity, errand, or chore can help, as well as drinking lots of water. When sleeping on your back, wear socks that are comfortable and supportive, and be sure your covers are loose.

Health, Lifestyle, and Prevention of Calf Cramps at Night

While neurological disorders, alcohol abuse, low blood sugar, hormone issues, insufficient vitamin intake, flat feet, pregnancy, and nerve damage are all related to calf cramps at night, a pain management specialist can identify the immediate steps you should take to improve your quality of life despite these conditions.

They include:

Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) or Endovenous Laser Ablation (EVLA). Fortunately, these are minimally invasive surgeries. Heat is delivered through a tube (catheter) to close the vein. Blood “pools” less once the vein is closed, and blood flow is improved.
Sclerotherapy. This is for more serious cases. Specialists inject the affected veins with a unique chemical. As a result, the chemical scars the vein seals it off. In turn, blood redirects itself and finds healthier veins to flow through. As time progresses, your body actually absorbs the closed-off veins.
Medications. A combination of compression therapy and medicines that increase blood flow through the vessels may help heal leg ulcers. In addition, after proper consultation with a doctor, you can also treat them with aspirin. However, doctors don’t usually recommend diuretics (medicines that pull excess fluid from the body through the kidneys). You can use them if other conditions such as heart failure or kidney disease also contribute to swelling. Diet can also cause chronic calf cramps. A lack of potassium, calcium, and magnesium can drastically affect your muscles. An eating lifestyle coupled with medications commonly prescribed for high blood pressure can cause these minerals to exit your body faster than they enter it.
Surgical procedure. When the situation is severe, vein stripping is an option. Blood can no longer flow through the affected vein after the stripping, as veins with heavily damaged valves are removed.

Relief Starts with Diagnosis and Ends with Proper Treatment

First and foremost, you should incorporate a heart-healthy diet into your 24-hour lifestyle to help rid yourself of calf cramps at night. You can maintain a healthy circulatory system by limiting red meat, processed meats, processed and added sugars, salt and high-sodium foods, highly processed foods, saturated fats, and trans fats. Instead, increase your intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy, and olive oil or grapeseed oil when cooking.

Remember that cramping and aching legs can be prevented by treating the underlying vessel disease (usually vessel insufficiency). The goal of pain management is to close off problematic vessels and treat vessel insufficiency with a variety of minimally invasive, effective procedures.

Most commonly, weak or damaged vessels cause your chronic calf cramps. These compromised vessels prevent your body from cleaning waste and byproducts from your blood. However, most patients don’t necessarily exhibit these physical symptoms. This quandary is even in conjunction with varicose and spider veins. It’s common for leg cramps to be the only symptom of vessel disease if any symptoms exist at all.

Sclerotherapy or vessel ablation are usually the best treatments for leg cramps. It’s difficult to live with chronic calf cramps, but fortunately there is a cure.

Wellness and Pain Can Help

A range of options for treating calf 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.

A close-up of the potential results of untreated heaviness in legs, an elderly man's lower leg bruised and swollen.

24Nov2023

wellnesspain Leg Pain

Heaviness in Legs

The ‘Heaviness in Legs’ Question: Diet, Age, or Both?

When you’re in moderate to good health, it’s likely your “heaviness in legs” issue and related pain isn’t due to any major heart conditions. Oftentimes, this phenomenon is caused by reduced blood flow through your veins due to a confluence of aging and other factors, which is a different yet connected issue altogether.

No matter how old you are, you may not be in the greatest health — or at least as healthy as you once were. Take a minute and gently press your lower leg. Is the indent from your fingers visible for more than a few seconds? It’s likely you have a buildup of excess fluid.

If you have trouble putting on or taking off socks or shoes, you may have swelling that you shouldn’t ignore any longer. Individuals suffering from swollen legs often endure puffy, stretched or shiny skin, and those particular areas may even feel tightly stretched and painful to the touch.

While immediate pain management and medical care is available, your diet should not be overlooked. Maintaining healthy eating and better foods can pay off as you start your pain management journey. How to relieve swelling in legs is a process. We first must understand what’s happening under your skin.

Heaviness in Legs: What’s Happening to Me?

As we age, our veins’ valves deteriorate, resulting in decreased blood flow to the heart and possibly heaviness in legs. On top of aging, unhealthy diets and lifestyles only exacerbate the problem.

Swelling occurs when blood pools instead of circulating properly. In older adults and those not taking their diet as seriously as they should, “venous insufficiency” is the most common cause. Due to the direct connection between this health problem and your heart’s circulatory system, swelling in your legs can be accompanied by shortness of breath, chest pains, abnormal heart rhythms, and inflammation in other areas (such as your hands or abdomen). Leg swelling is often a sign of a more serious problem.

