Brings legs together when walking: what causes the symptom?

Acute, piercing pain in the leg, which turns the muscle into a “stone” and sometimes makes it rise to the toe – this is how an unpleasant condition manifests itself, popularly referred to as “bringing the leg”. In medicine, this pathology is called convulsions. An unpleasant state always arises spontaneously and cannot be controlled. Cramping may occur during rest or physical activity. Why do calves go numb when walking? What will the painful symptom tell about?

What can cause seizures: the main causes
Involuntary contractions of muscle tissue, which are accompanied by acute pain and sudden numbness, are called convulsions. Most often, the calf muscles spasm. Significantly less often there are spasms of the foot or fingers.

Doctors know many reasons that can cause spasms of the muscle tissues of the legs. All these reasons can be conditionally divided into four groups.

Electrolyte imbalance

Most often, it is electrolyte disturbances that lead to seizures. The body reacts very sharply to such an imbalance. Against the background of a deficiency of nutrients, muscle contractions are disturbed, convulsions begin to disturb.

Water deficiency leads to thickening of the blood
The main causes of electrolyte imbalance:

1. Dehydration. Water deficiency leads to thickening of the blood. At the same time, the concentration of sodium in the body is significantly reduced. This leads to muscle spasm.

2. Abundant bleeding. In the body, the volume of circulating blood decreases sharply. The level of sodium is disturbed. Against the background of such problems, convulsions develop.

3. Deficiency of trace elements, vitamins. Vitamin D and a number of trace elements (calcium, magnesium, potassium) are responsible for the normal conduction of nerve impulses to muscle tissues. If there is a deficiency of such substances in the body, then a person reduces his legs when walking in the calf area. The lack of useful components can be caused by:

malnutrition;
a rigid diet (most often protein);
abuse of coffee, sugar;
smoking.
4. Taking medication. Long-term therapy with certain medications can provoke a deficiency of essential substances in the body. Against the background of insufficient concentration of useful ions, nervous excitability increases. Most often, spasms occur with the use of the following groups of drugs:

diuretics (they remove magnesium and potassium);
adsorbents (impair the absorption of minerals);
antacids (do not allow the body to fully absorb calcium, magnesium).
5. Pregnancy. All the useful substances of the mother’s body are spent on the full formation of the fetus. Therefore, calcium deficiency is often observed during pregnancy.

Leg cramps due to calcium deficiency in pregnant women
6. Strong stress. During a stressful situation, cortisol begins to be produced in the human body. This hormone significantly impairs the absorption of calcium.

Inadequate blood supply to tissues

Improper blood supply to tissues contributes to the accumulation of under-oxidized metabolic products in the body (these can be inflammatory mediators or lactic acid). Tissue ischemia causes convulsions with severe pain.

With insufficient blood circulation, metabolic disorders, accompanied by a decrease in glucose concentration, calves and feet become numb.

The main sources of tissue ischemia:

1. Varicose veins, thrombophlebitis. Violation of the venous outflow leads to stagnant processes. It is the stagnation of blood that causes the appearance of pulling pains in the legs while walking. Varicose veins most often develop in people who are forced to spend a lot of time on their feet (hairdressers, sellers, lecturers).

2. Diabetes. With this pathology, blood circulation worsens, glucose utilization is disturbed. The patient is faced with pain, convulsions, and sometimes paresis (partial loss of movement) of the lower extremities.

3. Flat feet. The abnormal structure of the foot leads to an incorrect distribution of the load. Bone, muscular systems, ligamentous apparatus suffer. With flat feet, small nerve endings are compressed and blood flow worsens. A similar situation is observed in women who prefer high heels, and in lovers of tight, narrow shoes.

4. Physical activity. Lactic acid accumulates in tissues during high physical activity. Increased muscle tone. In addition, sweating increases, leading to the loss of essential potassium ions.

Athletes often cramp their legs due to the large amount of lactic acid
5. Heart disease. With pathologies of the heart, blood circulation noticeably worsens. Peripheral vessels are especially affected. The heart is not able to fully ensure the flow of blood into the vessels of the legs and feet. This is why muscle spasms can occur.

Neurological pathologies

Why does calf cramp when walking? Neurological disorders can cause muscle cramps. Usually the culprits of the problem are such pathologies:

1. Intoxication of the body. In case of poisoning, neuromuscular conduction is disturbed. This leads to spasticity (constant tension) of the muscle tissues of the legs.