Stiffness in legs

Need-to-know Facts

This unpleasant and sometimes quite painful condition most often appears and takes control of the connective tissues such as the legs, fingers, arms and thighs. In case this condition befalls the person’s legs, this might also be the indicator of the presence of a certain bone related condition that is chronic in nature, or an indicator of leg muscles strain and weakness. But people should not be intimidated by this and they should not feel threatened, since the occurrence of the above mentioned chronic conditions is most frequent in senior people, who quite often experience stiffness due to the effects of the aging process. The main culprits for the occurrence of muscle stiffness acute in nature are such illnesses as fibrositis and fibromyalgia. As far as the younger people are concerned, the stiffness is most frequently a side effect of improper sitting postures, as well as the standing posture and bad walking habits that last for quite some time. Another common causer of stiffness is not getting enough physical exercise. The stiffness itself can be quite troubling given the fact that it can hinder person’s regular activity, or that it cause unpleasant pain and leg soreness.

Main culprits

Given its nature, once the stiffness occurs, most people start thinking about a possible presence of a certain more serious in nature condition, such as arthritis, and also osteoarthritis. But, one important thing to keep in mind is that bone-related stiffness is most frequent in people of older age. As far as the rest are concerned, this condition occurs as a direct consequence of under oxygenation of the muscles located in our leg, which induces the piling up of the excessive amounts of lactic acid. This build up initiates cramps in our muscles and also stiffness in our legs, which are often fairly painful. Those persons in whom the stiffness occurs immediately after sleeping will probably experience minor problems in walking properly after they have woken up. Inactive and sedentary life is also yet another common cause of the stiffness due to spending many hours in a contracted position.

Treatment methods and alleviation techniques

Due to a bit vague nature of the stiffness that occurs in legs, there isn’t one specific method that would enable a person to ward this unpleasant condition off immediately. The action that is considered as fairly beneficial and effective includes taking time to rest at regular intervals once a person has finished the exercise session, whereas various massage therapies and plenty of physical exercise will make sure that a person’s muscle does not reach the state of rustiness before the time. Application of heat and cold pads can be quite effective and useful as well. One of the most essential things one should know is that for the treatment to be effective, the person must maintain well muscle toning and muscle flexibility.