For humans, legs are a source of mobility and support up to a certain extent. Our legs enable us to walk and carry out our routine day-to-day activities. Any kind of pain, discomfort or weakness in legs can be very disabling and restrict our daily chores.
Have you been experiencing sudden weakness in legs when walking? This article will let you understand why you may be experiencing the same, along with its treatment and home remedies.
What Does It Mean To Have Sudden Weakness In Legs When Walking?
- The sensation of weakness can either be generalized (felt all over the body or generally) or only in one or both legs.
- One would experience weakness in muscles of legs when there is a loss of strength to work or carry out normal activities like standing or walking.
- It is not normal to have such a sudden weakness. It could be due to a major illness like stroke or due to some pathology related only to the legs.
- Feeling generalized weakness or fatigue is not a weakness in the true sense. Having sudden weakness in the leg when walking is an alarming symptom and it needs to be evaluated as soon as possible.
What Causes Legs To Feel Heavy And Weak When Walking?
Our spinal cord is a means of communication between the brain and the body. Any pathology of the lumbar spine results in reduced or loss of nervous communication between the brain and lower extremities.
Pathologies related to the lumbar spine not only result in weakness of legs; it also affects the patient’s perception of pain, touch and temperature in the legs.
| Causes | Description |
| Spinal Cord Injury | Trauma To A Lumbar Or Sacral Portion Of Spine Results In:
After a spinal cord injury, the person may or may not recover completely from the damage. Spinal cord injuries are seen commonly in men in the age group of 16-30 years. |
| Lumbar Spine Osteoarthritis
(Facet Joint Osteoarthritis) |
It is a degenerative type of disc disease frequently seen in elderly and is a common cause for neck pain and back pain. Signs And Symptoms Include:
|
| Lumbar Disc Herniation
(slipped disc) |
It is an age-related degeneration of inter-vertebral discs or from trauma or over-lifting. Tear in the disc ring or bulging out of disc irritates the surrounding nerve roots causing inflammation.
Signs And Symptoms Are:
|
| Spinal Stenosis | It is the abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal.
Causes are osteoarthritis, spondylolisthesis, age-related, inter-vertebral disc prolapsed, and compression fractures, rheumatoid arthritis, tumors or trauma. Signs And Symptoms Include:
|
| Stroke | Reduced Blood Supply To Brain Results In:
Timely detection and early diagnosis can reverse these signs and symptoms. When these signs and symptoms appear temporarily due to momentarily loss of blood supply to the brain is called a transient ischemic attack. |
| Guillain-Barre Syndrome | This Is An Acute Onset Autoimmune Condition Characterized By:
It usually follows an acute viral infection of the stomach or respiratory tract. In severe cases, it causes death due to cardio-respiratory failure. |
| Rhabdomylosis | It is a serious disease syndrome in which muscular injury causes a release of its contents into the bloodstream.
Causes For Rhabdomyolysis Are:
Signs And Symptoms Are:
|
| Lou Gehrig’s Disease
(Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) |
It is a rare neurological illness in which there is a progressive weakness of motor neurons, that is, the nerve which controls voluntary movements like walking, chewing, etc.
It belongs to the category of motor neuron disease. Neurons deteriorate and gradually death of motor neurons occurs. Subsequently, the communication between the brain and affected parts of the body is lost Signs And Symptoms Are:
|
| Drugs and Toxins | Medications like corticosteroids and statins used to control dyslipidemia may cause leg weakness.
Botulinum toxin and organophosphate poisoning are also some causes for sudden weakness in legs. |
Treatment And Home Remedies:
Treatment for sudden weakness in legs when walking will depend upon the underlying medical condition. Treating the cause is more important.
For example, degenerative disc disease and herniated disc may be treated conservatively with the help of medications and exercise. However, severe cases may require surgery to relieve complaints.
Neurological conditions like Guillain Barre Syndrome, Lou Gehrig’s disease and stroke need urgent medical attention and treatment.
Home remedies for sudden weakness in legs when walking can be used only in cases of treatable clinical conditions. In the case of neurological defects, spinal cord injury and autoimmune conditions, home remedies will have little or no role to play.
Home Remedies To Reduce Weakness In Legs
- Warm and cold application to reduce pain, aching and inflammation of back.
- Soaking feet in warm water with Epsom salt or vinegar improves blood circulation to legs and reduces pain and weakness.
- Take adequate rest.
- Massaging legs improves blood circulation to the legs and reduces fatigue.
- Exercising regularly can relieve tired legs. Weakness in legs due to spinal causes can be treated with medications along with appropriate physiotherapy.
- Eat a balanced diet with an adequate amount of nutrient and vitamins to reduce and also prevent sudden weakness in legs when walking.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Sleep with two pillows under your feet to improve circulation and reduce weakness.
Dr. Himanshi is a Homoeopathic consultant and currently working as a lecturer in Post-graduate faculty of Homeopathy, Parul University, Vadodara. Completed BHMS and MD in Homeopathy in January 2018 and also has a clinical experience of about 6 years. Personal interests include reading, spending time with family and traveling.
