In a world, where standing in queues for hours, moving from one place to another, and working constantly throughout the day has become a daily routine for almost everyone – legs act as your all-time companion! Hence, pain in the legs is almost a common issue for people of all ages these days.
There could be several factors, including muscle strain, excessive use, and underlying medical conditions, resulting in leg pain. Hence it becomes imperative to understand the likely cause, location, frequency & severity of pain to get the best leg pain relief. Once we understand & accept our problem, the route to finding pain relief becomes much easier and effective!
Understanding the Pain, Its Causes & The Way to Relief
You may experience different types of leg pains & in different parts of the leg. It could be a dull sensation, cramps, throbbing to sharp stabbing ache. It could be affecting a part of the leg or may radiate throughout. It may be in one leg or in both.
Knowing the cause and impact can help get quicker & better relief through the apt leg pain medicine or other forms of treatment.
The Causes
As discussed above, different people may face leg pain owing to varied contributing factors. Let’s scroll through some of the common causes of leg pain.
- Overuse of muscles – Overusing our body physically through heavy physical activities, sudden jerks during movements, long hours of standing, etc., can strain leg muscles and cause pain.
- Other medical conditions include –
- Some people suffer from a compulsive urge to move their legs, even while resting or during their sleep. This can cause discomfort and is called Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS).
- Leg pain can also happen through the formation of blood clots in the veins; a condition also called Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). It initially results in swelling and pain. However, if left untreated can also lead to other severe health issues.
- A very common reason that can cause leg pain, or for that matter pain in part of the body, is due to reduced blood flow to that part. This happens owing to the narrow size of the arteries, and the condition is known as Peripheral Artery Disease.
- Another common problem happens due to Sciatica, a shooting pain that happens due to compression of the sciatic nerve.
- Diabetes (a condition impacting millions of people worldwide) is also known to cause leg pain. This happens due to neuropathy, i.e., nerve damage that can cause numbness and pain in your legs.
- Accidents or injuries – Some sudden or serious accidents can lead to acute or chronic leg pain.
Leg Pain Medicines
If nothing works, take medicine – a common belief, isn’t it?
Medications have a significant role in alleviating our body pains. Similarly, there are various leg pain medicines curated to provide leg pain relief. However, it is important to note that whatever medications you follow, they must comply with your pain, body requirements, and underlying conditions, if any.
- Topical pain relievers – These include products like creams and gels to provide localised pain relief. You can apply such analgesics directly to the affected part for instant relief. These are usually non-intrusive and safe. However, it’s always best to go for the ones composed of natural ingredients, like menthol, peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, etc.
- OTC Medications – Over-the-counter pain relievers are usually recommended for common symptoms like pain and fever and can be purchased without the need for a prescription. Examples of such products include acetaminophen for pain relief, NSAIDs like ibuprofen for pain alleviation and its anti-inflammatory properties, and natural products like R3SET pain relief emulsions and gels.
- Prescription Medications – These are the medications prescribed by a healthcare professional after a thorough examination of your condition. Typically, in case of muscle spasms, doctors prescribe muscle relaxants like cyclobenzaprine.
- Medications to help with the underlying condition causing the problem. It is sometimes more critical to treat the underlying conditions like DVT and diabetes discussed above. This helps to treat the root cause of the problem.
- Neuropathy & Sciatica – Medicines like pregabalin can help with nerve-related pain and compressions to treat conditions like sciatica and neuropathy.
- Deep Vein Thrombosis – Conditions like DVT are treated through the administration of anticoagulants. These anticoagulants are blood thinners that help prevent the formation and enhancement of blood clots.
- Lifestyle Modifications – Medications such as leg pain medicines, gels, or creams can help only if you incorporate some simple yet effective lifestyle changes. These include having a balanced routine, healthy diet, regular exercising patterns, proper hydration, and managing your weight and other medical conditions.
- Professional Help – It is vital to seek professional advice from a healthcare provider if the condition is severe or is worsening with time. It is also necessary when you start observing other symptoms. A proper diagnosis would help come up with a pain management plan specifically made as per your pain & body. Such relief mechanisms for managing pain usually include a combination of lifestyle modifications, medications, and physiotherapy.
Choose the Right Leg Pain Relief for Yourself!
In summation, any body pain can be challenging for the body to accept and endure. It, in turn, can impact your usual activities, thus eventually turning into negative experiences. Hence, it is important to get yourself appropriate medications and incorporate changes that would help manage pain on a long-term basis.