Unfortunately, these symptoms sometimes present themselves alongside more serious circulatory problems. Some of these problems include Superficial Venous Insufficiency (SVI), Deep Venous Insufficiency (DVI), and Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). However, that’s not all. Other problems include Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), varicose veins (twisted and enlarged veins), and edema (swelling from trapped fluid). A number of other conditions can also cause swelling in your legs as well, including infections, injuries, and arthritic conditions.

First, it’s probably no concern if the puffiness goes away within a day or two. However, longer-term symptoms should be evaluated by a pain management specialist, especially if it affects only one leg (rather than both) or is compounded by other bodily symptoms.

Secondly, how to relieve swelling in legs should be your immediate priority. Some transformational food and eating habits — and home remedies — can help as your pain management specialist develops a treatment plan.

What to Think About Cholesterol, Fats, Sugar, and Sodium

While your heaviness in legs problem is often caused by underlying issues such as obesity, a healthier diet can help you combat the swelling. It’s a powerful thing when you apply better food-eating habits regularly each day.

The process begins with cholesterol, a fat-like substance. Cholesterol builds cell membranes, vitamin D and hormones, but too much can be harmful to your heart. Red meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products are all large sources of cholesterol.

Carbohydrates play a role as well. These “macro-nutrients” provide energy to the body by being converted into glucose (or molecular sugar). Carbohydrates include starches — such as potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, and cereal — sugars and fiber (fruits, whole grains, nuts, etc.).

Of course, fats cannot be ignored. Butter, palm oil, coconut oil, cheese, and red meat contain saturated fats. Likewise, trans fat (trans-unsaturated fatty acids) pose a great threat. They are partially hydrogenated oils manufactures create by turning liquid oils into semi-solid fats at room temperature. People often use them in cookies, cakes, crackers, frozen meals, frosting, and fast food).

A healthier option is monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature while polyunsaturated fats are solid at room temperature. These unsaturated fats are found in fish, nuts, seeds, olives, avocados, and other healthy foods and oils.

If how to relieve swelling in legs is important to you, remember to limit red meat, processed meats, processed and added sugars, salt and high-sodium foods, highly processed foods, saturated fats, and trans fats to support a healthy heart and circulatory system. Eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy, and olive oil or grapeseed oil — and don’t be stingy with the herbs and spices (as opposed to salt).

Food Considerations, Practical Advice, and Heaviness in Legs

A heart-healthy diet doesn’t necessarily command a specific number of meals or timing of meals. However, you should spread your meals evenly throughout the day. You should do this as you incorporate eating strategies to combat heaviness in legs.

What’s a healthy eating strategy? For starters, place the saltshaker out of sight when you’re dining out. Consider substituting steamed vegetables for mashed potatoes and gravy or a side salad for fries. These healthier trade-offs are key to changing your habits and mindset.

You can also ask for sauces and dressings on the side instead of being smothered over your appetizer or entrée. Before ordering, ask for nutrition information and choose a low-sodium, low-fat option. Pick water over soda and alcohol every opportunity you have.

When shopping at your local grocery store, choose pre-packaged and canned foods that are reduced sodium, low sodium, or salt-free. Select frozen vegetables without salt or sauces — or when buying anything frozen for that matter. Whenever possible, you should choose poultry, fish, and lean meats with the lowest amount of sodium and saturated fat. Also, you should avoid cured, salted, or smoked processed meats.

Taking the Food Considerations Home

When cooking at home, use high-heat olive oil instead of butter when boiling, steaming, roasting, or lightly sautéing. Baking, broiling, stir-frying, sautéing, or grilling are preferred over deep-frying for poultry and fish. Remove the salt shaker from your table, since even a little “shake” can add a lot of sodium. Instead, spice up your meals with herbs, spices, garlic, onion, and citrus zest and juices.

If you have a special diet, feel free to adjust the recipes. Add less salt than called for, substitute butter for a healthier fat (such as olive oil or grapeseed oil), or use whole grains instead of refined grains. Reduce your prepackaged food consumption by cooking from scratch or semi-scratch as much as possible.

Believe it or not, how to relieve swelling in legs comes down to incorporating these food considerations and practical advice into your lifestyle — for just about anyone.

Smart Choices, Home Remedies, and Consistent Exercise

Some patients choose to kickstart their cholesterol-lowering journey with a meal delivery service as they get on track to defeating their heaviness in legs. Those with chronic diseases affected by diet — including cardiovascular risk factors such as high cholesterol — could benefit from this convenient option.

