Do you live with consistent leg pain and cramps? Have you ever had leg cramps wake you up at night? Minor aches and pains can often be overlooked, but if you are dealing with consistent pain from cramping, there could be a medical reason for these issues that you can receive treatment for.
Many of us have experienced the shooting pain when we get up in the middle of the night from leg cramps. These cramps can be caused by several factors such as fatigue, dehydration, loss of electrolytes, a potassium or magnesium imbalance, or side effects from medications we are taking. But leg cramps can also be caused by arterial or venous circulation problems as well.
Our muscles contract and relax as we use them throughout the day. However, if you start to notice that you have cramping while you are walking a short distance, but then later recover with some rest, it could be a sign of arterial disease. Fortunately, testing can help find the primary cause of your leg pain and cramping to rule out any serious medical issues or help you find treatment options if a medical condition is discovered. These treatment options are usually non-invasive and can be performed in-office without surgery.
While many people associate nighttime leg cramps with dehydration or low levels of potassium and magnesium in the body, many times, these cramps jolt us from our sleep are due to venous insufficiency. What that means is the veins are not circulating blood as adequately from the legs as they should. If this condition is left untreated, venous insufficiency can often lead to the onset of varicose veins and spider veins. In more extreme cases, it can lead to venous ulcers or other complications.
Chronic venous insufficiency is a condition that occurs when the veins in your legs do not allow the blood to flow naturally back up to your heart. With healthy veins, the valves would make sure that the blood flows in the correct direction. But when the veins become damaged, so do the valves, and that causes them not to work as they should. That can cause the blood to flow backward and begin to pool in the legs. If left untreated, the condition can lead to pain, swelling leg cramps, and skin changes such as varicose veins and ulcers to occur. Chronic venous insufficiency can be very painful and disabling. Therefore it is best to have the problem checked out as soon as you notice any of the symptoms.
The symptoms of chronic venous insufficiency may seem like those of other health conditions. Therefore it’s important to speak with a professional about these issues to receive a proper diagnosis. Here are some of the symptoms you should look out for.
If you would like to learn more about treatment options for leg pain and cramping, get in touch with the vein experts today at BASS Vein Center. We can help you find out if your leg cramps are a symptom of a much more severe problem and discuss the treatment options we have available. We are here to help patients who live in Alamo, Oakland, Castro Valley and the surrounding areas.
"I highly recommend the BASS Vein Center, even if you must travel to see them. The staff at BASS show great concern, and spend ample time getting to know their patients as a person as well as their medical history. They provided an excellent treatment plan to help guarantee that I’d receive the best possible care!"
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