There are many underlying causes of tired legs, making it a fairly common symptom. If you’re a woman, overweight person, or an older person, your risk of having tired legs may be higher. People who regularly sit or stand for prolonged periods of time may also experience fatigued legs.
A variety of factors can cause tired legs. Tired legs may be accompanied by pain, soreness, or cramping. Although tired legs are rarely a cause for alarm, it’s still crucial to pay attention to your body when fatigue sets in. This is especially so if you have other symptoms.
Your legs might feel fatigued if you’ve recently used them more frequently than usual. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep and exercising within your body’s capacity. This will help you avoid stress, strain, and injury.
Not using your legs can also cause leg tiredness. If you must sit for a long time, try to stand up and move around for at least five minutes every hour.
If you’re going to be in bed for a while, take a few minutes every hour to stretch and raise your legs. Elevate your legs on pillows.
Overuse of your legs can lead to muscle cramps. Muscle cramps can cause your legs to feel tired.
Rest your legs and body thoroughly until your symptoms go away. See your doctor if cramping becomes severe. Here are more ways to stop leg muscle cramps.
Certain medications or conditions may cause hypokalemia. Consult your physician to identify the underlying cause and the best course of action for you.
If you have varicose veins, your legs might feel heavy, achy, or tired. These develop when your veins aren’t functioning properly and start to accumulate blood. This causes your veins to enlarge and swell.
The majority of the time, self-care techniques like exercise, elevation, and compression stockings can help reduce these symptoms. See your doctor if your symptoms don’t improve.
If your blood isn’t moving through your body properly, your legs might feel tired or exhausted. Because blood has a harder time flowing upward toward your heart when you have poor circulation, the lower part of your body is frequently affected. Sometimes blood can collect in your legs, ankles, and feet.
If you’ve tried to increase your circulation but nothing has worked, consult a doctor. Your doctor may prescribe medication to improve your circulation.
Your legs may feel tired and uncomfortable as a result. You may experience cramping and varicose veins.
You can ease some of the pressure in the vein that carries blood from your lower body to your heart by sleeping on your left side. You can also try these five exercises.
If you experience any sudden or significant swelling, consult a doctor. This could be a sign of preeclampsia.
A sign of MS may be heavy legs or fatigued muscles. In fact, among those with this condition, fatigue is the symptom that is most frequently reported. Heat and humidity may make fatigue worse.
MS affects your nerves and interferes with the flow of information between your brain and muscles, which results in fatigue.
Dry brushing may aid in promoting lymphatic drainage, enhancing energy, and enhancing circulation. Dry brushing has the added benefit of exfoliating your skin.
Use a brush with natural bristles. Start with your feet and move upward toward your heart. Perform this for 10 to 15 minutes prior to taking a cool shower.
Warm baths can help you unwind while relieving pressure on your legs and increasing circulation. Add up to two cups of baking soda, Epsom salt, or sea salt. Soak in the bath for at least 20 minutes.
To a warm tub of water, add 1 cup each of Epsom salt, sea salt, and vinegar. Soak your feet for at least 20 minutes.
According to one study, applying apple cider vinegar topically may help with the cramping, pain, and fatigue associated with varicose veins.
You can apply the vinegar to your legs or try putting some in your bath.
A massage may help relieve leg fatigue. Consider scheduling a massage with a licensed massage therapist if at all possible. You can also give yourself a massage by massaging some oil or cream into your legs and feet.
For pain relief and increased circulation, you might want to use a cream or gel containing capsaicin.
There are a few straightforward exercises you can perform to help your tired legs. These exercises can increase blood flow for even a minute.
You can take the following steps to prevent or lower your risk of experiencing tired legs:
Usually, resting and using natural remedies will help to soothe sore legs. Make an appointment with your doctor, however, if your legs continue to feel tired after receiving at-home treatment or if the fatigue has persisted for more than a few days.
If you experience any pain, dysfunction, or discomfort, you should also see a doctor. If your legs are fatigued, your doctor can determine if there is an underlying condition that needs to be treated.
Most of the time, taking some time to relax and take care of yourself will be sufficient to help your legs regain their energy. Your legs do a lot for you. They should occasionally receive some extra attention!
However, consult your doctor if you frequently feel fatigued in your legs or if you have pain or swelling that is not related to any other symptoms.
What Creates the Jelly Leg Feeling?
There are a number of factors that could be to blame for your legs feeling like jelly. One of the most frequent is brought on by the release of adrenaline in response to the physiological “fight or flight” response. ”.
Blood flows to the areas of the body that need it most when adrenaline is released. That means that your blood is rushing out of your legs, making them feel more like jelly, to rush to your heart, brain, and possibly other muscles.
Another possible explanation for “jelly legs” is the muscle numbness that results from an adrenaline rush. The muscles become weak as a result of the constant tension that adrenaline causes in the muscles. Additionally, anxiety can alter breathing patterns, which can weaken muscles and alter blood pressure.