Besides your diet, remember that rest, ice, compression, and elevation are also common ways in how to relieve swelling in legs. Ice packs wrapped in a towel help numb the pain and reduce swelling when applied to the affected area to prevent further injury. By using a reclining chair or stool, you can elevate your feet above your heart level and relieve some of the pressure. You might also experience worse symptoms if you sit or stand for too long.

Moderate exercise also keeps your blood pumping and improves risk factors such as high blood pressure. You should increase your exercise activity levels, as physical activity supports cardiovascular health and helps prevent heart failure and numerous other chronic diseases. High-intensity interval training, which alternates short bouts of intense exercise with less vigorous ones, has been shown to support and strengthen the heart.

Living a healthy lifestyle, eating the right foods, being physically active, and managing stress can all have a significant impact on your risk of congestive heart failure. Nevertheless, it can also be a useful sidekick as you look into immediate pain management treatment for your heavy and swollen legs.

Wellness and Pain Can Help

A range of options for treating heaviness in legs 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.

A close-up of an elderly woman in an exam room having her calves examined because her legs feel heavy.

11Nov2023

wellnesspain Circulation, Leg Pain

Legs Feel Heavy?

Do Your Legs Feel Heavy? Here’s What’s Happening Under the Surface…

When your legs feel heavy, it’s usually a symptom of venous insufficiency — but it can also happen from a combination of other factors. Leg heaviness, aching in the lower extremity of your body, and tiredness and fatigue are common symptoms that can sometimes hit you all at once.

It’s even worse when you stand or sit for a long time, although it may feel better when you lie down or elevate your legs. Those suffering from “heavy legs” say their legs are achy, tired, crampy, and stiff. Besides feeling heavy, your legs can also look swollen from circulatory problems, pale or bluish from poor circulation, and bumpy from varicose veins.

Every now and then, many individuals get heavy legs for various reasons. It’s possible you sat too long or worked out too hard during your daily exercise. But you should see a pain management specialist or doctor if the pain lasts more than a few days or your symptoms are bothersome.

Poor blood circulation throughout your lower limbs often causes aching heavy legs. People commonly refer to this condition as “heavy leg syndrome.” In addition to the symptoms already mentioned, tingling, numbness, mild edema (trapped fluid), and varicose veins (twisted or enlarged veins) characterize venous insufficiency. Although your discomfort is usually mild, it still hurts.

Though heavy legs are a common phenomenon, eventually one’s Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) can cause phlebitis (inflammation) and thrombosis (blood clot formation). One-way valves keep blood from flowing backward down your legs, but if these valves get damaged, blood can pool and cause various types of pain, including heaviness.

Your aching heavy legs from an underlying vascular disease is usually treatable, and symptoms will likely improve if you follow your doctor’s treatment plan.

Some Underlying Causes When Your Legs Feel Heavy

People often mistake “heavy legs” for fatigue or simply as part of the gaining process. Many patients aren’t aware of the underlying health issues that contribute directly to when their legs feel heavy. A pain management specialist should monitor you regularly if you have a vascular disease.

Over the years, the varicose veins you are seeing can cause Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI), which can also happen if something damages your valves, such as Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). Additional venous problems include:

A condition called “Superficial Venous Insufficiency” (SVI), which causes leg discomfort from increased venous pressure or pooling of blood in the superficial veins of the legs, happens because blood isn’t properly pumped back to the heart. Usually it’s accompanied by swelling, throbbing, and aching in the legs.
Despite similar symptoms to SVI, Deep Venous Insufficiency (DVI) affects your deep veins. The difference between SVI and DVI is often hard to tell until a pain management specialist or doctor diagnoses you. SVI and DVI can happen together or separately.
Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) can also cause aching heavy legs. Plaque buildup in the arteries makes it hard for the body to deliver oxygen to your lower extremities (hips, legs and feet). As a result, you get the heavy, aching feeling associated with PAD. Symptoms like these are typically associated with increased activity levels, such as walking.

Varicose veins also deserve a quick explainer. Compared to surrounding veins, these look more prominent and knotty. Because of gravity and elasticity loss, blood begins to pool as circulation decreases, and blood clots are possible. In addition to obesity, aging, and hormonal imbalances, occupations requiring long sitting or standing can contribute to varicose veins.

Swollen Leg Treatment: A Healthier Life is Waiting

If you don’t get the right swollen leg treatment for when your legs feel heavy, it can affect your quality of life. Your tired leg sensations are one of the most common vascular peripheral symptoms in society today, affecting up to 40 percent of people in developed countries. Despite this health issue, you can get healthier.

If your symptoms last a long time, you should see a pain management specialist. By reviewing your symptoms, applying the right treatment, analyzing your medical history, and completing any needed tests, you can work toward being pain-free. Ultrasounds and other tests can show how blood flows through your veins, leading to vessel ablation, massage therapy, acupuncture, or intravenous hydration.

