Did you previously walk ten kilometers effortlessly, but now you quickly suffer from stitches, cramps and tired legs? If you recognize this and the complaints disappear as soon as you stand still, then you may have clack legs. General practitioner Rutger Verhoeff explains the causes of this annoying ailment and how you can treat it.
When Dr. Rutger receives a patient who indicates that he can only walk fifty meters without cramping his legs, a bell immediately rings. “Then I immediately think of PAF: peripheral arterial disease. Also known as window legs,” he says.
“In window legs, the blood vessels that transport blood to the legs are narrowed. This means that your leg muscles do not receive enough oxygen during exercise or in the cold. That causes pain, sometimes in the form of cramps,” he explains. When you stand still, the muscles relax again. Then the blood flow can replenish oxygen, causing the pain to disappear. That is also where the name ‘window legs’ comes from: standing still for a moment to let the pain subside. This standing still often happens in front of a shop window. The medical name is intermittent claudication.
The symptoms of claudication
• Pain or cramps in the legs.
• A dead/tired feeling in the legs.
• The complaints can also occur in the foot, calf, thigh or buttock.
• A cold feeling in the feet.
• The complaints occur more quickly on a slope or in a cold environment.
• The complaints can also occur at night.
• The complaints disappear within 10 minutes when you stand still again.
Cause of clatter legs
What causes this? “Arterial calcification,” says Dr. Rutger. This is related to aging. The older you get, the narrower the arteries become and the more they calcify on the inside. In addition, factors such as poor nutrition, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, hereditary predisposition and lack of exercise can accelerate this process.
With sagging legs you have an increased risk of other cardiovascular diseases, such as a heart attack or stroke. Arterial stenosis can also cause narrowing in other places in the body, not just in the legs.
Measuring bloodpressure
The doctor can measure whether the vessels in the legs are narrowed. He does this by comparing the blood pressure of the arms with the blood pressure of the ankles. If the blood pressure at the ankle is significantly lower than at the arm, there is constriction. You can also be referred to a GP laboratory or a vascular laboratory in a hospital for this examination.
By comparing the blood pressure in your ankle with that in your arms, a doctor can determine whether you suffer from claudication. © Shutterstock
Walking to treat
What if there is evidence of display legs? Unfortunately, our veins cannot be decalcified, as is the case with devices. Blood thinners may help the blood flow more easily through the calcified veins. It is also wise to examine your lifestyle. Consider healthy eating, sufficient exercise, possibly quitting smoking and losing weight if you are overweight.
But more is possible. Doctor Rutger: “Walking training under the guidance of a physiotherapist can be just as effective as an intervention. I see that this is a solution for many patients. You then start walking through the pain.” Even though it is painful, walking helps the smaller blood vessels to circulate, which reduces complaints. Such a running training, as described by Dr Rutger, can look like this:
• Walk until you develop symptoms, and then walk another ten steps. Go through the pain.
• Rest until the symptoms have disappeared.
• Repeat this exercise a few more times, for up to fifteen minutes or half an hour.
• Do this three times a day, at least three times a week (preferably every day).
If all goes well, after a few weeks or months you will notice that the distance you can walk increases. If you don’t like walking alone, a walking club is an idea.
Physiotherapy and medicine
Physiotherapy can also produce good results. You will often first be given a walking test by a physiotherapist. A tailor-made training schedule is then created. The physiotherapist can also provide you with good walking technique, allowing you to walk a little further each time.
In addition to blood thinners, there are medications that reduce the risk of strictures. If you take this, the risk of other cardiovascular diseases is also reduced. Consider medications for high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Chances are that if you are prescribed these medications, you will have to continue taking them for the rest of your life.
This article previously appeared on Libelle.nl
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2023-10-15 11:00:36
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