Calf pain at night and also when exercising

General health and lifestyle
1

Hi

I've had this problem like 4 years now, were if I walk a lot, or fast, my calf muscles on the outside really start to burn and hurt to the point where my legs feel solid? Like I can't walk properly. If I stop and massage my calfs and rotate my ankles it reduces but doesn't go away. It gets really painful sometimes even if I am not walking fast. I have to walk to the bus stop in the morning and by the time I get there my pace has slowed and I'm trying not to limp. I am not very exercise conscious. I mean I go out running maybe once a week for 3-4 miles. I walk to the bus and back which is like 10 mins either way, and I also go to the gym around 2-4 times a week depending on how bad my legs feel. When I'm at the gym I try to walk on the treadmill for like 20 minutes - gradually increasing the pace so that I can get my calfs fit again. But most of the time the pain comes back and it gets really hard to walk. If this happens I'll go sit down and do some stretching and massage etc. But it never goes away. It's like a constant thing that always happens to me now. I don't understand what is wrong. I used to run a lot prior to 4 years ago and when it got that I couldn't run a mile without the pain, I went to see a dr. He sent me to a sports therapist who basically completely ignore my calves and said I must have something wrong with my back. Probably because he did a gait analysis and said that my leg left had good mechanics, but my right leg was being swung out and around and I needed to be lifting that leg more etc. 

I went there for 6 weeks and basically did the exercises and nothing really came of it. I havent been back to the dr about it because the last time I got the impression that "if it hurts when you run, then don't run, find another exercise." Which to me is, ok, sensible but hardly sorts the problem out. I cycle more now because of this pain. And I dont get any pain when I do cycle. But I love running. 

I wear asics neutral running trainers as these cause the least amount of pain in my calves when I do run or walk. I don't have any biomechanical issues with my feet  as far as I am aware. I did a gait anaylsis at a running shop and he suggested neutral trainers. 

I'm 32,, I am over weight now because of the exercise issues and being depresssd  about it.

Anyway, its gotten to the  point were I am getting pain in my legs when I go to sleep..  I now sometimes try to take some aspirin during the day or when I go to sleep, just like 75mg, although sometimes I take paracetemol if the pain is really bad. Its worse when I havent been out for a walk, or done too much. Like if I've been sat a lot or not done anythign too physical the pain is worse at night. 

I know that I have some circulation problems as my hand and feet are always cold. And my legs are patchy? Like the blood is not getting there too well. I've had blood tests that show my thyroid is fine, and everything else is ok. Although saying that they didn't tell me my insulin levels have been borderline abnormal for years, but not enough to be diabetic. 

Losing weight is really important I know. I'm 5ft6 and weight too much for my height. But again, its really hard to lose weight. The times when I do go to the gym regularly and eat well, I don't seem to lose weight. I lost weight previously when I was younger, but I was basically living off redbull and very small portions of fruit and steamed veg and fish and doing silly amounts of exercise. It wasn't sustainable and as soon as I went back to eating normally I put the weight back on. 

My usualy diet this week etc has been a bowel of porridge in the morning at 7am, then I pack my lunch which was hand full of grapes, an apple, and a small palm sized pit of mixed nuts. Dinner was spag bol which I didn't eat much off. My snacks that I know I shouldn't eat were 2 chocolate digestive biscuits and an aero  mint chocolate bar. Drink wise I drink diet coke, coffee with sweetneer and water and not much else. Sometimes I have a protein shake if I am hungry and don't want to snack on rubbish. 

I'm basically regurgitating my life, sorry, I'm just really stumped as to why my calfs muscles are giving me so much trouble. 

Oh I also went to physio//sports massage a couple of times and she did dsay my legs were full of knots? I had a couple of massages but they reaallly hurt and my legs were bruised after. So I didn't go again. 

SShoe wise I always wear flats or trainers. 

WWalking up hills or slight inclines gives me the worst pain. Running in intervals is all I can do atm. Run for a minute, wait till the pain builds up then walk tillit reduces etc and repeat. 

And I had a period of a  year where I did very little gym stuff, so only walking really as I thought maybe I'd damaged something and they just neeeded a break. But as soon as I started exercising again it got bad. Does anyone else have the same issues? IIf yyes what did you do?  

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Sorry  ffor the typos my keyboard iss playing up

3

have you have any bloods done x

4

I usually have a standard set done each year - and they are usually the same each year (because I get times when I am really tired and want to sleep due to feeling exhausted). Thyroid is normal range, iron is normal, insulin has been borderline pre-diabetes for a while (the earliest record the dr has on file still is from 2005) but I had a blood insulin sensitivity test done at hospital and that came back normal, so not sure why the standard blood test i have had previously have been coming back pre-diabetic. My blood pressure is a bit high? 120/80 and my resting heart rate is around the 90's. 