Vein ablation is a minimally invasive procedure that seals off (or closes) certain veins. Treatments include varicose veins, spider veins, and venous insufficiency in general. It can be accomplished with radiofrequency ablation (RFA) or laser ablation, where a small probe is used to destroy the “problem veins.” This technological technique collapses a vein by heating it with radiofrequency energy.

Massage therapy and acupuncture therapy are also two options to consider for your aching heavy legs, depending on your circumstance.

Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) doesn’t happen overnight, and it doesn’t necessarily hit anyone suffering from varicose veins. In general, women, tall people, and overweight individuals are more likely to get it, as are people with a family history of CVI. In addition, those already having DVT in the legs, people who are middle-age or older, and those who are relatively inactive could eventually suffer from CVI.

Home Remedies for When Your Legs Feel Heavy

Before your pain management specialist develops a personalized treatment plan, some daily changes and home remedies can help when your legs feel heavy. Elevating your legs makes your body work less as it pumps blood through your lower extremities. You can ease some of the pressure by propping your feet above your heart level by using a reclining chair or stool.

As mentioned, if you sit or stand for too long, your symptoms might get worse. Since blood circulation may be improved by changing positions, always be on the alert for how you can switch things up while you’re sitting or standing. You can also wear tight compression socks or stockings to promote blood flow in your legs, which is especially helpful for people who work long hours.

You can also fight against heavy or swollen legs by integrating a healthier lifestyle, diet, or choices. Reducing salt intake (sodium) may eventually reduce discomfort caused by swelling if you’re consistent and apply other healthy food-eating habits simultaneously. Believe it or not, some doctors may also tell you to limit your water intake, depending on your medications. Smoking can negatively affect your circulation and make you feel heavy, fatigued, and tired over time — which means these symptoms may go away if you reduce or stop the habit.

To cap things off, stay active, stay away from hot baths, and work on losing some weight. The heat from hot water can widen your veins, which can make blood-flow difficult. Obesity is also a major risk factor for many of the underlying issues causing aching heavy legs — therefore, losing weight may help.

The last tip: Increase your activity levels. Moderate exercise keeps your blood pumping and improves risk factors (high blood pressure). To avoid overexertion, take rest days and breaks as needed.

Wellness and Pain Can Help

When your legs feel heavy, vascular disease can progress even if there aren’t any sideline symptoms. In fact, treatment may be immediately necessary if you haven’t taken action within weeks or months of noticing the heaviness.

A range of 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.

Extreme hip and leg pain causing a young woman to bend over and hold her lower back.

4Nov2023

wellnesspain Hip Pain, Leg Pain

Extreme Hip and Leg Pain

Extreme Hip and Leg Pain: It’s All About Your Blood Pressure

Hypertension (high blood pressure) affects millions of people worldwide. Experts associate it with several serious health problems like heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. They even associate it with extreme hip and leg pain. And even though high blood pressure doesn’t directly cause extreme hip pain, experts can’t overlook it. It contributes in subtle ways.

Consider the medical discoveries of Atherosclerosis and Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) over the decades. While they do not develop in everyone with high blood pressure, nonetheless, it’s still important to control your blood pressure.

Atherosclerosis is the constant pressure of blood (hypertension) against the artery walls, and it can damage their inner lining, making them more prone to plaque buildup. PAD is when some outside factor has somehow damaged or weakened the femoral artery and its branches. The femoral artery carries oxygenated blood to your lower extremities. Often, high blood pressure is the primary culprit. As a result, PAD can reduce blood flow to your legs and hips.

You can reduce the chances of developing these conditions and other serious health issues through healthier lifestyle choices, a proper diet, and other tools. However, the first step is to see a pain management specialist before embarking on some of these major behavior modifications.

Extreme Hip and Leg Pain Connected to High Blood Pressure

Experts refer to the actual pressure inside your arteries as “blood pressure.” And they consider approximately 120/80 (“120 over 80”) as medically “normal.” This measurement presents itself as possibly the healthiest measurement for combating extreme hip and leg pain. In this example, your systolic pressure is 120 and your diastolic pressure is 80.

Systolic is the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats, and diastolic is the pressure in your arteries “in between” heart beats. Put another way: Systolic blood pressure is the pumping and expanding of arteries for peak pressure, whereas diastolic blood pressure drops when the heart relaxes.

While blood pressure should not exceed 120/80, medical experts give ample leeway to many individuals. This is especially true considering everyone’s body is different (height, weight, metabolism). Many people need treatment if their blood pressure exceeds 130/80, yet many do not seek it.

