Have you ever wondered how come your calves and legs in general feel achy after each training routine? What is actually contributing to these symptoms and what can you really do?
Don’t worry, most of the people experience pain in different body parts. Especially after an intense workout or if exercising is a new thing they are dealing with. There is nothing to worry about that. However, this doesn’t mean you should ignore these symptoms and hope they will pass every time without taking a single measure…
If certain localized pains on your legs, especially on your calves become constant and chronic, then, they might be a sign of a more serious condition. Usually leg pains and also aches, located in your calve area, can be caused due to dehydration, overuse etc. Even though there are some things you can do to prevent or minimize the pain on your legs, keep in mind that if you tend to experience extreme pain, the best thing you can do is to contact with your doctor immediately.
Common causes of leg and calve pain after exercise
Lack of activity – This is the first, most common cause of these painful and uncomfortable symptoms on your legs. If you’re new in the fitness or sport’s world, then, consider the pain as a very normal thing to happen. Especially since your body is now facing a rush of new moves and activity.
Dehydration – If you are constantly feeling muscle cramps on your calves and legs, then, the biggest source of this problem is dehydration. When you’re not consuming the right amount of fluids, one of the most common physical changes this condition causes is achy muscles.
Overuse – Keep in mind that your muscles become sore when you haven’t got any physical activity for a while. That is why, any time you’ll jump to training and exercising, expect to feel pain and soreness on your leg muscles.
Lactic Acid Build-Up – When you train regularly, your body starts to build up the capacity of your lungs. Also it improves its ability to transport oxygen to your tissues. When you cannot handle your energy demands and cannot keep up with them, then, your body starts to break down your carbs to energy. It does that using a method that doesn’t require oxygen. As a result, more lactic acid start to being produced by your body.
Unfortunately, when this lactic acid is build-up, it causes pain on your calves and legs. Usually, you will feel a burn-like pain. This should be a way to know when your body is actually requiring you to better manage your training routine. Also, to control your diet as much as you can.
Prevention
Aching calves and legs are usually described as feeling frozen, heavy, numbs, pain and swelling. The affected parts are usually your muscles, ligaments, soft tissues and tendons. When knowing these symptoms and the affected parts, you can then better determine your pain level, and whether you should or shouldn’t pay a visit to your doctor.
If you’re really trying to find a way to prevent or cure these uncomfortable symptoms on your legs, then, controlling your glucose levels in your blood and keeping a normal body weight, are the first two things you should consider doing.
Having a healthy, well-balanced diet and skipping alcohols and smoking are the following necessary steps to consider. Usually, if the pain is manageable, you can treat them as normal pains and take a normal over-the-counter pain relief pill. Massages and gentle stretching exercises are also a great way to work on preventing these painful leg symptoms.
