The legs carry the load of the whole body. The calf muscle works when a person is walking and when standing in one place. Leg pain is common. In young and old people, calf pain occurs for a variety of reasons.
Everyone knows the aching pain in the muscles after intense physical activity. Even a short skiing in an untrained person can cause discomfort in the legs. And the thing is that when you move in the muscles, energy compounds are broken down and lactic acid is formed. With increased expenditure of energy: increased training, hard physical work, unusual body loads, the level of its content in the muscles rises. This temporary build-up of lactic acid causes pain. It is necessary to exclude unreasonable loads, relieve the condition with the help of warm foot baths and massage, and in a few days everything will go.
Pain in the calves of the legs can occur unexpectedly, and this indicates a malfunction in the body. They can be caused by various diseases: neurological, vascular, infectious. If, during prolonged standing or sitting, there is a heaviness, aching or stabbing pain in the calves, this may be due to vascular disease. When normal blood circulation does not occur, the outflow of blood is disturbed and its stagnation is formed. As a result, the pressure on the vessel walls increases and pain occurs. With constant work associated with staying in one position, chronic venous insufficiency is formed.
Severe pain in the calves of the legs also occurs with muscle inflammation - myositis. From prolonged exertion, they are overstrained and inflamed. Calves become unevenly dense and painful even when pressed. When moving, the aching pain intensifies, and the skin in the inflamed areas turns red. Prolonged physical exertion of the legs provokes cramps. The calf muscle becomes stiff, it is cramped from sharp pain. A change in body position will help to stop suffering from involuntary muscle contraction. Lie quickly on your back and rub your leg vigorously - this will relax the muscle and relieve you of unpleasant pain sensations.
Spine diseases can also cause pain in the calves. With changes in the intervertebral discs of the lumbar spine, the spinal nerve root is compressed. Any movement puts pressure on the root and causes irritation. In this case, the pain is given to the lower extremities.
With prolonged discomfort in the calves, you should consult a doctor. These problems are dealt with by doctors of narrow directions: a neurologist, a phlebologist, a traumatologist. First of all, they will conduct an examination and establish the cause of the ailments, and then specialists will begin treatment.