If you have other medical conditions hampering your health, such as extreme hip pain, high blood pressure treatment might be good to consider. Through healthy lifestyle changes, you can lower your blood pressure. Consider exercising at least 150 minutes each week. If you smoke, get on a scheduled proactive plan to stop. Eat a balanced diet, including lots of fruits and vegetables, and minimize sodium and alcohol intake. Try maintaining a healthy weight and work-life stress.

You can also talk to your doctor about special blood pressure medication if needed.

What is Atherosclerosis, and How is it Related?

Atherosclerosis from high blood pressure means cholesterol, fat, and other substances can accumulate in your arteries, causing damage to the inner lining, plaque buildup, and eventually lower-extremity extreme hip and leg pain for many patients. Plaque is made up of fatty deposits and cellular waste.

Despite the fact high blood pressure is common in many individuals across the United States, do not be fooled — it’s not harmless. Besides adding pressure to the artery walls, high blood pressure can lead to Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), which is another risk, since blood cannot flow freely through your heart’s arteries. Blood vessels struggle to send enough blood, oxygen, and nutrients to your heart muscle, with outward symptoms including chest pain and shortness of breath. As a result, these blood vessels may become even more damaged, with plaque continuing to build up and causing arteries to narrow even more over the long term.

At a basic circulatory level, blood is pushed through your arteries into the entire body when your heart beats. Under high blood pressure, arteries throughout your body swell and stretch more than they would normally. In the long run, this stretching can damage the endothelium — the delicate lining of all arteries.

By keeping your blood pressure in a healthy range and protecting your endothelium from Atherosclerosis, you can actively prevent PAD and CAD, as well as extreme hip pain. An injured endothelium can lead to other concerns. It causes more low-density lipoprotein (or what circulatory specialists call “bad” cholesterol) and white blood cells to enter the arteries. Nobody should wish for a buildup of this cholesterol or fatty cells in their arterial walls.

Atherosclerosis Symptoms, Extreme Hip and Leg Pain, and Clots

There are typically no symptoms in the early stages of Atherosclerosis, which can be a tricky scenario to analyze for those suffering from extreme hip and leg pain. Whenever coronary arteries seriously restrict blood flow to the heart, you may feel chest pain, especially when exerting yourself or feeling angry or stressed.

To understand the symptoms of Atherosclerosis, it’s important to know which arteries are affected and how much blood flow is blocked. Symptoms other than chest pain include cold sweats, extreme tiredness, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, memory problems, weakness or numbness, and severe pain after eating.

Atherosclerosis can also cause extreme hip pain. When plaque hardens in and narrows the arteries, it reduces blood flow to your hips and legs. This lack of oxygen in your lower-side extremities can inflict pain, cramping, and fatigue. What’s really happening is blood clotting, also known as claudication.

With blood clots, the clot itself can completely block blood supply to an area. This blockage can eventually lead to multiple issues like tissue damage and gangrene if not addressed in due time. In conjunction with blood claudication, arthritis can also occur in your hips and legs as a result of Atherosclerosis. Cartilage that cushions the ends of your bones can be damaged due to reduced blood flow to your joints.

PAD Symptoms, Statistics, and Other Red Flags

When walking or exercising, Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) — the buildup of fatty deposits — can cause extreme hip and leg pain, cramping, and fatigue in your calves and buttocks. Depending on the severity of the disease, PAD may even result in gangrene or tissue damage (similar to bad cases of Atherosclerosis).

Up to six out of ten people with PAD in the United States experience leg pain each year. The physical signs of PAD are usually muscle atrophy (weakness); hair loss; smooth and shiny skin or “cool skin”; a decline in vein pulse in your feet; ulcers or sores in your legs and feet that won’t heal; and cold or numb toes.

Injuries or infections in conjunction with PAD can cause serious complications, such as heart attacks, strokes, or Critical Limb Ischemia (severe blockage of arteries in the lower extremities). This can occur in patients with severe Occlusive Arterial Disease, where resting blood-flow cannot meet the tissue’s basic nutritional requirements. In some cases, patients experience numbness or cold sensations in the toes and feet, with symptoms usually occurring when the legs are horizontal at night, yet improving when they are in a dependent position during the day.

Overall, PAD patients are rarely symptomatic, but many can have a slow or impaired gait — an unusual manner of walking. Intermittent blood clotting, which occurs during exercise and is relieved by rest, is the most common symptom. Across the nation, more than 6.5 million people aged 40 and older have PAD — a concerning statistic in today’s health-conscience world.