Oh and the blood test usually shows elevated white blood cells but the dr has usually attributed that to me getting over a cold or something. 

5

I am indoors a lot, as I'm a student - but I take high strength vitd 3000upg a day, and cod liver oil plus a multivitamin. I might try a b12 supplement as both my parents take them due to being diagnosed with chronic low b12 (i have no idea why -altho their diet is pretty atrocious). 

 

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Oh sometimes tho - (i say my legs are patchy like white/red patches, not very strong but i notice it, even if i have got out of a hot shower) my legs and feet sometimes get red. Like if you go out in the cold and then come back in and your fingers get all red and angry whilst they warm up again? my legs and feet sometimes do that even if i'm sat down - again I can't say that even on a busy day I am on my feet a lot. Its a lot of sitting in lectures or in front of a computer or sat reading apart from my morning bus stop walks and my gym routine / odd supermarket runs etc. 

7

you should get your blood taken for vit D and B12 as sometimes you have too get injections for b12 if your body does not absorbed it x

8

does   the standard test not pick up any vitamin deficiencies?

9

What you describe can be number of things but I strongly urge you to look into following:

1) Deep vein thrombosis: this condition is similar to what you describe and requires medical attention because it can be fatal

2) Varicose veins: besides medical attention you could alleviate this pain by taking horse chestnut seed extract and grape seed extract. These also help with thrombosis

3) irritated Achilles Tendon: this one seems less likely but either way you may want to take Gelatin caps in order to lubricate your joints

Instead of walking, go on a bike and do weight lifts.

10

No they are separate

11

does this pain include numbness or a falling asleep feeling? does it go to your toes?

12

that's interesting. my thyroid is always good and white blood cell count is always a bit high but they can never figure out why.

13

peppe. do vericose veins include circulation issues?

14

Yes, manda. Blood either does not get through or it's hard for the blood to pass so you get those sore feeling. Here is a leaflet on this:

https://patient.info/health/varicose-veins-leaflet

Emis Moderator comment: I have replaced the given link with a link to the equivalent article on our site.

15

Thank you for all the replies. 

I looked up the first two previously, but ruled them out because I thought DVT was localised? and I don't have like one warm area that is localised/painful (like a specific area on the calf that I could pinpoint) and it occurs in both legs, tho mostly/more in my left atm. Its like the whole calf, from just where the ankle starts, to where my knee starts, then the pain graduates up the outside of my left leg parallell to where my arm would fall etc. But this varies depending on day/activity. Sometimes its just my calf etc, other days the pain includes calf and radiates up, sometimes its also the back of the top of my leg, under the thigh. 

I didn't think it was vericose veins because I can't see anything? I mean if I go to the gym and look down, then yeah I can see definition, outlines of some veins but other than that my legs look pale or dark red.

Achiles is the one that runs up from the heel? It could possibly be partially that I guess, but the pain affects the whole area. Most of my running when attempted has been on a treadmill and not on road or hight impact etc or hill climbing. The walking is yes, but that is a gradual incline, some would probably think it flat, the only reason I know its graded incline is because my legs start to hurt. 

I will go to the dr, but I've been before and they usually give the medical equivalent of a shrug. Also no one else in my family has has a DVT, some have vericose veins but I thought that was age related? Wear and tear etc. I don't know how or who would tell me if it's an achiles /muscular tendon issue? Surely that would stop hurting when resting tho? 

I've always had circulation problems, as well as cold skin, sometimes clammy. Another thing is whilst I don't get numbness, I get like crawling sensations, not strong - like someone has moved a feather over the skin, its not all over the legs, just calf areas and tends to be in one small spot which moves around. 

I understand about go on a bike etc, but I have to walk sometime. I park in a car park and walk to bus stop, I can't take my bike as its a uni bus and usually packed solid. I wouldn;t want to cycle to uni, its too far and carrying books back and forth plus variable weather makes it undesirable at this time of year. Plus its kind of giving in to the problem rather than solving it, in my mind anyway.

Part of me wondered if it could be compartment syndrome, but that sounds extreme and it's not like I'm a marathon runner. I used to think it was the ITB bands that run up the outside of each leg but I've tried foam rollers and different stretches and it doesn't seem to help. 

I'll see what the dr can say, I'm just worried that this is going to get to a point where I can't really walk any distance, and I feel restricted as it is. 

Thanks again for everyones posts.