Tired legs, heavy legs - Causes and Symptoms

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Definition

The legs may be tired or heavy after excessive physical effort; however, when this sensation appears or persists at rest, it could be the indicator of an underlying pathological condition.

Usually, when the symptom is recurrent, there is a problem with blood circulation.

Peripheral arteriopathy is manifested by intermittent claudication, characterized by painful cramps that appear on the way, even after a short distance, and resolve with rest.

Tired and heavy legs can also depend on phlebitis and deep vein thrombosis. In these cases, often, intense pain - spontaneous or caused by movement - is associated with swelling, heat and congestion of the superficial veins (varicose veins).

Varicose veins are characterized by heaviness, swollen and painful legs, cramps in the calves, tingling and dilation of the veins; these symptoms are typically aggravated by standing and heat.

A sense of weight in the lower limbs may also depend on lymphedema, that is, an accumulation of fluids in the interstitial space due to an insufficiency of the lymphatic system.

In addition to the aforementioned circulatory problems, also the compression of the nerve roots at the lumbar level can cause a feeling of tiredness and heaviness in one leg (herniated disc) or both (vertebral stenosis); in this case, the sensation is often associated with strong pain radiated along the course of the sciatic nerve, ie from the buttock and from the posterior side of the thigh to below the knee (sciatica).

Another cause of tired and heavy legs is restless legs syndrome, a neurological disorder characterized by a very annoying lower limb restlessness, triggered by nocturnal immobility (especially in conjunction with muscle relaxation before sleep). This uncontrollable and urgent impulse to move the legs can be associated with rapid jerks and jerks, with unpleasant and sometimes painful sensations, tingling, itching and cramps in the lower limbs (especially in the part between the ankle and the knee).