Treatment for Extreme Hip and Leg Pain Starts with an Ultrasound

Seeing a pain management specialist, getting a proper diagnosis, and discussing treatment are important options to consider if you’re experiencing extreme hip and leg pain. A pain management specialist can help you get the most out of your treatment — in the right timing, in the right environment, and with the right tools.

Hip pain specialists diagnose and treat hip discomfort, achiness, and the irritation you are experiencing. Specialists and orthopedic surgeons can also treat patients with debilitating musculoskeletal conditions.

It all starts with a ten-minute ultrasound, which uses sound waves to scan the inside of your body’s pain points and other areas. The good news is, your hip is diagnosed using non-invasive tools, without any discomfort or pain. After applying gel to select areas, a sonographer will move a small device over those markers. Sound waves are emitted, bouncing off tissues and organs in your body.

By the end, specialists can see displayed images of your problem areas for a proper diagnosis and recommendation of the best course of treatment in your situation. Don’t let extreme hip pain impact your life any longer.

Wellness and Pain Can Help

A range of options for treating extreme hip and leg 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.

An elderly man trying to get out of bed, awoken by his aching legs at night.

18Oct2023

wellnesspain Leg Pain

Aching Legs at Night

Spinal Pain Management Can Cure Aching Legs at Night

When resting in the evening, you may experience aching legs at night for many reasons. The symptoms of this disorder should not be ignored, especially if you are going through pain.

Pain management specialists should be consulted immediately if there is any discomfort. For some patients — believe it or not — lower back pain management is key. In herniated disk disease, the fibrous cartilage surrounding the vertebrae breaks down – resulting in a pain management plan in the future. A disk’s gelatinous center is forced outward due to the compression, and pain and damage are inflicted as a result of pressure on the spinal nerve.

Meanwhile, there are things you can do to bridge the gap between pain and a healthier you. Keeping your body hydrated, stretching legs before bedtime, and resting them intermittently each day can be very helpful.

Aching Legs at Night: Focus on Your Lower Back

It seems counterintuitive, but daytime slouching while seated is not a good idea if you want to fend off aching legs at night. While keeping your feet flat on the ground, sit in your chair, and arch your back. By releasing this arch by about 15 percent, your back will be in a neutral position. To avoid bending your neck forward, keep your screens at eye height and your shoulders back as well.

Support for your spine comes from your core muscles, which is a great lower back pain management strategy. Your spine suffers degenerative damage if these muscles are weak. Core muscles include your abs, erector spinae, multifidus, obliques, glutes, pelvic floor muscles, and diaphragm. Your spine is supported by each of these muscle groups. Your spine can be relieved of pressure by keeping them strong.

Healthy spinal pain management also means sleeping should be a time to let your spine rest. A firm and supportive mattress is essential for good sleep. A pillow can also be placed under your knees if you sleep on your back (or between your knees if you sleep on your side). Avoid sleeping on your stomach, which forces your spine into an uncomfortable position.

Last but not least, most people spend too much time sitting, which puts much more pressure on their spines. Standing up and moving around every hour is important if you need to sit for long periods of time. A standing desk is another option that is spine-friendly.

Make a Habit of Resting Your Legs Intermittently

As a natural human posture, standing is not particularly harmful — although this fact can be challenged if you’re suffering from aching legs at night. Standing is usually only beneficial for certain periods of time.

It is possible, however, to develop sore feet, swelling of the legs, varicose veins, low back pain, and stiffness of the neck and shoulders if you stay in one position for long periods of time. Keeping the body in a standing position requires muscular effort while reducing blood supply to these muscles. Feet, legs, backs, and necks suffer from pain because of lack of blood flow.

The muscles in your feet and legs are more tired when you stand for an hour in one place. As you walk, all the muscles in your feet and legs are used. Muscles do not get overly tired in this way.

Although a sedentary lifestyle isn’t strictly defined, researchers use a number of metrics to measure it. In the end, just know that making a habit of resting your legs intermittently over a day of healthy standing fits well into any lower back pain management plan.

Elevate Yourself in the Daytime for Aching Legs at Night

In millions of adults throughout the United States, both Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) and lower spinal pain are widespread and often overlooked conditions — and they are usually related to aching legs at night. Fortunately, elevating your legs for just 15 minutes a day can temporarily alleviate those symptoms.

There are three reasons why elevating your legs is beneficial. First, it moves blood back to the heart. You remember those tiny blood valves, right? In the extremities, they struggle against gravity. Blood builds up in veins when the valves are weakened and cannot fight gravity. Blood drains back toward the heart when you raise your legs against gravity.

The second benefit of elevating your legs to help remedy aching legs and knees at night over the short term is: Reduction of swelling. Fluid leaks from the veins and causes swelling in the lower leg when blood pools in the veins. As a result, swelling can be reduced by elevating your legs.