Common characteristics of the weakness of both legs
Depending on the cause, weakness of both legs may be:
- Symmetric: This means both legs feel equally weak.
- Asymmetric: This means one leg feels weaker than the other.
- Gradual (chronic): This means the weakness got worse over time.
- Sudden-onset (acute): If you noticed sudden weakness in one or both of your legs, this could be a medical emergency and you should seek immediate medical attention.
The following signs may also be linked to weakness in both legs:
- Paralysis: This means the inability to move the legs.
- Tingling of the legs
- Numbness in your legs
- Pain in your legs
- Difficulty standing and/or walking
- Back pain that may or may not shoot down the back of your legs
Leg weakness may be due to an easily treatable cause. However, you should seek medical attention because leg weakness occasionally signals a serious problem.
- It is serious if your leg weakness is due to a stroke: If your leg weakness is sudden in onset and associated with numbness, arm weakness or numbness, vision problems, trouble with balancing, or trouble speaking, these may be symptoms of a stroke and you should immediately seek medical attention.
- It is serious if your leg weakness is due to nerve compression: If your leg weakness is also associated with sudden severe back pain, trouble with balancing, sudden change in bladder or bowel control including incontinence, and numbness or weakness in the buttocks, inner thighs or back of your legs, these could be symptoms suggesting your spinal nerves are being compressed and you should immediately seek medical attention.
- Less serious: If your leg weakness is not severe and also not associated with any of the above-mentioned symptoms, it may not require immediate medical attention, but you should talk about your symptoms with a medical provider to identify the cause and best course of treatment.
Systemic illness, inflammatory conditions, or drug side effects can all cause leg weakness. Leg weakness can result from these factors, which can affect the nerves, spine, or brain. The most effective course of action depends on the cause, which is frequently ambiguous, but a medical professional may be able to suggest tests to determine the correct diagnosis and the most suitable course of action.
There are some conditions or illnesses that are systemic and can affect various body systems.
- Damage to the nervous system: The nervous system consists of two parts, the central nervous system which includes the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system which includes all the nerves that connect the central nervous system to every other part of the body. Damage to particular areas of the brain, spinal cord, or peripheral nerves that travel to the legs can lead to leg weakness. This may include damage to the brain from a stroke or abnormal growth; damage to the spinal cord from trauma, infection, or abnormal growth; or damage to the peripheral nerves from diabetes, certain vitamin deficiencies, and trauma.
- Damage to the muscles: Some diseases can affect the muscles in the legs leading to leg weakness and may affect other muscles in the body. These diseases can be genetic, which means they can be passed down through generations in a family or they may be spontaneous.
- Abnormal growth: Cancerous and non-cancerous abnormal growths in the brain, spinal cord, or peripheral nerves to the legs can interfere with the signaling from your brain to your legs, leading to a reduction in the ability to move your legs and the sensation of weakness.
- Alcohol-related disorders: Prolonged or excessive exposure to alcohol can also lead to leg weakness by causing muscle and nerve damage in the legs.
Inflammation, the body’s typical response to injury or infection, can lead to leg weakness. Autoimmune inflammatory diseases are caused when the body’s immune system activates unexpectedly at times.
- Infections: Bacterial or viral infections can damage the brain, nerves, or spinal cord, leading to leg weakness.
- Autoimmune diseases: An autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system, which usually works to protect you against diseases and infections, instead starts to attack the healthy cells that make up your body. Sometimes these autoimmune diseases can affect the muscles or nerves of the legs leading to leg weakness.
The drugs and treatments that can weaken your legs by affecting their muscles are listed below.
- Cholesterol-reducing medications like statins
- Some types of chemotherapy for cancer or autoimmune diseases
- Anti-inflammatory medications like steroids
This list may not accurately reflect your symptoms and does not constitute medical advice.
FAQ
Why do I have noodle legs?
A rush of adrenaline frequently results in “jelly legs,” which are typically described as sensations of weakness, dizziness, or loss of control in the legs, although there may be other causes.
- Rest. Take a break and rest your legs. …
- Ice. For 20 minutes at a time, you can either ice your legs or submerge them in ice water.
- Compression. Wrap your legs in a compression bandage to reduce swelling.
- Elevation. Keep your legs elevated with some pillows to lessen any discomfort or swelling.
What does it mean when your legs feel rubbery?
When their leg strength is reduced, some people claim that their legs feel like rubber or jelly. It can be challenging to walk or stand if your leg muscles are weak. You might fall as a result of your diminished sense of stability.
What are weak legs a symptom of?
Sciatica, spinal conditions, neuromuscular diseases, and some medications can all cause leg weakness. Sudden leg weakness may be a sign of a stroke. Any sudden muscle weakness should be reported to 911, especially if it is accompanied by facial drooping, a severe headache, or slurred speech.