Third, it reduces blood pressure. Sitting or standing for long periods restricts vein circulation. And the accumulation of blood leads to higher blood pressure in the veins. The pressure is lower when you put your feet up, because pooled blood drains from the vein.

Consult your pain management specialist or doctor before elevating your legs every day. Elevating the legs above the heart is safe for most people. Using a pillow, a table, or a wall as a prop can help you relax in a reclining position. You should feel comfortable and your back should be well supported. Eventually, lower back pain management will be essential for your situation.

Stretching Your Legs Before Bedtime is Important

Developing a routine in the evening to wind down from the day is important for battling aching legs at night and getting quality sleep. Before going to bed, some people may benefit from quiet activities such as reading or taking a warm bath, while others may find stress relief from gentle stretching — especially if their legs hurt at night.

Relaxing the muscles with stretching is a natural, effective strategy. Additionally, it promotes mental health and relieves stress, in addition to maintaining physical health. Before bedtime, these activities or other forms of stretching can alleviate stress and make it easier to fall asleep.

People sometimes experience cramps in their legs at night or in the evening. Did you know that stretching your legs before bedtime can alleviate leg cramps and tension? Standing quadriceps and thigh stretches, hamstring stretches, and calf stretches are among the leg muscles you can stretch. The right environment for proper spinal pain management can benefit from these little tips.

Stay Hydrated During the Day for Aching Legs at Night

Breathing, perspiring, urinating, and defecating make you lose water every day — and believe it or not, these activities can be related to aching legs at night. For your body to function properly, you must replenish its water supply by drinking water-containing beverages and eating water-containing foods.

In a temperate climate, how much fluid does the average healthy adult need? The average man drinks 15 cups (3.5 liters) of fluid a day, while the average woman drinks 11 cups (2.6 liters). A typical day’s fluid intake is about 20 percent from food, such as fruits and vegetables, and the rest from drinks. Lower back pain management should be accompanied by getting plenty of fluids every day.

It’s recommended you drink eight glasses of water each day. This is a reasonable goal, and it’s easy to remember. Drinking water whenever you feel thirsty is the best way to stay hydrated.

A few glasses of water a day might be enough for some people. It may be necessary for some people to take more. If you are pregnant or nursing, you may need to modify your total fluid intake based on several factors, such as your exercise activity, the environment you live and work in, and your overall health. Staying hydrated is just one more weapon in your arsenal in the fight against aching leg pain at night.

Spinal Pain Management Treatment for a Healthier You

A reasonable pain management solution can seem impossible when you’re hurting from aching legs at night. However, a pain management doctor who is experienced and knowledgeable knows how to relieve pain and restore your quality of life.

You should recognize that there are some serious issues that could be contributing to your painful legs at night. First off, lower back pain management should be in focus for you and your health care specialist as you get evaluated.

Next, seeing bulging blood vessels under the skin indicates varicose veins, which means specific pain management solutions should be on your radar right away. Your legs, feet, or ankles may display blue or purple bulges. When your veins are unable to send blood back to your heart because of venous insufficiency, you develop varicose veins. Poor circulation is caused by these damaged veins. It’s common for varicose veins on the back of the legs to appear contorted and bulging, causing aching legs and knees at night.

The weakness, tingling, and numbness of the arms, legs, hands, and feet may also be caused by muscle and nerve disorders, as well as cramps, spasms, or atrophy due to the loss of motor neurons. The majority of people also suffer from muscle tension, back and shoulder pain, and stress. Chronic pain, sciatica, insomnia, fatigue, and headaches are all symptoms and causes of chronic pain.

Muscle pain can occur for a number of reasons. The reasons range from sleeping in the wrong position to pulling large muscle groups while lifting weights. It may be necessary to seek medical treatment even after a few days of resting for people with constant or chronic muscle pain.

Diagnosis and Treatment

In addition to bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles, musculoskeletal pain can affect other parts of the body as well. As a result, pain management is a priority for many people. Sudden, severe pain can result from injuries such as fractures. Chronic pain is also caused by arthritis, which affects muscles, bones, joints, tendons, and ligaments. It can be sudden musculoskeletal pain or chronic pain that lasts forever. There are different types of pain, including localized pain and generalized pain, that can make your legs hurt at night.

Diagnostics and treatments are performed using minimally invasive and highly effective techniques, reducing the risk of side effects, complications, and medication. Whether you’re experiencing mild pain or a type of pain that makes every moment miserable, a qualified pain management doctor can give you the dose of healthy reality you need. Various treatment options are available for painful legs at night.

Through conservative treatments, minimally invasive procedures, surgery, or quality spinal pain management, the right health specialist can provide what you need to move forward. Sometimes you need to find a different solution. You may consider medical massage therapy, acupuncture, arthroscopy, or radiofrequency vein ablation. You may also consider certain types of injections; hip and knee injections, platelet-rich plasma injections, or anesthetic injections.

Depending on the severity of the condition, a combination of treatments may be prescribed. Aching leg pain at night can greatly affect your ability to function and easily disrupt your quality of life, but you can tackle the issue immediately through lower back pain management.

Wellness and Pain Can Help

A range of options for treating aching 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.

A horizontal close-up of a woman receiving massage therapy on her leg as part of her charley horse treatment plan

10Oct2023

wellnesspain 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.

1 2 3 Next page

Conditions

Category Archives: Leg Pain

Why Vein Ablation is Part of Any Leg Cramps Treatment Discussion

Why Leg Cramps Treatment Options Include Venous Ablation

Benefits of Radiofrequency Ablation and What to Be Aware Of

Leg Cramps Treatment: Pre-Surgery vs. Post-Procedure Instructions

How is Venous Ablation Different from Vein Stripping?

Wellness and Pain Can Help

What’s the Connection Between Leg Muscle Cramps and Peripheral Neuropathy?

How Peripheral Neuropathy and Leg Muscle Cramps are Connected

Causes and Symptoms of Peripheral Neuropathy

Poor Blood Circulation, Leg Muscle Cramps, Factors, and Risks

Peripheral Neuropathy Treatment and Underlying Causes

Wellness and Pain Can Help

Calf Cramps vs. Spasms: The Intertwined Relationship

What’s Behind Calf Cramps in Muscles Versus a Spasm?

What Do Multiple Cramps in the Same Muscle Mean?

Anatomy of a Calf Muscle and Your Calf Cramps

Your Calves are More Than Surface Deep

Wellness and Pain Can Help

Combatting Leg Cramps While Sleeping: Pillows, Mattresses, & More

Leg Cramps While Sleeping and the Advantages of Leg Pillows

How to Correctly Use a Wedge Pillow, and Why It Helps

Using the Right Mattress to Battle Leg Cramps While Sleeping

Exercise, Footwear, Hydration, and Hot-Cold Therapy

Wellness and Pain Can Help

Immediate and Long-Term Relief for Your Calf Cramps at Night

Conditions and Factors Behind Your Calf Cramps at Night

For the Time Being, Elevate Your Legs While Sleeping

Health, Lifestyle, and Prevention of Calf Cramps at Night

Relief Starts with Diagnosis and Ends with Proper Treatment

Wellness and Pain Can Help

The ‘Heaviness in Legs’ Question: Diet, Age, or Both?

Heaviness in Legs: What’s Happening to Me?

What to Think About Cholesterol, Fats, Sugar, and Sodium

Food Considerations, Practical Advice, and Heaviness in Legs

Taking the Food Considerations Home

Smart Choices, Home Remedies, and Consistent Exercise

Wellness and Pain Can Help

Do Your Legs Feel Heavy? Here’s What’s Happening Under the Surface…

Some Underlying Causes When Your Legs Feel Heavy

Swollen Leg Treatment: A Healthier Life is Waiting

Home Remedies for When Your Legs Feel Heavy

Wellness and Pain Can Help

Extreme Hip and Leg Pain: It’s All About Your Blood Pressure

Extreme Hip and Leg Pain Connected to High Blood Pressure

What is Atherosclerosis, and How is it Related?

Atherosclerosis Symptoms, Extreme Hip and Leg Pain, and Clots

PAD Symptoms, Statistics, and Other Red Flags

Treatment for Extreme Hip and Leg Pain Starts with an Ultrasound

Wellness and Pain Can Help

Spinal Pain Management Can Cure Aching Legs at Night

Aching Legs at Night: Focus on Your Lower Back

Make a Habit of Resting Your Legs Intermittently

Elevate Yourself in the Daytime for Aching Legs at Night

Stretching Your Legs Before Bedtime is Important

Stay Hydrated During the Day for Aching Legs at Night

Spinal Pain Management Treatment for a Healthier You

Diagnosis and Treatment

Wellness and Pain Can Help

Charley Horse Treatment: The Inside of Your Calf is Key

Veins, Vessels, and Capillaries

Zoom In on the Right Treatment for Your Suffering

How Cramps and Strains Relate to Charley Horse Treatment

Conditions and Injuries

Non-Exercise Tips and Tricks Charley Horse Treatment

Some Other Options

Wellness and Pain Can Help

Covered by Most Insurances and Most Unions

844-566-2723

Have a question? call us now

Need support? Drop us an email

Mon - Fri: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Sat - Sun: Closed